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July 21, 2025 • 18 mins

In this episode, Clay leads the pack and teaches us about the wolf, we try to "gekk" that critter with Maggie, and Spencer leads another round of MeatEater Kids Trivia!

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:35):
It's time for why It's the Way it is?

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hey, kids, My name is Klay Nukeomb and today I
want to tell you about wolves. And the question that
we're going to answer is why does a wolf howl?
But first I want to tell you a story. One
time I was deep in the wilderness of east central Alaska.
We were moose hunting, and on the second day of

(01:04):
the hunt, I saw a pack of fourteen black wolves together.
And when I say they were black, I mean they
were jet black like the night and I will never
ever forget watching one of them sit down on his
haunches and raar his head back and howl. We were

(01:28):
so far away it took the sound sometime to get
to us, but that was the first time that I
ever heard a wolf howl, and I'll never forget it.
They were all just playing out in this field. They
were just wrestling around like yard dogs, and they stayed
within sight for a long period of time. I couldn't
believe that they were all black, because wolves can be

(01:51):
a variety of different colors. They can be gray, they
can be brown, they can be gray and black, they
can be all white. But wolves are these incredible animals,
and I was mesmerized as I watched them, and I
knew what they were trying to do. They were trying
to hunt a moose, just like me. Wolves are the

(02:12):
largest dog species in the world. They're related to coyotes
and jackals and all the other dogs, but they are
the biggest. They're carnivores, so they eat only meat. Wolves
live in North America but also in Europe and Asia
in the northern parts. And the wolf that we're talking about,
the wolf that we have in North America is the

(02:34):
gray wolf. There are also small numbers of what they
call red wolves, but of all the wild dog species
in the world, the gray wolf is the most specialized
in hunting in cooperative packs, and those packs can have
up to twenty wolves in them. The one that I
saw had fourteen, and those packs are usually a male

(02:57):
and a female and their offspring. And one thing that's
interesting to remember about wolves is that modern dogs, the
dog that lives at your house, is related to wolves,
and they came from wolves, which is really cool. Probably
the most striking feature of the wolves that I saw
was how big they were. They were huge. Wolves can

(03:20):
be over six feet long, they can be over thirty
inches tall at the shoulder, and the biggest wolves in
the world can weigh one hundred and seventy five pounds,
but most wolves weigh about one hundred pounds. And something
interesting that I learned is that wolves, they live in
the cold places of the world where there's snow. The

(03:40):
paths of their feet have their own heating and cooling
system so their body can be warm and the paths
of their feet are just above freezing, so they don't
have to waste energy trying to keep the paths of
their feet warm. That's touching the snow all the time.
So they have like a different air conditioning and heating
unit for the soles of their feet, which I think
is pretty neat eat. And I'll tell you that a

(04:01):
wolf track is huge. If you ever seen a dog
track like in the mud or in the sand, then
it's usually about as big as a maybe a plum
or a peach. A wolf track can be as big
as a grapefruit. They're giant. Wolves are carnivores. They have
big canine teeth right up in the front of their mouth,

(04:22):
and that means they only eat meat. And wolves, as
they hunt in packs, specialize in killing deer, moose, caribou,
elk hoof game. That's their favorite thing to eat. And
a wolf, an individual wolf will eat from four to
seven pounds of meat per day per day. Can you

(04:45):
imagine eating that much meat every day? But what's even
more astonishing is that a wolf can eat up to
twenty pounds of meat in a day. Because a wolf,
he might hunt for a whole month and only kill
animals two or three times in that month, so he
might only have a couple of big meals, and so
he's got to gorge himself so he can cram twenty

(05:06):
pounds of meat into his belly. And the females when
they're rearing wolf pups, they will go back to the
den and regurgitate meat out of their stomach right to
the pups who will eat the meat. Now that's pretty wild,
but I really want to get back to the original
question that we had at the beginning, why does a

(05:28):
wolf howl? Wolves are incredibly social animals. We know that
their packs are made up of the mom and dad
and their offspring, and oftentimes they've got to spread out
over long distances to go and hunt. The more they
spread out sometimes the better chance they have of killing
an animal. And they have an extremely loud howl, and

(05:52):
it's because they live in these vast wilderness areas. And
there's many reasons why a wolf howls to gather the
pack back up if they get separated from each other.
Howling might be a call to other wolves that they've
just killed something and that the other wolves should come
and get a meal. When a wolf is separated from

(06:15):
the pack, it makes a distinctive howl to signal its location.
It's basically like them saying, Hey, I'm lost, where's everybody at.
Howling can be a way for these packs to mark
their territory, and maybe this is one of the most
important ones, because if you're a wolf pack, you've got
to have your territory that only you hunt in. And

