Co-authors: Irina Rotenko and Louise Giovannelli
In this short post, we examine the clear relationship between the abundance of wolf denning signs and weather conditions during the denning period in wolves in Naliboki Forest, the central-western region of Belarus.
For our study, “denning signs” refer to any den freshly prepared or was already in use, as well as even attempts to establish a den. This definition also encompasses the wolf mother’s nearby resting sites and instances where wolves disturb red fox burrows, when the wolves try to kill red foxes living in close proximity to their den.
Under typical conditions during the wolf denning season (roughly mid-March to the end of May), alternating dry and rainy days usually prompt more frequent den relocation. Studies of 4 to 7 wolf breeding groups under such normal weather revealed over one hundred denning signs, generally ranging between 150 and 200 in total. In these scenarios, mosquitoes and moisture often force parent wolves to change dens (Sidorovich and Rotenko, 2019).
In contrast, during April and May 2025 our investigation of six wolf breeding groups (with a total of eight litters) recorded only 32 denning activity signs. We attribute this lower denning activity to a prolonged period of dry weather from early March through May, coupled with frost reaching as low as -7°C in late April and early May, which significantly reduced mosquito populations. These favorable weather conditions diminished the need for wolves to frequently relocate their dens, hence the reduced number of observed denning signs.
Zoology by Vadim Sidorovich 