Red Wolf: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Hunters · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Red wolves mate in January and February. On average, 6 to 7 pups are born in March, April or May.
2. Before it vanished from the wild, the red wolf mostly ate rabbits, rodents and nutria, which people had brought in from elsewhere.
3. For a den, a red wolf may use a hollow tree trunk, a spot along a stream bank, or an old burrow dug by another animal.
4. Both parents raise the pups. The young leave the den at six weeks and are full size by one year.
5. Just 14 wild survivors became the founders of a captive-breeding program that later brought red wolves back to the wild.

The quiz

1. On average, how many pups are born in a red wolf litter?

• 1 to 2
• 6 to 7 (correct)
• 12 to 14
• About 20

On average, 6 to 7 pups are born in March, April or May.

2. Which introduced species did red wolves eat?

• Nutria (correct)
• Wild boar
• Feral goats
• Starlings

Before it vanished from the wild, it mostly ate rabbits, rodents and nutria, which were brought in from elsewhere.

3. Where might a red wolf make its den?

• On a cliff top
• In a beaver lodge
• Up in a tree fork
• In a hollow tree trunk (correct)

It may den in a hollow tree trunk, along a stream bank, or in an old burrow of another animal.

4. At what age do red wolf pups leave the den?

• Two weeks
• Six weeks (correct)
• Six months
• One year

The young leave the den at six weeks.

5. How many survivors started the captive-breeding program?

• Four
• Forty
• Fourteen (correct)
• Two hundred

Just 14 wild survivors founded the captive-breeding program.

More about the Red Wolf

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries