Submission

This was a moment from my favorite wolf encounter of the year. Two wolves came down to the road in Yellowstone this May, right where I happened to be pulled over chatting with a friend. The black wolf came out onto the road and at one point approached within 10 feet of us. It was intent on a herd of bison on the other side of the road. It was eventually joined by a gray.

After they determined that the bison weren't worth the trouble, they shared this brief moment. The black is displaying submissive behavior toward its packmate, curling its tail and licking at the mouth of the superior wolf. This may be my best "behavioral" wolf shot to date, and it will certainly be one of my favorites from 2012.

Canon 1D Mark IV
Canon 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TC
ISO 800
1/1250th
f/5.6

Max

(I'm pretty sure I haven't posted this one here yet. Apologies if I did, but I didn't see it in my gallery.)