A long winter's nap in some fluffy, white snow looks awfully cozy.
Typically, I don't get jealous of animals that have to tough it out in the cold, winter weather. Why would I be? The modern convenience of central heating keeps me nice and comfortable even when the weather outside is frightful. However, I've never thought about taking a nap in the snow, and now that I've seen this video below, I'm a little envious of these wolves in Yellowstone National Park.
It's estimated that around 124 wolves (in 11 different packs) call Yellowstone home. The population peaked in 2003 when over 170 canines were spread out across the national park. In case you didn't know, wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995 for conservation purposes. A total of 14 were released into the wild, and many of the modern, no-longer-endangered wolves in the park now can be traced back to that small group released in the 90's.
And though the wolves live in Yellowstone National Park, and they are no longer included on the endangered species list, they still have to fight for survival. Winters can get rough in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (states that are included in Yellowstone's footprint), with temperatures regularly dropping as low as negative 20 degrees. So how are wolves able to handle those kinds of temperatures?
The canines have thick fur that gets even thicker as the calendar turns into the colder months. During the fall, wolves grow a second layer that acts as a special coat for the cold. The outer layer is more dense and includes "guard hairs" that protect a softer, shorter undercoat. Their special, extra layer insulates the wolf's skin, trapping in body heat and allow them to stay warm. In fact, the snow that lands on the outer coats of the wolves doesn't melt because it's so insulated.
Pair that nice warm coat with the insulating power of packed snow and you've got yourself some snoozing wolves. This video out of Yellowstone National Park captured a pack of wolves taking a break, and more importantly a nap. They all carved themselves out a makeshift bed in the snow, then took advantage of the softness of the wintry precipitation and laid down to get some shut eye.
If one of them was supposed to stay up and keep watch, they were failing miserably as a pack. A predator could have easily came in and caught them off guard, but luckily for the canines, the closest thing to them ended up being the photographer that captured this awesome video. It even shows one of the wolves waking up and doing one of those just-woke-up-from-a-nap stretches that always feel so satisfying.
It's cool to see a pack of wolves so relaxed, and this type of video certainly makes the fact that our pet dogs evolved from these creatures understandable. As the caption for the video stated, the pack of wolves looked adorable taking a group nap together in the snow: