This week we are looking at the wolf, also known as the gray
wolf or grey wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. This is the
most common wolf in the world.
A Grey wolve is about twice the
size of a coyote. They measure up to 6 feet(183cm) in length, including
tail, and about 30 inches (80-85cm) in height at the shoulder. Female wolves
weigh around 70 – 80 pounds (31-36kg), while males weigh around 95 – 100 pounds,
(43-45kg)
The life spans of wild wolves vary dramatically. Although the
average lifespan is between 6 and 8 years, many will die sooner, and some
can reach 13. Wolves in captivity can live up to 17 years.
Wolves rarely act aggressively toward people, but there have been instances in Alaska and Canada where wolves have attacked people. The first case of wild healthy wolves killing a human in modern North America occurred in Saskatchewan in 2005; a second person was killed in 2010 in Alaska.
Wolves are carnivores—they
prefer to eat large-hoofed mammals such as deer, elk, bison, and
moose. They also hunt smaller mammals such as beavers, rodents, and hares.
Adults can eat 20 pounds of meat in a single meal.
Pups are born in early spring and are cared for by the entire
pack. They depend on their mother's milk for the first month, and then
they are gradually weaned and fed regurgitated meat by other pack members. By 7
to 8 months of age, when almost fully grown, the pups begin traveling with the
adults.
In a grey wolf pack, it is usually
only the male and female alpha who are allowed to breed, the pair mate for
life as a way to cement their position as pack leaders, producing a new
litter each year and ensuring the stability of the rest of the pack.
Wolves' vocalizations can be
separated into four categories: barking, whimpering, growling, and
howling. Sounds created by the wolf may actually be a combination of
sounds such as a bark-howl or growl-bark. Barking is used as a warning.
Next week we will look at the
Red Wolf.