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Information on Wolves

Source: World Wildlife Fund

Wolves are the foremost member of the dog family, Canidae. Most wolves are classified as Canis lupus, and go by the common name "gray wolf," regardless of coloring. A separate species, the red wolf, (C. rufus) is distinguished by its smaller body size and reddish coloration. Only elderly wolves that have lost pigmentation are gray. Actual coloration depends on habitat, and provides camouflage. Tundra-dwelling arctic wolves are snow white touched with gray or black, while most forest-dwelling wolves range from shadowy shades of gray or cream to brown or black.

The wolf pack makes their den on a knoll or other high place and near water. This provides a good lookout against approaching danger and answers the nursing female's daily requirement of water. Wolves may move their den site two or three times to ensure the pups' well-being. In summer, the mother moves her pups from the den to the pack's rendezvous site, or meeting place, which is accessed by numerous routes. Here, the pups play while the adults hunt. Reunited after the hunt, young and old alike share in the bonding activity of play. Wolves live on average about 7 years, but can live up to 13 years in the wild or 17 years in captivity. Elderly wolves are cared for by younger members of the pack.

Native Americans revered the wolf as an exemplar of the right way for humans to live on the Earth: as a skilled and efficient hunter, a lover of family life, and a partner to communal living. Unjustifiably vilified as "the big bad wolf," the wolf is the most persecuted animal in history, hunted practically to extinction in all but the most remote wilderness regions of North America and Eurasia. The wolf is now known to be an important predator to keep populations of ungulates such as moose and deer in check.

In the United States, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) is listed as endangered in the Southwest and threatened in the East and West. The red wolf (C. rufus) Is critically endangered, surviving only in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas; its genetic uniqueness is further threatened by interbreeding with coyotes (C. latrans).

Hunting primarily at night, wolves prey on elderly, young, and sickly animals, since attacks on healthy ones often end in defeat or injury. Their primary food source in winter is ungulates such as moose, elk, and deer, as well as smaller prey such as snowshoe hare. In summer wolves take advantage of the availability of beavers, geese, fish, insects, and berries. Wolves have a keen sense of smell, but they depend on wind currents to bring them the scent of prey. Downwind, they can pick up the scent of deer as far away as 1 mile (2.5km), but upwind they cannot smell moose as close as 325 feet (100m). By the time they are three weeks old, pups begin to eagerly greet adults returning from the hunt, who bear gifts of food in their mouths. The pups jump up and nip at their mouths until the food is regurgitated, then fight with each other and their den guardian over the spoils. In crusted snow, wolves have the advantage over larger animals such as caribou, which cannot run through the snow and are easily overtaken by the 'snowshoeing' wolf pack. Wolves are efficient eaters, consuming everything but antlers, bones, fur, and stomach contents.

During a blizzard, a wolf hunkers down by covering its nose and paws with its tail and letting itself be enveloped by the fallen snow. Snow cover provides insulation from the cold while the wolf waits out the storm. Beginning at dusk and sometimes continuing until dawn, howling keeps pack members in touch during their nighttime hunts, delineates the boundaries of other packs, and helps lone wolves attract mates. Wolves live in packs of varying sizes, generally comprised of about five to twelve related members. The alpha male and female, who mate for life, are the only breeding members, but all members care for the pups. This social hierarchy is altered only under special circumstances, such as death, disability, or environmental pressures. Traveling in single file, wolves follow in each other's footsteps to give the appearance of traveling alone. In snowy terrain, this also conserves energy. In deep snow, wolves take advantage of trails made by men or dog teams.

Wolves communicate vocally-by howls, growls, barks, yelps, and whines-as well as by body language. When reunited, they greet each other by wagging their tails and by sniffing each other's fur and licking muzzles. The dominant male often remains aloof to his subordinates' greetings. Wolves have tow coat layers. In summer, pups begin to grow the long 'guard hairs' of their outer coat, which covers the thick undercoat of soft fur. By autumn, pups attain the full-coated look of adulthood, but with the return of warm spring weather they shed excessive fur to keep cool.

A wolf's howl can signal warning or welcome, depending on the pitch. A low-pitched howl warns against intruders, while a high-pitched howl welcomes pack members back to their rendezvous site. Depending on the sentiments of the human eavesdroppers, wolves' howls have been described as either disturbingly plaintive or hauntingly beautiful. Howling is perhaps the foremost distinguishing characteristic of wolves. It is believed that wolves not only howl to communicate but even for play. Everyone in the pack joins in on the communal howl, including pups. Like human singers, each wolf has its own unique voice.

Size of a pack's territory depends on the availability of food. When food is adequate, the pack may occupy the same territory for many generations. If the food source is migratory, the pack will follow the migration of prey. Wolves in search of food can travel as many as 20 miles (32km) in one day, and up to 185 miles (300km) in a few weeks.

A 'lone wolf' is an individual at the bottom of the pack's social hierarchy who has been driven out. It may follow on the tails of the pack and survive on leftovers, or try to attract a mate and establish its own pack. If it stumbles into the territory of another pack, it may be killed. Only about 10 to 15 percent of wolves are solitary.

The grasslands of the Northern Great Plains once teemed with wildlife such as bison, elk, grizzly bears, and wolves. Now designated a Global 200 ecoregion, the plains re targeted for protection and restoration by WWF and its partners in the Northern Plains Conservation Network. The wolf's habitat originally spanned most of the Northern Hemisphere. Long persecuted by humans, the gray wolf had been hunted and poisoned to near extinction in the United States by the mid-twentieth century, narrowing its range to remote wilderness regions. In North America, the wolf can now be found only in Alaska, Canada, the northern regions of Idaho, Montana, and Minnesota, and a few parks and other areas where it has been reintroduced. Fortunately for wolves living in the artic, human encroachment has been slow to penetrate their frigid wilderness habitat, consequently their territory is less disturbed than other wolves'. WWF conservation efforts in Alaska include protecting the wolf's habitat from industrial development.

Survival of gray wolves depends on availability of large undisturbed forest land in which packs may delineate their territorial boundaries. WWF and other conservation organizations cite ongoing deforestation and fragmentation of territory as the greatest threats to the wolf's survival.