New research finds that gray wolves will move with migrating prey, challenging assumptions that denning wolves stay put until litters are old enough to move. The study, “Wolves use diverse tactics to track migratory prey” illustrates how “shifting ungulate migrations can impact predator behaviors and ecosystem dynamics,” according to senior author Arthur Middleton.

“It’s sort of become pretty obvious to me that [ungulate migrations are] really important to the functioning of the ecosystem,” Middleton told WyoFile. “But, we’ve had work to do to show how and why, and so I think this helps add another piece of that puzzle.”

It’s known as migratory coupling when predators travel long distances to track migratory prey – a practice observed in wolves that track migratory caribou in the Arctic, according to the paper. However, prior to this study, it was assumed that because wolves are territorial, especially during denning and pup-rearing season, they didn’t migrate. Instead, preying on what was available in their immediate areas. 

The study began in 2019 as a way to “learn about wolf predation in more granular detail,” co-author Avery Shawler told WyoFile. Researchers worked with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) to keep tabs on nearly 100 collared members of the Cody elk herd and 19 wolves associated with seven separate packs in a study area located east of Yellowstone National Park in the Absaroka Mountains. 

“So we were investigating wolf kill sites to see what they were killing and eating,” said Shawler. 

Throughout the summer and winter seasons of 2021, they collected a lot of movement pattern data from the collared animals. They discovered that wolves use different tactics to keep track of their targeted prey.

“We found that wolves exhibited a range of movement responses, including migrating, commuting, and remaining resident,” researchers summarized in the study’s abstract, noting that some of the collared packs “moved pups from den sites to rendezvous sites along elk migration routes” and within elk summer range. 

WGFD game camera images confirmed the movement among wolves and elk, illustrating the migratory relationship between the two species. 

This study is the first time gray wolves have been observed moving their territorial range to parallel prey during pup-rearing season outside of the Arctic. 

“Understanding how wolves adapt to the prey’s behavior can help land managers better conserve both species,” said Middleton.