Wolf Presentation

On Monday afternoon, Mr. Greninger's class experienced the Wolf Presentation from the Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. On Wednesday afternoon, Ms. Leom's class was able to catch the fun.

a moose leg - wolves can break it with their jaws

deer's main diet is deer ... deer antlers, deer leg, and a moose femur

a wolf skull and a neck monitor

a wolf pelt

the cart that carries the presentation

students used clickers to share their learning

so many opportunities to learn

At the end, some students were just playing. It is these moments I love.

Some random wolf facts:
* Milaca is the southern range of wolf territory
* wild dog family includes coyotes, fox, and wolves
* 6-7 years is the life span of a wolf in the wild
* wolves in captivity can live 12-14 years
* wolves in the wild are most likely to die from starvation
* wolves eat deer, beaver, and moose, but mostly deer
* wolves have adapted, they have: strong smell (100x better than humans), better hearing, jaw strength (400 lbs pressure per square inch versus 110-120 lbs pressure per square inch for humans), coat with guard hairs that is a rain coat layer, and partially webbed feet for swimming and walking on snow
* 74,400 farms in Minnesota; half of the farms are in wolf territory, only 65 farms had a farm animal killed, 1-2% of Minnesota farms experience a wolf or another predator that kills their livestock
* 159,343 deer were killed by deer hunters last year
* 38,000-44,000 deer were killed by wolves last year (wolves eat about 17 deer per year, they calculate out the number)
* wolves mainly hunt the deer that are sick or old; healthy deer can kill wolves and are harder to take down and kill
* there are over a million deer in Minnesota
* 2,278 wolves live in Minnesota, the most of any state
* originally, wolves were found in every state in the continental states
* in 1973, Minnesota was the only state to have wolves, around 400, when regulations were started to protect wolves; now 16 states boast wolves
* in stories, myths, and movies, wolves are often portrayed as the protagonist; in real life, wolves are scared of humans, and when walking in the woods or out and about in Minnesota, wolves are more likely to run if they come across humans; wolves are safe to see on the trails
* Don't feed animals (of any kind) and keep your distance