Congratulations, Earth Rangers! Thanks to your hard work, we’ve officially reached our goal for the Myth-Busters Challenge: over 200,000 myths have been busted! Woohoo! That means you’ve unlocked a donation to support the work of wolf researcher Karl-Antoine Hogue!
We think Karl-Antoine might just have the coolest job in the world. After all, what’s more awesome than spending your days in the Arctic, trying to discover all you can about the mighty, mysterious, grey wolf? Karl-Antoine and the Land Guardians from the Vuntut Gwitchin community in Old Crow, Yukon, know all about trying to track down these shy creatures.
Yup, you read that right: wolves are shy! Wolves get a bad reputation from fairy tales, but they’re nothing like the villains in Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs.
To celebrate the Myth-Busters Challenge success, let’s bust some wolf myths and replace them with wolf facts!
Myth: Wolves are dangerous to humans.
Fact: In general, wolves will do their best to avoid people. They’ll only attack if they feel threatened, which is very, very rare. But remember, wolves are wild animals…so if you see one, don’t get too close!
Myth: Wolves kill just for fun.
Fact: Wolves hunt their prey so they have something to eat. Only 10-20% of hunts end with a successful meal for the pack. That means most of the time, the animals get away. Hunting big mammals like deer and moose isn’t easy work. Wolves can get injured if they’re not careful.
Myth: Wolves howl at the moon.
Fact: Wolves howl to communicate. They can communicate with their pack or with other wolves. A howl can mean “I’m over here!” or “Where are you guys?!” or “Hey! Stay out of our territory!”
Myth: Wolves are born hunters.
Fact: Wolf pups are born blind and deaf. They have to learn how to hunt from the members of their pack. Before they’re old enough to catch their own prey, they depend on the adults to care and feed them.
Now that you’ve proven what amazing myth-busters you are, it’s up to you, Earth Rangers, to continue busting wolf myths and teach everyone the facts: wolves are awesome!