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Yellowstone Wolf: Tracking the Packs

Yellowstone's wolf packs—Wapiti Lake Pack

The Wapiti Lake Pack was founded by 755M in 2014. In reality, 755M had been traveling around much of the Northern Range, not joining a pack or finding a mate for about 2 years. This former alpha male of Lamar Canyon Pack returned to the Park in winter 2012 from a trip east and joined up with 759F from Mollie's Pack, who later left him. After being alone for a few months, 755M was seen with an uncollared gray female in April 2013, then later with 889F. 755M appeared to have joined Junction Butte, but split off with 889F in 2014. The pair spent time in the Hellroaring area before 889F was harvested outside of the Park. Finally, in 2015, 755M settled down in Hayden Valley with an uncollared gray female where they denned and had pups. Mollie's wolves joined the small pack in 2016 and 755M was seen in numerous places around the Northern Range and potentially joined the Beartooth Pack by 2017. In 2017, the famous White Alpha Female's daughter (similarly colored to her mother), became alpha of Wapiti Lake pack. Both 1091F and the White Female had litters in 2017 (to the best of our knowledge, one of the few packs that did). Visitors enjoyed watching this pack at their Hayden Valley den site. 3 or more males from the Wapiti Lake pack split off and joined 8 Mile in winter 2018/2019. The main Wapiti group, including 1014M and the White Female, remained in the Hayden and Norris area throughout the winter. The pack denned in 2019 and produced two litters for a total of 9 pups. At the end of the year the pack was the largest in Yellowstone with 19 wolves. [Updated 1/2020]

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Pack composition

ID Social status Age class Color Sex Age Mange status Birth year Birth pack Description
1014MAlphaAdultBlackMale10Uninfected2013Mollie's PackLarge brown colored male with a Vectronic GPS collar.
1203FSubordinateAdultGrayFemale6Uninfected2017Wapiti Lake PackThis dark gray female has the black box on her collar
1234MSubordinateAdultBlackMale5Uninfected2018Wapiti Lake PackThis black male has a studded VHF collar.
1235FSubordinateYearlingBlackFemale4Uninfected2019Wapiti Lake PackThis black female has a Vectronic GPS collar.
GraySubordinateAdultGrayUnknown?UninfectedWapiti Lake Pack
Gray Adult FemaleSubordinateAdultGrayFemale?UninfectedWapiti Lake Pack
White FemaleAlphaAdultGrayFemale13Uninfected2010Canyon PackAlmost completely white, daughter of the famous Canyon Alpha Female. She is currently the oldest wolf in Yellowstone.
GraySubordinateAdultGrayUnknown7Uninfected2016Wapiti Lake Pack
Gray Adult FemaleSubordinateAdultGrayFemale6Uninfected2017Wapiti Lake Pack
BlackSubordinateAdultBlackUnknown5Uninfected2018Wapiti Lake Pack
No ID yetSubordinateYearlingBlackUnknown4Uninfected2019Wapiti Lake Pack
No ID yetSubordinateYearlingBlackUnknown4Uninfected2019Wapiti Lake Pack
No ID yetSubordinatePupBlackUnknown32020Wapiti Lake Pack
No ID yetSubordinatePupGrayUnknown32020Wapiti Lake Pack
No ID yetSubordinatePupGrayUnknown32020Wapiti Lake Pack
No ID yetSubordinatePupGrayUnknown32020Wapiti Lake Pack
1264MSubordinateYearlingBlackMale4Uninfected2019Wapiti Lake Pack
1265FSubordinateAdultGrayFemale?UninfectedWapiti Lake Packvectronics GPS collar with two white boxes
1266MSubordinatePupBlackMale32020Wapiti Lake Pack
1267FSubordinatePupBlackFemale32020Wapiti Lake Pack


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Past pack members

ID Social status Age class Color Sex Age Mange status Birth year Birth pack Death year Description
755MUnknownBlackMale15Uninfected2008This black wolf is turning gray, so he is often mistaken as a gray wolf. He has travelled widely for years, joining new packs or forming his own. He founded the Wapiti Lake Pack in 2015 with an uncollared gray female. He may have joined the Beartooth Pack in late 2016.
1014MSubordinateUnknownBlackMale10Uninfected2013Mollie's Pack
1015MAlphaUnknownBlackMale9Uninfected2014Mollie's PackDispersed from Mollie's to Wapiti Lake Pack in 2016. Then, left Wapiti Lake in the winter 2018/2019 to become the alpha male of 8 Mile, thereby replacing 962M. VHF Collar, Big, Whiter Cheeks than 1155M.
1091FSubordinateUnknownGrayFemale8Uninfected2015Wapiti Lake Pack20181091F, or 'mouse' for her mouse hunting activities, died in early January 2018. We suspect she was injured during a hunt, likely by a bison.
1105MSubordinateUnknownGrayMale6Uninfected2017Wapiti Lake Pack2020This male left the Wapiti Lake pack during the winter of 2018/2019 and joined 8 Mile. He died from infectious disease/bacterial infection outside the park in January 2020.
1106MAlphaUnknownGrayMale6Uninfected2017Wapiti Lake PackThis male is the darkest collared gray wolf in the pack and has a Vectronic GPS collar.
1201FSubordinateUnknownBlackFemale5Uninfected2018Wapiti Lake Pack2020This black female has a VHF collar.
1270MSubordinateUnknownBlackMale32020