00:00:00 Speaker 1: On those hot haunts. The Dometic cf X five keeps food cold and ice solid without the usual hassle. It's one less thing to worry about, so you can focus on bringing home some meat, set it up, let it run, and know your provisions are handled. Head to Dometic dot com to learn more about Dometic electric coolers. 00:00:35 Speaker 2: It's time for why It's the Way it is? 00:00:42 Speaker 3: Hey, kids, My name is Klay Nukeomb and today I want to tell you about wolves. And the question that we're going to answer is why does a wolf howl? But first I want to tell you a story. One time I was deep in the wilderness of east central Alaska. We were moose hunting, and on the second day of the hunt, I saw a pack of fourteen black wolves together. And when I say they were black, I mean they were jet black like the night and I will never ever forget watching one of them sit down on his haunches and raar his head back and howl. We were so far away it took the sound sometime to get to us, but that was the first time that I ever heard a wolf howl, and I'll never forget it. They were all just playing out in this field. They were just wrestling around like yard dogs, and they stayed within sight for a long period of time. I couldn't believe that they were all black, because wolves can be a variety of different colors. They can be gray, they can be brown, they can be gray and black, they can be all white. But wolves are these incredible animals, and I was mesmerized as I watched them, and I knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to hunt a moose, just like me. Wolves are the largest dog species in the world. They're related to coyotes and jackals and all the other dogs, but they are the biggest. They're carnivores, so they eat only meat. Wolves live in North America but also in Europe and Asia in the northern parts. And the wolf that we're talking about, the wolf that we have in North America is the gray wolf. There are also small numbers of what they call red wolves, but of all the wild dog species in the world, the gray wolf is the most specialized in hunting in cooperative packs, and those packs can have up to twenty wolves in them. The one that I saw had fourteen, and those packs are usually a male and a female and their offspring. And one thing that's interesting to remember about wolves is that modern dogs, the dog that lives at your house, is related to wolves, and they came from wolves, which is really cool. Probably the most striking feature of the wolves that I saw was how big they were. They were huge. Wolves can be over six feet long, they can be over thirty inches tall at the shoulder, and the biggest wolves in the world can weigh one hundred and seventy five pounds, but most wolves weigh about one hundred pounds. And something interesting that I learned is that wolves, they live in the cold places of the world where there's snow. The paths of their feet have their own heating and cooling system so their body can be warm and the paths of their feet are just above freezing, so they don't have to waste energy trying to keep the paths of their feet warm. That's touching the snow all the time. So they have like a different air conditioning and heating unit for the soles of their feet, which I think is pretty neat eat. And I'll tell you that a wolf track is huge. If you ever seen a dog track like in the mud or in the sand, then it's usually about as big as a maybe a plum or a peach. A wolf track can be as big as a grapefruit. They're giant. Wolves are carnivores. They have big canine teeth right up in the front of their mouth, and that means they only eat meat. And wolves, as they hunt in packs, specialize in killing deer, moose, caribou, elk hoof game. That's their favorite thing to eat. And a wolf, an individual wolf will eat from four to seven pounds of meat per day per day. Can you imagine eating that much meat every day? But what's even more astonishing is that a wolf can eat up to twenty pounds of meat in a day. Because a wolf, he might hunt for a whole month and only kill animals two or three times in that month, so he might only have a couple of big meals, and so he's got to gorge himself so he can cram twenty pounds of meat into his belly. And the females when they're rearing wolf pups, they will go back to the den and regurgitate meat out of their stomach right to the pups who will eat the meat. Now that's pretty wild, but I really want to get back to the original question that we had at the beginning, why does a wolf howl? Wolves are incredibly social animals. We know that their packs are made up of the mom and dad and their offspring, and oftentimes they've got to spread out over long distances to go and hunt. The more they spread out sometimes the better chance they have of killing an animal. And they have an extremely loud howl, and it's because they live in these vast wilderness areas. And there's many reasons why a wolf howls to gather the pack back up if they get separated from each other. Howling might be a call to other wolves that they've just killed something and that the other wolves should come and get a