Oldest Wolf in Yellowstone Just Made News by Having Another Litter of Pups

Yellowstone's oldest wolf made headlines last month when the 11-year-old wolf did something that hasn't been done before - she gave birth to her tenth litter of pups! Keith Merrill of National Park News reported in mid-June that the queen of Yellowstone gave birth to three healthy pups, "This 10th litter has just started to come out of the den,” said Kira Cassidy, a research associate with the Yellowstone Wolf Project.

Wolf 907 (she needs a real name...we should call her Queen!) gave birth to the three pups in the Spring and they're all now exploring outside of the den and becoming more independent. 907 has lived twice as long as most wolves in the wild and has had twice as many litters. Sadly, last year, 907 old had one pup survive in the litter.

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I guess there's no retirement in her future! Interestingly, 907 has only one eye, though it's unclear what happened to her. “It happened at some point between the time she was 10 months old and 4 years old. And we’re not sure what happened,” Cassidy said. “It doesn't seem to hold her back at all.” One commenter of the hundreds left summed it up best for all of us when they said of National Park News' video, "She clearly has great DNA too...one tough little lady. Proud of you. Sending you blessings. May the year be peaceful for you and your pups."

Related: National Geographic's Video of Tiny Wolf Cubs Howling Is One to Put on Repeat

Wolves in the Wild

When wolves die in the wild, it's not typically because of old age. Usually, it has something to do with humans, like hunting, keeping them away from farms and livestock, or by accidental vehicle deaths. Cassidy also shared a couple of other common wolf deaths, "About half of them die when two packs fight each other over territory. They will also die while they are hunting large prey like an elk or bison, they might get kicked or gored."

As of now approximately 25% of the wolves in Yellowstone are collared and regularly monitored and tracked. The Yellowstone Wolf Project started in 1995 and since it's become one of the most detailed studies of wolves the world. They also focus on studying the day-to-day life and social interactions of wolves.

907 may have worked hard for her entire life, but these days she's taking it easy. She leads the largest pack in Yellowstone, and Life Science shared, "Like other elders, Wolf 907F takes a back seat in hunts now that she's older, and she spends most of her day hanging around with the pack's pups." Just like human grandparents do! Here's wishing 907 well and hoping she gets to meet some of her great grandchildren. She's had a litter for the last ten years so I'm sure there are plenty of them running around!

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