MEET THE PACK

The natural history of wolves is closely tied to their unique and highly-developed social structure: the pack. Pack sizes average from 5 to 6 individuals, but packs numbering up to 20 and 30 wolves have occasionally been recorded. It is vital to a wolves’ mental and physical health, as well as survival, to not be alone.

Wolves are members of the family Canidae and only two subspecies are recognized in Alaska. Wolves in Southeast Alaska tend to be darker and smaller than the wolves in the northern parts. The fur color of wolves ranges from black to every shade of gray and tan. Gray and black wolves are the most common.

Bri Deshka Lothario Dirus

Bri the gray wolf was born and arrived at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in 2016. She gets her name in reference to the Bering Strait Bridge. Bri, along with our other female wolf Deshka, was born at Triple D Game Farm, an accredited zoological facility in Montana – but have no relation. The two were brought to AWCC for the specific purpose of becoming ambassadors for their species. Bri loves working with our animal care staff, training for educational programs, and playing with Deshka. She can often be found sleeping on the hill of her habitat with Deshka by her side.

GRAY WOLVES:

Wolves are carnivores with moose and caribou making up the majority of their diet throughout much of Alaska. In southeast Alaska, Sitka black-tailed deer are their most common prey animal. There are an estimated 8,000 wolves in Alaska, which is the only state in the U.S. in which wolves have never been included on the Endangered Species List. They range over almost all of Alaska’s territory. At birth, pups weigh about 1 pound, but full-grown wolves can weigh anywhere between 100 and 150 pounds. Wolves depend on their unique and highly-developed social structure: the pack. Pack size averages 5 or 6 individuals and is led by an ‘alpha’ pair of wolves.

Deshka was born and arrived at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in 2015. She gets her name from a river found in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley in south-central Alaska. Deshka, along with Bri, was born at Triple D Game Farm, an accredited zoological facility in Montana – but the two have no relation. They were brought to AWCC for the specific purpose of becoming ambassadors for their species. Deshka has thrived since arriving at AWCC. She is naturally shy with humans, but she has become the leader of our pack. She can often be found howling at the Alaska railroad trains as they chug through daily!

GRAY WOLVES:

Wolves are carnivores with moose and caribou making up the majority of their diet throughout much of Alaska. In southeast Alaska, Sitka black-tailed deer are their most common prey animal. There are an estimated 8,000 wolves in Alaska, which is the only state in the U.S. in which wolves have never been included on the Endangered Species List. They range over almost all of Alaska’s territory. At birth, pups weigh about 1 pound, but full-grown wolves can weigh anywhere between 100 and 150 pounds. Wolves depend on their unique and highly-developed social structure: the pack. Pack size averages 5 or 6 individuals and is led by an ‘alpha’ pair of wolves.

Lothario (pronounced La-Thar-E-O) was born in 2015 and came to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in 2016. His name comes from a charming and seductive male character from a play during the 1700s. He is a black phase Gray wolf, and, along with our other male wolf, Dirus, comes from the Zoological Wildlife Conservation Center in Oregon. Lothario was born in captivity for the purpose of being an animal ambassador for his species and educating the public about his wild counterparts. Lothario and Deshka are the lead pair, but you often find him palling around with his bro, Dirus.

GRAY WOLVES:

Lothario is a black phase Gray wolf with ancestral roots which trace back to Alaska. Black phase wolves are usually born pure black and, as they age, each year their coats will shed out and when it grows back in the color will be slightly lighter. Many black wolves will be gray within a few years. Wolves are carnivores, and therefore moose, caribou, and deer make up a large part of their diet. As a pup, they can weigh as little as 1 pound, but full-grown wolves can weigh anywhere between 100 and 150 pounds.

Dirus (pronounced Deer-Us) was born in 2015 and came to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in 2016. Dirus’ name comes from a Game of Thrones character, Dire Wolf, whose fictional name is “Canis dirus”. He is a cross between a Hudson Bay and gray wolf. Dirus comes from the Zoological Wildlife Conservation Center in Oregon. Dirus was born in captivity for the purpose of being an animal ambassador for his species and educating the public about his wild counterparts. He can often be found rolling in the grass or bathing in the sun.

GRAY WOLVES:

Dirus is a white phase Gray Hudson Bay wolf with ancestral roots which trace back to Ontario, Canada. Dirus will remain in a white phase, or as a white wolf, for his entire life. Hudson Bay wolves are sub-species of Gray wolves – very similar to the Arctic wolves of Alaska with slender bodies and long legs. Wolves are carnivores, and therefore moose, caribou, and deer make up a large part of their diet. As a pup, they can weigh as little as 1 pound, but full-grown wolves can weigh anywhere between 100 and 150 pounds.

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