meal. When a wolf is separated from the pack, it makes a distinctive howl to signal its location. It's basically like them saying, Hey, I'm lost, where's everybody at. Howling can be a way for these packs to mark their territory, and maybe this is one of the most important ones, because if you're a wolf pack, you've got to have your territory that only you hunt in. And the way that you tell the world that this is your territory is you how and if you're the wolf pack over on the other side of the river. You know good and well that you shouldn't come over there. One of the most unique reasons though, that a wolf howls is for what they call social bonding. Those wolves that I saw up in Alaska, we watched them and heard them howl, and it was as if they were just celebrating life together. That's what it looked like. They were just playing and wrestling and running around. And I remember one of them, he sat down on his haunches and he just reared his head back and just led off a giant howl. It kind of looked like he was just saying, I'm just glad to be here with my pack. At one time, the gray and the red wolf covered the entire continent of North America. Today, the gray wolf pretty much lives in Alaska, Canada, and the Northern Rockies in the lower forty eight, but they are now trying to establish a population of wolves in the southern Rocky Mountains and in Mexico. Wolves are incredible animals and are undoubtedly some of the most incredible animals on Earth, and they have a wild howl that, like I said, can be heard for over ten miles. 00:08:11 Speaker 4: What kind of shorts do clouds wear? 00:08:15 Speaker 1: Thunderwear? 00:08:19 Speaker 2: It's time for Guess that critter where we play animal sounds and critter calls, and you've got to guess what creature is making those sounds. Don't worry, it ain't too hard. We're gonna throw in some clues. Open up years. 00:08:48 Speaker 5: That sound you just heard is a scream. These critters scream for a variety of reasons. They can be used as alarm calls to alert others of nearby danger. They can also be used territorially, like when your grouchy neighbors start shouting. 00:09:04 Speaker 4: Hey, you kids, get off my lawn. 00:09:08 Speaker 5: Most often, though, you'll hear these screams during mating season between late December and February. The females scream to attract males, who often respond with barks and other vocalizations, and because they're mostly nocturnal, you'll likely hear this noise at night. Here's what a bark sounds like. These critters are highly adaptable and can live anywhere from forest edges, open fields, and wetlands to urban and suburban areas like parks, gardens, and old buildings. They are omnivores so they'll eat just about anything, but prefer small animals like rodents, rabbits, and squirrels. They'll also hunt for birds and amphibians, munch on insects and eggs, and forage on fruits and other vegetation. These critters will also eat carrion decomposing animals and often get into the garbage. These critters weigh anywhere from seven to fifteen pounds and measure between thirty nine to forty five inches long, including their tail. That crazy noise is known as geckering. It's often made during aggressive encounters or when young are playing together. Geckering is a sound unique to this critter and is often a series of stuttering, throaty vocalizations that make a chattering or clicking noise. It is often accented by high pitched sounds as well. Check out this geckering of two young'un's playing. Now try to guess that critter. Okay, it's time for the reveal. It's a red fox. The phrase slies a fox is used to describe someone who is clever, tricksy, or even deceptive. This saying likely originated from the way foxes are portrayed in literature and folklore as clever and cunning creatures. Foxes play a variety of roles in Native American mythology too, and some Southwestern tribes and many tribes of Mexico the fox is a trickster, and other tribes such as the Blackfoot and Apache, the fox is associated with fire in the sun, and according to some myths, it was the fox who stole fire to bring to the people. But foxes are simply creatures who are exceptionally good at adapting to their surroundings. They can live and find food almost anywhere. Perhaps that's why they've gained a historic reputation for being such a genius creatures. 00:12:09 Speaker 6: What kind of waves wash up on the small beaches? 00:12:15 Speaker 2: Michael, Wife, It's time for everyone's favorite game show, Trivia. Let's all join in. 00:12:27 Speaker 4: I'm joined by Matthew, Mabel Sage, Amelia Addison, and Marshall. Each player will earn ten dollars for conservation with every question they get right. Today, there's a potential for this room to earn up to one hundred and eighty dollars this week. That donation is going to the National Wild Turkey Federation, who publishes the kids magazine about conservation called Jake's Country. Let's see how much money our players can raise. Question one, what animal travels in groups that are called a murder? Is it a crow, a falcon, or a vulture? 