looduskalender.ee

 

The female and three cubs have been caught in the photo from mid-September. At the moment the male cubs are comparable in size to their mother. The female cubs are somewhat smaller. Unfortunately the track camera refuses to use the year number 2013.

 

By and by the start of winter is approaching and this year’s wolves-to-be are already of a size to make occasional longer hunting trips along with the parents. The entire wolf flock changes its location, if not quite on a daily basis, but already 2-3 times a week.

 

Changing locations is well justified – the cubs already eat almost a “full-grown man’s“ ration, and movement is to the next hunting ground.

 

The weight of the cubs at the end of October is in the 15-25 kilogram range. Obviously a growing young organism needs a quite large amount of energy for normal development. On average a wolf cub gains 300 grams in weight per week. Since however the young wolves cannot yet manage to get food for themselves, the adult wolves have their fill of work.

 

Within a month the time arrives when the wolf flock becomes nomadic until next spring, when a new-born generation again changes the migrants into stationary.