Source: Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre
DESCRIPTION
The gray wolf, also known as the wood wolf, is a canine species with a long bushy tail that is usually black. Their coat color is usually a mix of gray and brown with gray markings on the face and underside, but color can vary from solid white to brown or black. The gray wolves look somewhat like a large German Shepherd. Wolves vary in size depending on where they live. Wolves in the north are usually larger than in the south. The average size of a wolf’s body is 3 to 5 feet long, and their tail is usually 1 to 2 feet long. Females typically weigh 60 to 100 pounds, and males 70 to 145 pounds.
RANGE
The gray wolf’s historical range covers more than two-thirds of the United States. Today, gray wolves are found in Alaska, northern Michigan, northern Wisconsin, western Montana, northern Idaho, northeastern Oregon, and the Yellowstone area of Wyoming. The Mexican wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf, has been reintroduced to protected parkland in eastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Wolves can thrive in a variety of habitats from tundra to woodlands, forests, grasslands and deserts.
DIET
Wolves are carnivores – they love to eat large hoofed mammals such as deer, elk, bison and elk. They also hunt smaller mammals such as beavers, rodents and hares. Adults can eat 20 pounds of meat in one meal.
BEHAVIOR
Wolves communicate through body language, scent marking, barking, growling and howling. Much of their communication is aimed at reinforcing the group’s social hierarchy. When a wolf wants to show that it is submissive to another wolf, it will bend over, whine, wag its tail, lick the other wolf’s mouth, or roll over on its back.
When a wolf wants to challenge another wolf, it will growl or put its ears on its head. A playful wolf dancing and bows and arrows. The bark is used as a warning, and the howl is for long distance communication to draw a pack together and away from strangers.
STORY
Wolves live in packs. Most packs have between 4 and 9 members, but size can range from 2 wolves to 15. Sometimes a swarm can grow to 30 members, until some individuals leave to find new territory and form swarms of their own.
In the package hierarchy, there are male and female hierarchies. Alpha males dominate the entire flock, both males and females. Alpha males and females are the only spawners.
When the young are three years old, they can either join the herd or leave to find their own territory. New territories can be nearby if there is a lot of prey. In some areas, young people travel hundreds of miles to find new territory.
Wolves usually mate for life. In the northern United States, they breed from late January to March. Breeding season is earlier for wolves living further south. Wolves are pregnant for about 63 days and usually give birth to four to six cubs.
The cubs are usually born in a lair. At birth, they cannot see or hear and weigh about a pound. The pups were weaned at about six weeks. The adult members of the flock swallow the flesh and bring it back to the den for the young mice. After the adults regurgitated their food, the pups had a hearty meal. The mother wolf moves her cubs to new locations every few months until the fall, when the whole pack stops living at the staging sites. In the wild, wolves live from 8 to 13 years, sometimes more. In captivity, they live up to 15 years.
PRESERVATION
The story of the gray wolf is one of America’s most fascinating wildlife stories. Once, the wolf was common across most of North America, but it was ruthlessly hunted and became extinct across most of its range. Today, the wolf is making a successful comeback in some of its former habitats due to vigorous conservation efforts. Gray wolves play an important role in the health and normal functioning of the ecosystem.
5 TRUTH
1. The gray wolf is the largest living wild dog.
2. Wolves are the wild ancestors of all our domesticated dogs, from poodles and mastiffs to greyhounds.
3. Wolves usually hunt in a territory, which can range from 50 square miles (129 square kilometers) to more than 1,000 square miles (2,590 square kilometers).
4. Wolves usually travel at a speed of five miles (8 km) an hour, but can reach speeds of 40 miles (64 km) an hour.
5. Wolves howl to strengthen the bond of the pack and warn other wolves to stay away — but despite popular belief, wolves do not howl at the moon.