I don't watch much tv, but this afternoon I was walking through the living room when a moose caught my eye on the screen. It was a huge, bull moose that was standing beside a stream. Enraptured with the beauty of this majestic creature and the mountains in the background, I sat down on the couch to listen. The documentary went on to show that this male was with his mate and her daughter. The first snow of the year was falling. Big, fluffy flakes. The young moose had never seen snow before and became excited at the prospect of playing in the cool, wet substance. Music followed her dance as she hopped, leaped and frolicked in the snow. In her excitement, she bumped her head into a tree. A pile of snow fell from the branches onto her back. That was the end of the dancing. She calmed down and went back to her mother's side.
The next scene that flashed across the screen was wolves howling in the darkness. The narrator went on to explain that wolves have no qualms about hunting during the daylight hours. However, at night, they enjoy howling. Why? To call a mate, to gather the pack together and for entertainment. I thought that sounded a bit like humans. They also party at night to attract mates, gather their friends together and entertain themselves. Mmm! The only thing they don't do is howl.
The show moved on to black bears. I always believed that all bears hibernated all winter. Apparently not. Black bears go into a den, such as a cave or hollow log when their body temperature lowers in the fall. However, if the weather warms up, the black bear of ten wakes up. He/she may stay in the den or go outside for a short period of time. They don't eat or defecate. Once they realize that spring has not arrived (they do this by sniffing the air, apparently,) they go back into their den and continue their winter's sleep.
I only caught the tale end of the show. I wish I had known it was on. I would have enjoyed watching the entire thing. My husband had seen the first part of it and said that beaver and elk were also featured. I would have liked to have learned more about these creatures as well.
If you're interested, the show was called, Untamed North America. It was on the Discovery Channel just after 1pm today.
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Comments: 18
John, Glad you enjoyed the articles and that it brought back some fond memories. Maybe you should think about vacationing in Wyoming again.
I did however go out early for yardsales a week or so ago and a whole family of deer were standing in the yard. At first I thought they were statues but then they all took off running and jumping... Simply beautiful!
Pam, I love seeing deer. They are majestic creatures. There's something magical about them. I have always loved them since I was a child. We often saw them in the woods along the road when visiting our paternal grandparents.
Pam, I haven't been to Algonquin for a few years. I didn't realize they had changed everything so much. What a shame. You used to see moose along the road feeding in the water. At night, you could hear the howling of wolves at certain times of the year. Please tell me this hasn't all changed.
I could hear your love of the wild in your article.
I think I've heard of people howling at night. (Smile!)
John, My husband watches Discovery Channel a lot. When I'm with the grandsons, we tune in to Animal Planet. Just yesterday we saw a show on Family Channel about animals that change with their environment. We generally think of chameleons, but there are a huge amount that change in one way or another.
I also enjoy the National Geographic shows. Informative and an excellent source of learning.