Matriarch 907F: A Wolf To Remember
Written by Aleksa B.
Forming emotional attachments to wild animals is usually a recipe for heartbreak. Unlike domesticated species (dogs, cats, other pets), the lives of animals in the wild are often fleeting and unforgiving. But when you work in Yellowstone, see these animals every day, and are fortunate enough to witness their entire lives unfold before your eyes, a bond occasionally develops. And every once in a while, along comes an individual so charismatic that you simply can’t help it. Wolf 907F was one of those individuals.
My first experience with 907F—born into the Junction Butte Pack in 2013 to then leaders 911AM and the uncollared female commonly referred to as “Ragged Tail”—was in the spring of 2022 during my first summer guiding. By then, she was already nine years old and well respected for being a hardy old wolf. At this point in her life in 2022, she had been usurped as alpha female by a younger, more aggressive female一1382F. Seemingly because she didn’t want to associate with this new leader, 907F denned about two miles away (see pic below) from the pack’s primary den site in the mountains above Slough Creek. Towards the end of that summer, 907F, apparently reaching her wit’s end with this new alpha female, went back to her old den site, and reclaimed control of the pack she had led for so long.
Interior of wolf 907F’s den site used in spring 2022. Notice the side chambers. It is no longer an active den site. Photo by naturalist Aleksa B.
907F was not a stranger to taking back her power as needed. Since her birth in 2013, she has claimed the role of alpha female of her pack on at least four separate occasions (primarily flip-flopping that role with her sister 969F). Despite having completely lost one of her eyes in the middle of her life and having a slight limp on top of that, 907F excelled in one significant aspect of wolf life that afforded her the utmost respect—motherhood. Her first litter was born in 2015, and she had a total of 10 litters over her long lifespan. That is the most out of any wolf in known Yellowstone history!
Junction Butte wolf pack matriarch 907F feeding on bison in Lamar Valley just months before her death at the paws of the rival Rescue Creek Pack in December of 2024. Footage captured by naturalist Leysa K.
By the summer of 2024, 907F was over 11 years old and still leading the Junctions. Despite her age and a lifetime of injuries-including her missing eye, she was still a formidable leader, getting around and hunting well. We all held our breath, hoping to see her make it through one more year and break the record for the oldest known wolf in Yellowstone, which currently stands at just over 12 years and 6 months.
However, the harsh reality of the natural world soon set in, reminding us of the fleeting nature of life in the wild.
Just a few days before Christmas 2024 907F and a few packmates were feeding on a bison carcass when the neighboring Rescue Creek pack crossed a river and entered the Junction Butte pack’s territory. A fight broke out and several observers noted that 907F, although suffering injuries, was able to escape. Despite battles between wolf packs being the most common cause of wolf mortality in Yellowstone, these fights are quite stressful to watch for people who have been following these animals for so long.
Junction Butte wolf pack matriarch 907F in Lamar Valley summer 2024, just month before her death at the paws of the rival Rescue Creek Pack. Photo by naturalist Matt D.
Ultimately, although she was able to escape that initial attack, her injuries proved fatal. Her radio (tracking) collar—designed to alert the park wolf biologists monitoring them—went into “mortality” mode (no movement of any kind – including breathing – for 12 hours) on December 26,2024 implying she had passed away on Christmas Day.
There was a small comfort in knowing that she did not spend her last moments alone. Audio recorders near her final resting place—part of a new research program using sound to study wolves—captured her final howls over the last day of her life. But they also recorded two of her packmates howling nearby. To die a natural death surrounded by family at the ripe old age of 11.5 is about the best a wolf can hope for.
This year, I decided to find 907F’s den, which I had first spotted in the summer of 2022. No wolves have used it since then, making it a safe venture unlikely to disturb any animals. It took several outings to search the area, but eventually I came upon an ungulate boneyard. Antlers, leg bones, and skulls scattered around the earth, with telltale chew marks, indicated that the den was somewhere nearby. Sure enough, I found several large holes in the ground that connected to a hidden chamber.
Guide Aleksa B., finds the den used by wolf 907F during the spring of 2022. Photo by Aleksa B.
Getting low to the ground, I poked my head into the den and imagined what must’ve gone on inside and outside. Tiny, vulnerable puppies nursing for the first time. 907F remains reliant on food brought to her by other members of the pack, only taking small breaks to drink from a nearby stream. As time goes by, slightly larger puppies, now a few weeks old, are figuring out these things called “legs” and toddling around the outside of the den, fetching bones, tackling siblings, and climbing on top of their mom.
Despite how hard her death hit me and the rest of the wolf-watching community, it was comforting to be among my memories of 907F and her family. It is even more comforting knowing that her legacy lives on in so many of the wolves on Yellowstone’s landscape today – including her daughter, 1479F. As the sole survivor of 907’s 2023 litter, 1479F is not just surviving – but thriving. She is a mother now too, although she continues to display the independent, quirky streak that comes from not having siblings to grow up with. She is fierce and resilient and determined and…
Wolf 1479, the only surviving pup from 907F’s 2023 litter, carries a bison leg away from other scavengers near the Junction Butte Pack den in July of 2024. Photo courtesy of Matt D.
…and, every once in awhile an animal comes along that is so charismatic a bond inevitably forms as you observe its wild life. Wolf 1479F is one of those individuals. I’m looking forward to watching her for as long as she allows.
Blog written by Yellowstone Wild Naturalist Guide Aleksa B.
To learn more about Yellowstone Wild Guide Aleksa Brill visit our “About Us” webpage.