White Wolf


Posted by RichardMittleman/Gon2Foto on Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:14 pm

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Made today in Yellowstone. This wolf and her mate were just off of the road.
I was told by locals that she is the Alpha female of the Canyon Pack, is old for a wolf and is the only white wolf either in Yellowstone or in North America. If anyone knows anything more authoritative about her, I'd appreciate knowing.
Thanks

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by Mike in O on Thu Oct 16, 2014 11:11 am
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White is a color phase just like black, it is very common in the Artic wolf and the famed Buffalo wolves of the Great Plains (extinct in the wild). Very nice close up shot.
 

by Nate Chappell on Thu Oct 16, 2014 11:18 am
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Cracking shot, great eye contact!
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by Gary Briney on Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:58 am
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Great shot of those piercing eyes
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by Max Waugh on Fri Oct 17, 2014 4:34 pm
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Richard, this is the Canyon alpha female, one of the more famous wolves in the park (and my favorite).

She's one of the few nearly pure white wolves that one sees in Yellowstone--though not North America, as you find those a lot up north--which obviously makes her stand out.  Her mother, the former female of the Hayden Pack, was also a white wolf.  Personally, I am fond of the Canyons because they have endured despite some tough going in the early years.  They were formed around 2007/2008 after the Haydens were dispersed by the much stronger Mollies Pack (over the course of a couple days, both Hayden alphas were killed by the Mollies).  This wolf then joined up with some ex-Mollies to form the Canyon Group, which over the next couple years roamed a wide range while trying to avoid larger, stronger packs.  After a few attempts, they finally raised pups successfully for a full year, officially giving them "pack" status.  And now of course they have firmly established their own territory as the Mollies and other packs have dwindled in numbers.

As for the shot, I think it's fabulous.  This pack is pretty used to people and traffic, so it's not too surprising that you got them so close.  However, it's still one of the closest portraits I've seen of this beauty.  Great job.

Max


Last edited by Max Waugh on Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 

by RichardMittleman/Gon2Foto on Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:04 pm
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Max Waugh wrote:Richard, this is the Canyon alpha female, one of the more famous wolves in the park (and my favorite).

She's one of the few nearly pure white wolves that one sees in Yellowstone--though not North America, as you find those a lot up north--which obviously makes her stand out.  Her mother, the former female of the Hayden Pack, was also a white wolf.  Personally, I am fond of the Canyons because they have endured despite some tough going in the early years.  They were formed around 2007/2008 after the Haydens were dispersed by the much stronger Mollies Pack (over the course of a couple days, both Hayden alphas were killed by the Mollies).  This wolf then joined up some ex-Mollies to form the Canyon Group, which over the next couple years roamed a wide range while trying to avoid larger, stronger packs.  After a few attempts, they finally raised pups successfully for a full year, officially giving them "pack" status.  And now of course they have firmly established their own territory as the Mollies and other packs have dwindled in numbers.

As for the shot, I think it's fabulous.  This pack is pretty used to people and traffic, so it's not too surprising that you got them so close.  However, it's still one of the closest portraits I've seen of this beauty.  Great job.

Max
Thanks for all of the info Max. She has an obvious limp now which others have also seen. An injury during a hunting attack or arthritis? She doesn't look as if she'd be much help now in running down an elk
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by Max Waugh on Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:33 pm
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Last time I saw her was in the spring, and she had a limp then too (if you jump to the 8:13 mark of the Yellowstone video I just published, you can see this).  I'm not sure if it's the same malady/injury as what you saw now, but perhaps you can tell.  Back in May, she was traveling fine with the rest of the pack despite the limp, going back and forth between Hayden Valley and up toward Norris.  Still, they didn't have any pups this year that we know of, so maybe old age is finally catching up to her.

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by Graeme Guy on Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:48 pm
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Richard

A very nice close-up portrait. Great eye contact.

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by EGrav on Fri Oct 17, 2014 9:36 pm
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Actually, the arctic wolves in northern Canada are all white. Their numbers are down but still a significant number. The Agate female alpha in Yellowstone was white (she was killed by the Mollies) and I think there were one or two other all white wolves in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem in the recent past. They are uncommon but not rare.
This is a great shot. Congrats. 
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by RichardMittleman/Gon2Foto on Sat Oct 18, 2014 12:20 am
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Max Waugh wrote:Last time I saw her was in the spring, and she had a limp then too (if you jump to the 8:13 mark of the Yellowstone video I just published, you can see this).  I'm not sure if it's the same malady/injury as what you saw now, but perhaps you can tell.  Back in May, she was traveling fine with the rest of the pack despite the limp, going back and forth between Hayden Valley and up toward Norris.  Still, they didn't have any pups this year that we know of, so maybe old age is finally catching up to her.

Max
Max,
I watched a couple of your Yellowstone videos and they are absolutely outstanding.
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by Ed Cordes on Sat Oct 18, 2014 8:22 am
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Stunning expression of a beautiful animal. Can you consider cropping the bottom OOF rock out of the frame? I really like the exposure; you handled it well.
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by Cindy Marple on Sat Oct 18, 2014 4:18 pm
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Lovely portrait of this pretty lady Richard. So alert and piercing gaze with those yellow eyes.
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by jerryb on Sun Oct 19, 2014 1:48 pm
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Nice portrait framed by the pine.
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by Bruce Sherman on Tue Oct 21, 2014 1:08 pm
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Hi Richard,

Wonderful shot! My wife and I were in Yellowstone in January 2013 and had a great encounter with the same wolf. You can see my pic of her at http://www.pbase.com/brucesherman/image/148659992.

I can't decide which I like better - this shot or your shot of the jumping Red Fox. Both are KILLER!!!!!
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by RichardMittleman/Gon2Foto on Tue Oct 21, 2014 3:07 pm
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Thanks Bruce and yours is pretty cool too
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by Carol Clarke on Tue Oct 21, 2014 4:04 pm
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While I've been away you've posted some stunning work Richard. This is another beauty!
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by Jamie Strickland on Wed Nov 05, 2014 5:35 pm
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Great photo of her, I got some shots of both of them the first week of oct but I was nowhere near as close unfortunately :(

She had a limp the day I saw her also. They were my closest encounter of wolves so far out of the 4 visits to yellowstone so I was like a kid on xmas morning, it made the whole trip worthwhile.
 

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