00:13:01 Speaker 6: This is what this one. 00:13:02 Speaker 7: I'm basically guessing. 00:13:07 Speaker 4: Animal travels in groups that are called a murder. Your three choices are crows, falcons, or vultures. 00:13:15 Speaker 7: I feel like I feel like there's one of these that just makes sense. 00:13:23 Speaker 4: Crow, falcon or vultures. 00:13:26 Speaker 1: I just don't have. 00:13:29 Speaker 7: Feeling that someone would that just how this animal acts. 00:13:37 Speaker 4: Is everybody ready, go ahead and reveal your answers? Mabel Crow, Emelia Marshall, Falcons, Sage Addison, Matthew Crow. The correct answer is a crow. The room did very well. A group of falcons is called a cast, a group of vultures is called the committee, and a group of crows is called a murder. Crows are one of the smartest animals in the world, with some studies comparing their intelligence to that of a seven year old human. Now, what do you guys think? We have some seven year olds in the room. Addison, do you think a crow is as smart as you are? Probably you think it is. 00:14:19 Speaker 6: Maybe I don't know. 00:14:20 Speaker 4: Okay, Marshall, do you think you were a crow would do better at meat eater trivia? 00:14:24 Speaker 7: Na? 00:14:24 Speaker 4: Definitely you would. Okay, like at that ansel. 00:14:27 Speaker 6: Definitely, a definitely will was ansel. 00:14:31 Speaker 7: Crows know how to play chess well. 00:14:34 Speaker 4: Definitely do you know how to play chess? 00:14:36 Speaker 5: Yes? 00:14:37 Speaker 6: On that ansel? Definitely this board would be smart because like it is the board like it hansel, but like that's the only thing. 00:14:45 Speaker 4: That's a crow would know that they're a murder. 00:14:48 Speaker 6: Yeah. 00:14:49 Speaker 4: Question two, what's the name for a baby bison? Is it a calf, a fawn, or a cult? What's the name for a baby bison? Is it a calf, a fawn, or a colt. Do you think a crow would get this one right? 00:15:08 Speaker 7: Maybe it's possible because it all these animals. 00:15:16 Speaker 4: What's the name for a baby bison, calf, fon, or cult? Is everybody ready? 00:15:19 Speaker 6: Yeah? 00:15:20 Speaker 4: Yeah, go ahead and reveal your answers. Mabel Calf, Amelia Marshall, Sage Calf, Addison, Matthew Calf. The correct answer is a calf. The room did pretty well. A calf is a baby bison, a fawn is a baby deer, and a colt is a baby horse. Baby Bison are also referred to as red dogs because of their red fur and small stature. Can you guys name some other animals where the babies are a calf, cow, a moose, You got that one. Any other baby animals that are called calves, you guys can think. Not a prong horn, elephants, elk, giraffes, hippos, manatees, moose, you guys got that one, reindeer, rhinos, and whales. Oddad an odd ad. I can't argue with you there. I don't know. Question three? Which of these is not one of the five Great Lakes? Is it Lake Superior Lake Michigan where the Great Salt Lake? 00:16:29 Speaker 7: The last one gives it away because the Great. 00:16:33 Speaker 4: If you think that's the answer, Which of these is not one of the five Great Lakes? Lake Superior Lake, Michigan or Great Salt Where we got sage handing out some more hints. Is it Lake Superior Lake Michigan again, or the Great Salt Lake? Which of these is not one of the five Great Lakes? 00:16:55 Speaker 7: Not? 00:16:56 Speaker 6: Not? 00:16:57 Speaker 4: So two of them are one of the five Great Lakes, and one of them is not? Is it Lake Superior Lake Michigan where the Great Salt Lake. Is everybody ready, Yes, yes, go ahead and reveal your answers. Mabel the Great Salt Lake, Amelia Marshall, Lake Superior, Yeah, Sage Salt Lake, Addison. 00:17:26 Speaker 6: Superior, Matthew Superior. 00:17:29 Speaker 4: The correct answer is the Great Salt Lake. I tricked you guys. The Great Salt Lake is located in Utah, about twelve hundred miles from the Great Lakes. Now we already know two of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. I'll add an extra ten dollars to the donation for each additional Great Lake you guys can name. Do you know any of the other Great Lakes? Lake Erie? Lake Erie is one of them. That means there's two more. You have Lake Erie, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan. 00:17:59 Speaker 6: Is no no idea. 00:18:03 Speaker 4: I'll give you a hints. One of them starts with an h. Does that help? The other one starts with Helena Lake, Helena Lake? 00:18:10 Speaker 2: Not quite. 00:18:11 Speaker 4: The other two lakes are Lake Huron in Lake Ontario. 00:18:15 Speaker 6: Can we still get down? 00:18:17 Speaker 4: You get ten dollars for Mabel getting Lake Erie. That's it for today's rounder trivia field the engineer, how much money did we raise. 00:18:23 Speaker 5: Well with that extra lake. 00:18:25 Speaker 1: They raised one hundred ten dollars. 00:18:26 Speaker 4: One hundred ten dollars going to the National Wild Turkey Federation. Well done, kids. Join us next week for more Meat Eater Kids trivia and the other game show where conservation always wins. 00:18:39 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening everyone, See you next week on Meat Eater Kids.