Yellowstone's wolf 907F lived about as full a life as is possible / NPS

On Christmas Day, Yellowstone National Park's beloved wolf 907F, called the Queen of the Wolves, died from injuries sustained during a fight with a rival pack. 

She was the park's oldest collared wolf at the astounding age of 11 when she died. Most wolves in the park live only four years at most. 907F was one of only six wolves to make it to 11 since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. 

907F roamed the northern zones of the park as the alpha female of the Junction Butte pack. According to Cowboy State Daily, on December 22, 907F and a few of her cubs were feeding on a bison carcass on the north side of the Yellowstone River. A pack that normally stays on the south side of the river, the Rescue Creek pack, crossed the river and fought with 907F. 

She lived through the encounter, but was badly injured. 907F wore a radio collar that alerted biologists if she remained motionless for too long, indicating that she'd died. For the next two days, her collar registered that she was alive, but on Thursday, December 26, the collar recorded that she hadn't moved in 12 hours and pinged the biologists tracking her. 907F had apparently died on Christmas Day. 

907F left behind a litter of cubs less than a year old. She'd given birth in spring 2024, surprising researchers that even at age 11 907F was healthy enough to produce another litter. 

She'd lived through her fair share of close calls and skirmishes to make it to 11, and, because of her longevity, she'd drawn attention from wolf lovers and media alike. "Wolf 907F is a shrewd survivor, a wise elder, a prolific mother — and an absolute boss," wrote CBC Radio after 907F birthed her 10th litter last year. 

907F lost her left eye at age 4, though researchers aren't sure how. She'd dealt with serious mange as a young wolf, and limped as an elderly one. But still, she carried on, leading her pack, fighting for them until the end. 

“It’s sad. But … we always like to see a wolf die naturally, rather than at the hands of a human,” Taylor Rabe, who tracked 907F for the Yellowstone Wolf, Cougar and Elk Project, told Cowboy State Daily. “It gives us peace to know that she went in a natural manner.”