At a Glance
- A new study reveals that wolves near Yellowstone employ diverse tactics, such as migrating and commuting, to track the seasonal movements of partially migratory elk herds.
- Researchers were surprised to observe some wolf packs moving their very young pups over 20 kilometers from dens to new rendezvous sites closer to elk summer ranges.
- This behavior challenges the long-held scientific assumption that predators are anchored to their dens and unable to track migratory prey while raising their young offspring.
- Using GPS data from 19 wolves and 99 elk, scientists quantified this “migratory coupling,” where predator movements are directly linked to the movements of their prey.
- These findings suggest that changes in ungulate migrations, driven by climate or land use, can significantly impact predator behavior and reshape broader ecosystem dynamics.
Challenging decades of ecological assumptions, a new study reveals that some gray wolf packs in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are migrating long distances, even carrying their newborn pups up to 20 kilometers over rugged terrain. Researchers believe the wolves are undertaking these risky journeys to keep up with their primary food source, elk, as the herds move to higher-elevation summer ranges. The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, are the first to document this migratory behavior in wolves outside the Arctic during the critical pup-rearing season.
This behavior, known as “migratory coupling,” describes how predators synchronize their movements with the migratory behavior of their prey. While some wolf packs remained in their home territories to hunt non-migratory elk, others displayed remarkable flexibility. Using GPS data from 19 wolves and 99 elk, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, observed packs engaging in “commuting”—making extended forays for food—or fully “migrating” by shifting their entire territory to follow the elk. This plasticity counters the long-held belief that predators with young are anchored to a central den, allowing migratory prey to escape.
“The first time I saw a camera trap photo of a wolf carrying its pup, I just cracked up because the pup is being carried by its butt,” said Avery Shawler, the study’s lead author and a recent Ph.D. graduate from UC Berkeley, in a university press release. Moving vulnerable pups, which are born blind and deaf, is a high-stakes gamble, as it exposes them to dangers like predation from rival packs. However, the drive to follow the elk, their preferred prey, appears to outweigh the risk, leading packs to establish new “rendezvous sites” along elk migration routes.
Understanding this dynamic predator-prey relationship has significant implications for conservation and land management. As climate and land-use changes alter elk migration patterns, wolf behavior is likely to adapt in response. This can influence everything from ecosystem health to the frequency of human-wildlife conflict, particularly where wolves on “working landscapes” may view livestock as an alternative food source. The research provides crucial insight for managing wolf populations in regions like California, where the species is beginning to recolonize.
References
- Manke, K. & University of California- Berkeley. (2025, August 1). Gray wolves carry young pups over rugged terrain to track spring elk migration. Phys.Org; University of California- Berkeley. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-gray-wolves-young-pups-rugged.html
- Shawler, A. L., Barker, K. J., Xu, W., Mills, K. J., Mong, T. W., & Middleton, A. D. (2025). Wolves use diverse tactics to track partially migratory prey. Current Biology, S0960982225008814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.015
