Wolf Facts

The scientific name for the Wolf is the Canis Lupus.

Wolves and humans evolved during more or less the same period. The wolf is the is the ancestor of all domestic dogs.

The habitat of the wolf varies from arctic tundra, plains, savannas and forests.The main threat to wolves is loss of their natural habitat. Wolves vary in color from almost white as in the colder regions to yellowish-brown or black in the more southern regions.

The wolf is the largest of all the wild canids. North American wolves can weigh anywhere from 40 to 175 lbs. North American wolf is 4.6-6.6 feet from nose to the tip of their tail. A wolf’s thick coat allow them to withstand the extreme temperatures common in the Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Wolves have large paws 4 inches wide 5 inches long. Wolves have five claws on the front feet and four feet on the back feet. Wolves have long legs and walk or run on their toes.

The average travel speed of a wolf is 5 mph. While Cheetahs are the fastest land mammals, wolves take off much more slowly but can overtake a Cheetah, because the Cheetah will wear out quicker. Wolves are distance runners and can keep going for much longer at their slower pace of approximately 37 mph.

A wolf’s sense of smell is 100 times greater than a human. Wolves are opportunistic hunters and always on the lookout for weaker animals to attack.Wolves have 42 teeth. Wolves have extremely powerful jaws that can generate 1500 psi of pressure, their jaws can crush bones of their prey. Although wolves will work together to bring down prey, it is every wolf for itself when it comes to eating it.

Wolves have a complex hierarchy and social structure. There are two hierarchies in a wolf pack, one for females and one for males. The alpha male is the pack leader. The omega wolf is the lowest wolf in the pack. Wolves use body language to communicate, their tail position, ear position and facial expression can tell the others in the pack. The wolves have as many as 17 different facial expressions. When a wolf is showing aggression it will raise its hackles or the fur on its back to make it look bigger. A wolf shows submission by dropping its head or rolling on its back.

Baby wolves are pups. Wolves breed once per year and the gestation period is 63 days. A wolves litter size depends on the nutrition and fitness of the female giving birth but it typically has between 4-11 pups. Pups weigh only one pound and they cannot see or hear when they are born. Mortality rates for wolf pups can be as high as 50%. Young pups are cared for by all members of a wolf pack. The rest of the pack assists in raising and guarding the wolf pups. The pack members will even assist in feeding the litter of pups and the Mom by sharing their kills.

When the pups are old enough to travel the pack becomes nomadic, they will follow migrating herds. As their prey moves, they too will move. Wolves depend on large tracts of habitat and substantial populations of their principal prey to survive.

About the Author
Jacob Maddox manages content for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com an educational wildlife and animal website. Jacob also guest writes for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net