Zoology by Vadim Sidorovich

Multi-breeding in a wolf pack. Nowadays it is commoner than breeding of a pair in Naliboki Forest

Co-author Irina Rotenko

Multi-breeding in a wolf pack is one of the enigmatic questions of the grey wolf reproduction. When we began to investigate the wolf reproduction in Belarus (mainly in Naliboki Forest and Paazierre Forest) in details, we found the phenomenon of a pack multi-breeding.

Too early giving birth in wolves got common in Naliboki Forest

Co-author Irina Rotenko

In this post we address to a newly registered trend in breeding of wolves in Belarus, in particular relating to the earlier giving birth in wolves in Naliboki Forest, the central-western Belarus and in the whole country.

Complex hibernating by a brown bear in Naliboki Forest in the winter 2022-2023

Recently we found two hibernation dens of an adult male brown bear, which suggest complex hibernating of the bear. Initial hibernation den was made by the bear in kind of a wide burrow of 2 metres as long. Nearby this initial hibernation burrow-den there were at least five other tries to dig such a burrow-den. The farthest such a try was found on the distance about 80 meters from the actual one. All found preparation of the bear for hibernation were situated in young spruce-birch thickets with big rotten uprooted spruces.

Results of study on wolves in Naliboki Forest in the winter of 2022-2023

Co-author Irina Rotenko

During the winter of 2022-2023, we continued our study on the wolf distribution in Naliboki Forest, the north-western Belarus.

Afeared wolf is investigating a lynx marking spot

Co-author Irina Rotenko

In this blog we have presented our own materials on the interference between wolves and lynxes in Naliboki Forest, the north-western Belarus in several quite large posts before.

Long-term frequent usage of a particular site by lynxes

Co-author Irina Rotenko

In Naliboki Forest (the central-northern Belarus) as well as in other habitats in an individual lynx home range there are quite a lot sites, which are used by the individual lynx for a number of purposes.

Results of our study on wolf reproduction in Naliboki Forest in 2022

Co-author Irina Rotenko

This year we studied the question of wolf reproduction in Naliboki Forest in the area of about one thousand square kilometres. In the spring of 2022, there were present two breeding groups of wolves in the study area: a couple and an adult male with two pregnant females. All five adult wolves were recognisable, and we knew them from the previous years.

Raccoon dogs attacked an adult badger at its outlier

Co-author Irina Rotenko

An aggressive encounter between raccoon dog and badger was documented by a camera-trap at the badger outlier in early June in Naliboki Forest, the central-western part of Belarus.

Wolf vandalizes badger sett with badger cubs inside

Co-author Irina Rotenko

In Belarus wolves visit badger setts rather often. Frequently the aim of such visits is to catch a badger that slacked near the burrow. During the breeding season of wolves, quite usually they try to get rid of badgers and occupy their sett. They use such burrows to leave pups inside. Normally wolf breeders enlarge the entrances of such a badger sett.

Double breeding in the model wolf pack during the spring of 2022 with implication for a pattern of a pack multi-breeding

Co-author Irina Rotenko

In the book on the grey wolf reproduction biology (Sidorovich & Rotenko, 2019) we told about several patterns of wolf pack multi-breeding, which we documented in Naliboki Forest and Paazierre Forest in Belarus during the last two decades. The main distinctive feature in wolf pack multi-breeding is how many big adult males, which perhaps equally ranked, take part in a breeding group of wolves. If a male leads a breeding group, normally it is only a strong male in the breeding group. Such a group of breeders may include two or three breeding females.