In winter, wolves may try to trap elk, deer, caribou, moose or other prey in deep snow where these animals can't easily run or maneuver. By singling out sick, old or weak animals as victims, wolves actually keep the herd healthy over the long run. At 7 pm this Friday, naturalist Marcas Marx will tell us more about the natural history of the wolf, and detail efforts to restore the wolf population. A wolf pack usually numbers anywhere from six or eight animals to several dozen. The alpha male usually consumes the choicest part of the meal - you know, the liver, the heart, the intestines.
Wolves mostly eat hoofed animals like deer, moose, elk and caribou.
But in warmer months when they are less active, they will dine on berries or small rodents. Wolves would just as soon scavenge and spend a lot of time and energy hunting prey. The Lewis and Clark expedition reported in 1804 that prairie wolves followed buffalo herd, feeding on animals that had already died. Usually the alpha male and female are the only wolves in the pack which mate. Pups born in the spring are usually big enough to travel and hunt with the pack in the late fall and winter.