Cheyenne's Howl

Printed in Mountain Messenger on Friday - October 17, 1997

Fall & Winter

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What a great Summer we had this year, a little bit wet and not too hot. I can't stand high temperatures with the fur coat that I wear, even though I loose most of it by the end of Spring. If you saw me in the Spring you noticed how my fur was coming out in hand fulls. Dad would brush me five to six times a day and bag and save it for those who wanted it for their medicine bags. Sorry if you want some for yourself, but we are out, and I am keeping all that I am growing now with Winter coming on. I know of several people who actually weave wolf fur into sweaters. If our fur can keep us warm at -50 below zero, it surely will keep you warm too.

Not only does the length of my fur change, but my coat also changes color with the seasons. In the Summer my colorings are much lighter so that I don't absorb as much heat when out in the sun. I feel sorry for my sister, because she is pure black and I know that the summer heat must be hard on her. My cousins out in the wild use the hottest time of the day to rest in the Summer. They stay in the shade and play with the newborn pups. Then in the evening and at night or in the morning when it is cooler, they go out to hunt.

Now in Fall with Winter just around the corner, my coat is changing to a darker color and I have a black diamond pattern on my back. If you look closely at my coat, especially in the next few months, you will notice that I have two types of fur. The undercoat is like wool. It is so dense that in the middle of winter you won't be able to push your finger down to my skin. This coat keeps me warm even on the coldest of nights.

The other type of fur that I have is known as guard hairs. This is a outer layer of fur that tends to stand up above and hold snow off of the wool coat. Snow will bridge over the guard hairs and a dead air space can be created between the snow and the wool coat. This keeps me dry and creates more insulation to protect me from the bitter cold. Seldom will you ever find me sleeping in my house during the Winter. I am plenty warm in my fur coat of many colors.

Fall is also the time of year that the pups leave the final rendezvous site and start traveling with the pack. This time of year the pups are four to five months of age and have almost reached their adult size. Their coats are also coming in to help prepare them for the Winter. Their size helps them to keep up with the pack and they are now learning their territory, where to find prey, and how to hunt. A few of the pups may be smaller and weaker and will be left at the rendezvous site a little longer. If the pups do not gain enough strength to travel with the pack, they will eventually be left behind. This may seem cruel, but the pack must travel on in order to ensure its own survival. There is no guarantee that if the pack stayed with the weaker pups, that the pups would survive the upcoming winter. Because of the difficulty of a wolf's life, only the strongest will be able to endure hunger, illness, and injury. This truly is the survival of the fittest. See you next week. Pray for snow.

Cheyenne