Time to reset your clocks…  It going to be a beautiful, mild, and LONG day today and no doubt many of us will have a major case of “Spring Fever!” Although all signs point to the arrival of a new season, the official start to spring relies not upon the a calendar date, but a subtle cue from Mother Nature’s beasts.  Ambassador wolves Atka, Alawa, and Zephyr have indicated that seasons are changing – they’re beginning (just barely) to shed their winter coats.

Una muestra de la capa base aislante

Soon their insulating undercoat will begin to fall from their bodies like sheets of soft wool and they’ll be better prepared to enjoy for the warmer months to come.  What triggers the shedding process?   This time of year both male an female wolves have rising levels of a hormone called prolactin.  Prolactin levels increase with the onset of long days and during the short days of winter the hormone levels decrease.  It is believed that prolactin has many key roles.  High levels of the hormone contribute to the following:

1) Desarrollo de la glándula mamaria para futuras madres lobo
2) Mantenimiento de la lactancia: ayuda a la producción de leche en las madres lobo
3) Promoción del comportamiento de los padres tanto en machos como en hembras y, por lo tanto, mejora la supervivencia de las crías.
4) ¡Desprendimiento de la capa inferior!

Por lo tanto, los días más largos alteran la composición química de los lobos y ayudan a garantizar que pasen los meses de primavera y verano cómodamente con sus manadas felices y saludables.