(06:37):
the way that you tell the world that this is
your territory is you how and if you're the wolf
pack over on the other side of the river. You
know good and well that you shouldn't come over there.
One of the most unique reasons though, that a wolf
howls is for what they call social bonding. Those wolves
that I saw up in Alaska, we watched them and

(06:58):
heard them howl, and it was as if they were
just celebrating life together. That's what it looked like. They
were just playing and wrestling and running around. And I
remember one of them, he sat down on his haunches
and he just reared his head back and just led
off a giant howl. It kind of looked like he

(07:20):
was just saying, I'm just glad to be here with
my pack. At one time, the gray and the red
wolf covered the entire continent of North America. Today, the
gray wolf pretty much lives in Alaska, Canada, and the
Northern Rockies in the lower forty eight, but they are
now trying to establish a population of wolves in the

(07:42):
southern Rocky Mountains and in Mexico. Wolves are incredible animals
and are undoubtedly some of the most incredible animals on Earth,
and they have a wild howl that, like I said,
can be heard for over ten miles.

Speaker 4 (08:11):
What kind of shorts do clouds wear?

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Thunderwear?

Speaker 2 (08:19):
It's time for Guess that critter where we play animal
sounds and critter calls, and you've got to guess what
creature is making those sounds. Don't worry, it ain't too hard.
We're gonna throw in some clues. Open up years.

Speaker 5 (08:48):
That sound you just heard is a scream. These critters
scream for a variety of reasons. They can be used
as alarm calls to alert others of nearby danger. They
can also be used territorially, like when your grouchy neighbors
start shouting.

Speaker 4 (09:04):
Hey, you kids, get off my lawn.

Speaker 5 (09:08):
Most often, though, you'll hear these screams during mating season
between late December and February. The females scream to attract males,
who often respond with barks and other vocalizations, and because
they're mostly nocturnal, you'll likely hear this noise at night.
Here's what a bark sounds like. These critters are highly

(09:36):
adaptable and can live anywhere from forest edges, open fields,
and wetlands to urban and suburban areas like parks, gardens,
and old buildings. They are omnivores so they'll eat just
about anything, but prefer small animals like rodents, rabbits, and squirrels.
They'll also hunt for birds and amphibians, munch on insects
and eggs, and forage on fruits and other vegetation. These

(10:00):
critters will also eat carrion decomposing animals and often get
into the garbage. These critters weigh anywhere from seven to
fifteen pounds and measure between thirty nine to forty five
inches long, including their tail. That crazy noise is known

(10:26):
as geckering. It's often made during aggressive encounters or when
young are playing together. Geckering is a sound unique to
this critter and is often a series of stuttering, throaty
vocalizations that make a chattering or clicking noise. It is
often accented by high pitched sounds as well. Check out
this geckering of two young'un's playing. Now try to guess

(10:58):
that critter. Okay, it's time for the reveal. It's a
red fox. The phrase slies a fox is used to
describe someone who is clever, tricksy, or even deceptive. This
saying likely originated from the way foxes are portrayed in

(11:20):
literature and folklore as clever and cunning creatures. Foxes play
a variety of roles in Native American mythology too, and
some Southwestern tribes and many tribes of Mexico the fox
is a trickster, and other tribes such as the Blackfoot
and Apache, the fox is associated with fire in the sun,

(11:40):
and according to some myths, it was the fox who
stole fire to bring to the people. But foxes are
simply creatures who are exceptionally good at adapting to their surroundings.
They can live and find food almost anywhere. Perhaps that's
why they've gained a historic reputation for being such a
genius creatures.

Speaker 6 (12:09):
What kind of waves wash up on the small beaches?

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Michael, Wife, It's time for everyone's favorite game show, Trivia.
Let's all join in.

Speaker 4 (12:27):
I'm joined by Matthew, Mabel Sage, Amelia Addison, and Marshall.
Each player will earn ten dollars for conservation with every
question they get right. Today, there's a potential for this
room to earn up to one hundred and eighty dollars
this week. That donation is going to the National Wild
Turkey Federation, who publishes the kids magazine about conservation called
Jake's Country. Let's see how much money our players can raise.

(12:51):
Question one, what animal travels in groups that are called
a murder? Is it a crow, a falcon, or a vulture?

Speaker 6 (13:01):
This is what this one.

Speaker 7 (13:02):
I'm basically guessing.

Speaker 4 (13:07):
Animal travels in groups that are called a murder. Your
three choices are crows, falcons, or vultures.

Speaker 7 (13:15):
I feel like I feel like there's one of these
that just makes sense.

Speaker 4 (13:23):
Crow, falcon or vultures.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
I just don't have.

Speaker 7 (13:29):
Feeling that someone would that just how this animal acts.

