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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
gray
wolf, arctic wolf, tundra wolf, Mackenzie Valley
wolf, timber wolf, plains wolf, Mexican wolf, lobo,
European wolf, Eurasian wolf, common wolf, Iberian
wolf, Turukhan wolf, Arabian wolf, steppe wolf,
Asian desert wolf, Tibetan wolf |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Carnivora |
| FAMILY: |
Canidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Canis
lupus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Like
most canids, wolves have a high body, long legs,
broad skull tapering to a narrow muzzle. The tail
is bushy and coat has a thick, dense underfur. Colors
vary from light to dark gray with black and white
interspersed, to some individuals being solid black
and solid white. Not to be confused with two additional,
distinct wolf species - the red wolf, Canis rufus,
and the Ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis. |
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| SIZE: |
Largest
of the wild canid species. There is variation in
average sizes according to region in which they
are found. Wolves of Mexico, Italy and Arabia are
smaller than those of North America. Average head/body
length 1,000-1,600 mm (39.4-63 in.); tail length
350-560 mm (13.8-22 in.). |
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| WEIGHT: |
Males
are usually larger than females |
| MALE |
Range
between 20-80 kg (44-176 lb.); average 40 kg (88
lb.) |
| FEMALE |
Range
between 18-55 kg (39.7-121 lb.); average 37 kg (81.6
lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Carnivorous;
primarily prey on large mammals such as deer, wapiti,
moose, caribou, bison, muskox, and mountain sheep.
Smallest prey taken consistently is beaver. An adult
can consume as much as 9 kg (20 lb.) in one feeding. |
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| GESTATION: |
62-63
days |
| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
5-15
days |
| NURSING
DURATION |
Average
45 days |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
22 months. Social structure may prevent breeding
until older. The youngest captive pair to breed
were 10 months. |
| FEMALE |
Wild
females have been recorded giving birth at 10 years
old. |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Potential
longevity 16 years |
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| RANGE: |
With
the exception of humans, the gray wolf has the largest
natural range of any living terrestial mammal. Found
in the U.S. except southeastern quarter, highlands
of Mexico, Canada, Greenland, Libya, Egypt, and
Eurasia with the exception of the southeastern corner. |
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| HABITAT: |
Found
in all habitats except tropical forests and arid
deserts. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Approximately
150,000 |
| REGIONAL |
Varies
by location |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Mexico
- Extinct in the wild; Italy - Vulnerable; Spain/Portugal
- Conservation Dependant |
| CITES |
Most
populations Appendix II; in Pakistan, India, Nepal,
and Bhutan Appendix I |
| USFWS |
Endangered
and Threatened depending on location |
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| 1. |
Wolves use dens for the rearing of their young.
Dens are sometimes constructed out of the vacated
burrows of other animals, in rock crevices, or hollows
in and around trees. It is common for wolves to
reuse the same den. These structures are sometimes
quite large with tunnels extending 2-4 m (6.5-13
ft.) underground to a chamber. Some dens have more
than one entrance. |
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| 2. |
Activity is diurnal. Wolves often travel long distances,
covering ranges of up to 200 km (124 km) per day.
They travel at speeds of about 8 km/hr. (4.9 mph)
but can reach running speeds of up to 55-70 km/hr
(34-43.5 mph). Additionally, gray wolves have been
known to pursue prey for as long as 20 minutes covering
distances of up to 5,000 meters (3 miles). |
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| 3. |
Wolves hunt in packs. They hunt by stealth, harrassment,
and active chase - ultimately attacking the rump,
flanks, and shoulders of large prey. Most attempts
end in failure. |
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| 4. |
Packs
are usually composed of a mated pair that are the
most dominant animals in the group, and their offspring
of one or more years. The pack is led by an alpha
male. The social heirarchy is established and maintained
through aggressiveness, elaborate greetings, and
submission. |
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| 5. |
Gray
wolves communicate using vocalizations, scent marking,
and body language. Howling is used to communicate
territorial cues over long distances and helps to
bring the pack back together when they are dispersed.
Each wolf has a distinct howl. |
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| 6. |
In
spite of their reputation as being a threat to humans,
there are actually very few documented wolf/human
attacks, and many of those that have been reported
have not resulted in serious injury. |
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| Wolves
are predators and as such help control the populations
of prey species; however they have been blamed for
also taking livestock species. Studies have shown
that these incidences are rare. Wolves have been
hunted and trapped for sport, for their fur and
for extermination. Many wolf populations have been
eliminated from their historic ranges. Modern wolves
are also at risk from canine parvovirus, parasitic
heartworms and hybridization of the gene pool with
coyotes and domestic dogs. Efforts to reintroduce
wolfs into some of their historic ranges in the
U.S. are meeting with success. There are populations
now established in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho with
natural movement occurring into other states. |
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| Nowak,
R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth
edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,
1999. |
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| http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/populations/fall99insert.asp
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http://www.ualberta.ca/~jzgurski/taxa.html
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