Aging one-eyed wolf has 10th litter

At 11 years old, it’s unusual enough that Yellowstone’s one-eyed wolf known as 907F is still alive. But she recently gave birth to her 10^th litter—a feat not previously documented in the park.

“Every day, I expect that she might die just because she is so elderly, but I’ve been thinking that for the last few years, and she keeps going,” Kira Cassidy, a research associate at the Yellowstone Wolf Project, told Live Science.

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) typically live just three or four years. Yellowstone’s longest-living wolf survived more than 12 years. Typically, Yellowstone wolves are killed in competition with other wolves.

Wolf 907F is the alpha female of the Junction Butte pack. The pack’s large size—between 10 and 35 individuals—reduces the threat from competing packs, Cassidy said.

Researchers have counted three pups in her current litter.

“The fact that 907 is still having pups is amazing, and her litter being small is expected given that she is so old,” Cassidy said.

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