https://archive.md/FoRQS
"MAMMOTH, Wyo. — At 1:23 a.m. on a recent summer night, the matriarch of the
Rescue Creek wolf pack, known to scientists as 1490F, bellowed out two long,
melodic howls that reverberated across the landscape.
Soon, her seven pups joined in, creating a cacophony that enveloped their
mother’s baseline howl. With this performance taking place in the middle of the
night, near the wolves’ den, researchers would usually have missed it. But the
scientists of the National Park Service’s Yellowstone Wolf Project, which has
been monitoring wolves across the Yellowstone landscape since they were
reintroduced in 1995, have a new tool in their arsenal: Drilled to a tree near
the wolf den, a recording unit runs 24/7, eavesdropping on the wolves’
conversations.
After 30 years of using traditional boots-on-the-ground observations, the
researchers are collecting wolf calls in hopes of honing population estimates,
tracking wolves without using radio collars and reducing conflict between the
animals and ranchers.
“We’re integrating modern cutting-edge scientific tools with old-school natural
history,” said Dan Stahler, the senior wolf biologist in Yellowstone National
Park.
Without these recordings, researchers would miss out on several hours of the
day when they can’t observe the wolves — and on what the pups’ playful yips,
moans and growls say about wolf behavior.
Learning more about how wolves communicate from a young age can shed light on
pack dynamics that wildlife managers can use to better track and protect the
species."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-listening-to-yellowstone-wolves/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