Speaker 4 (13:37):
Is everybody ready, go ahead and reveal your answers? Mabel Crow,
Emelia Marshall, Falcons, Sage Addison, Matthew Crow. The correct answer
is a crow. The room did very well. A group
of falcons is called a cast, a group of vultures

(13:57):
is called the committee, and a group of crows is
called a murder. Crows are one of the smartest animals
in the world, with some studies comparing their intelligence to
that of a seven year old human. Now, what do
you guys think? We have some seven year olds in
the room. Addison, do you think a crow is as
smart as you are? Probably you think it is.

Speaker 6 (14:19):
Maybe I don't know.

Speaker 4 (14:20):
Okay, Marshall, do you think you were a crow would
do better at meat eater trivia?

Speaker 7 (14:24):
Na?

Speaker 4 (14:24):
Definitely you would. Okay, like at that ansel.

Speaker 6 (14:27):
Definitely, a definitely will was ansel.

Speaker 7 (14:31):
Crows know how to play chess well.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
Definitely do you know how to play chess?

Speaker 5 (14:36):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (14:37):
On that ansel? Definitely this board would be smart because
like it is the board like it hansel, but like
that's the only thing.

Speaker 4 (14:45):
That's a crow would know that they're a murder.

Speaker 6 (14:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:49):
Question two, what's the name for a baby bison? Is
it a calf, a fawn, or a cult? What's the
name for a baby bison? Is it a calf, a fawn,
or a colt. Do you think a crow would get
this one right?

Speaker 7 (15:08):
Maybe it's possible because it all these animals.

Speaker 4 (15:16):
What's the name for a baby bison, calf, fon, or cult?
Is everybody ready?

Speaker 6 (15:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (15:20):
Yeah, go ahead and reveal your answers. Mabel Calf, Amelia Marshall,
Sage Calf, Addison, Matthew Calf. The correct answer is a calf.
The room did pretty well. A calf is a baby bison,
a fawn is a baby deer, and a colt is

(15:42):
a baby horse. Baby Bison are also referred to as
red dogs because of their red fur and small stature.
Can you guys name some other animals where the babies
are a calf, cow, a moose, You got that one.
Any other baby animals that are called calves, you guys
can think. Not a prong horn, elephants, elk, giraffes, hippos, manatees, moose,

(16:07):
you guys got that one, reindeer, rhinos, and whales. Oddad
an odd ad. I can't argue with you there. I
don't know. Question three? Which of these is not one
of the five Great Lakes? Is it Lake Superior Lake
Michigan where the Great Salt Lake?

Speaker 7 (16:29):
The last one gives it away because the Great.

Speaker 4 (16:33):
If you think that's the answer, Which of these is
not one of the five Great Lakes? Lake Superior Lake,
Michigan or Great Salt Where we got sage handing out
some more hints. Is it Lake Superior Lake Michigan again,
or the Great Salt Lake? Which of these is not
one of the five Great Lakes?

Speaker 7 (16:55):
Not?

Speaker 6 (16:56):
Not?

Speaker 4 (16:57):
So two of them are one of the five Great Lakes,
and one of them is not? Is it Lake Superior
Lake Michigan where the Great Salt Lake. Is everybody ready, Yes, yes,
go ahead and reveal your answers. Mabel the Great Salt Lake,
Amelia Marshall, Lake Superior, Yeah, Sage Salt Lake, Addison.

Speaker 6 (17:26):
Superior, Matthew Superior.

Speaker 4 (17:29):
The correct answer is the Great Salt Lake. I tricked
you guys. The Great Salt Lake is located in Utah,
about twelve hundred miles from the Great Lakes. Now we
already know two of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior and
Lake Michigan. I'll add an extra ten dollars to the
donation for each additional Great Lake you guys can name.

(17:50):
Do you know any of the other Great Lakes? Lake Erie?
Lake Erie is one of them. That means there's two more.
You have Lake Erie, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan.

Speaker 6 (17:59):
Is no no idea.

Speaker 4 (18:03):
I'll give you a hints. One of them starts with
an h. Does that help? The other one starts with
Helena Lake, Helena Lake?

Speaker 2 (18:10):
Not quite.

Speaker 4 (18:11):
The other two lakes are Lake Huron in Lake Ontario.

Speaker 6 (18:15):
Can we still get down?

Speaker 4 (18:17):
You get ten dollars for Mabel getting Lake Erie. That's
it for today's rounder trivia field the engineer, how much
money did we raise.

Speaker 5 (18:23):
Well with that extra lake.

Speaker 1 (18:25):
They raised one hundred ten dollars.

Speaker 4 (18:26):
One hundred ten dollars going to the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Well done, kids. Join us next week for more Meat
Eater Kids trivia and the other game show where conservation
always wins.

Speaker 2 (18:39):
Thanks for listening everyone, See you next week on Meat
Eater Kids.
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