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Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Canidae
Genus:
Canis
Species:
Canis.lupus
Specifications:
Body Length: 41–63 inches
Height at Shoulders: 31–33 inches
Tail Length: 11–20 inches
Average Weight: 88 pounds, females 5-10 pounds less
Smallest and Largest Weight: 26 pounds, 175 pounds
Life Span: 6 - 8 years
Top Speed: 34-43 mph
The wolf, also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. The wolf is the largest extant member of the Canidae family but is closely related to smaller Canis species, such as the coyote and the golden jackal, enough so as to produce fertile hybrids with them.
The global wild wolf population was estimated to be 300,000 in 2003 and is considered to be of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, and gray wolves, as colloquially understood, comprise non-domestic/feral subspecies.
Wolves have a long history of interactions with humans, having been despised and hunted in most pastoral communities because of their attacks on livestock, while conversely being respected in some agrarian and hunter-gatherer societies.
Although the fear of wolves exists in many human societies, the majority of recorded attacks on people have been attributed to animals suffering from rabies. Wolf attacks on humans are rare because wolves are relatively few, live away from people, and have developed a fear of humans because of their experiences with hunters, ranchers, and shepherds.
Range
Wolves occurred originally across Eurasia and North America.
Deliberate human persecution because of livestock predation and fear of attacks on humans has reduced the range to about one-third of what it once was. The wolf is now extirpated (locally extinct) in much of Western Europe, the United States, Mexico, and in Japan.
Wolves are also territorial and fights over territory are among the principal causes of wolf mortality.
Habitat
In modern times, the wolf occurs mostly in wilderness and remote areas. The wolf can be found between sea level and 9,800 feet. Wolves live in forests, inland wetlands, shrublands, grasslands, including Arctic tundra, pastures, deserts, and rocky peaks on mountains.
Habitat use by wolves depends on the abundance of prey, snow conditions, livestock densities, road densities, human presence and topography.
Description
The wolf is also distinguished from other Canis species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, as well as a shorter torso and a longer tail.
The banded fur of a wolf is usually mottled white, brown, gray, and black, although subspecies in the arctic region may be nearly all white.
The ears are relatively small and triangular. The head is large and heavy, with a wide forehead, strong jaws and a long, blunt muzzle. The skull is 9–11 inches in length and 5–6 inches in width. The teeth are heavy and large, making them better suited to crushing bone than those of other canids. They are not as specialized as those found in hyenas though. Its molars have a flat chewing surface, but not to the same extent as the coyote, whose diet contains more vegetable matter. Females tend to have narrower muzzles and foreheads, thinner necks, slightly shorter legs, and less massive shoulders than males.
Of all members of the genus Canis, the wolf is most specialized for cooperative game hunting as demonstrated by its physical adaptations to tackling large prey, its more social nature, and its highly advanced expressive behavior. It travels in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair accompanied by their offspring. Offspring may leave to form their own packs on the onset of sexual maturity and in response to competition for food within the pack.
The wolf is mainly a carnivore and feeds on large wild hooved mammals as well as smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage. Single wolves or mated pairs typically have higher success rates in hunting than do large packs.
Pathogens and parasites, notably rabies virus, may infect wolves.
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