Grey Wolf

"Spine-tingling" howl used to communicate. Lone wolf howls to attract attention of his pack OR may send territorial message to one pack to another. Wolves live and hunt in packs of six to ten animals. Packs have defined territory. Known to roam long distances, 12 miles a day. Wolf packs have a strict hierarchy. Dominant male on the top with his mate. Male and Female only animals of pack to breed, all of a pack's adults help to care long pups by bringing food and looking after them while others hunt. 

 According to National Geographic, current population is stable. Wolves almost never attack humans but humans have shot, trapped and poisoned them because they attack domestic animals. In the 20th century there are no confirmed human deaths by wolves. In the states, gray wolves were hunted to near extinction. Some populations survived and are being reintroduced. 

DIET: Carnivore. Most populations are found in Canada, Asia, and Alaska ( broad niche). Preferred prey deer, elk and moose. Smaller mammals; birds, fish, lizards and snakes. A single animal can consume 20 pounds of meat in one sitting. Wolves can go one week without eating. Diverse range of environments including tundra, mountain areas, forests and deserts. 

broad niche which means they have adapt and to different environments 

Gray wolves are generalist because they can survive in a variety of habitats including the cold tundra, dry grasslands and desserts. 

Red wolf- are a mix of grey wolf and coyote DNA

Highly social animals. Rely on tight pack structure for protection and hunting. Form very strong family bonds within their pack. Each pack includes two breeding wolves. The alpha male and female that lead the pack, their pups and subordinate ( lower in rank) consisting of all ages. 

Can go up to one week without eating 

Relationship with Raven. Both animals benefit.    The Raven is attracted to the wolf howls. The wolves’ howl before they go on a hunt signalling the Ravens.They guide the wolves to prey.  During the hunt the birds are more suspicious and alert than the wolves. The Ravens are a extra set of eyes and ears. The wolves hunt their prey and feast. The Ravens get their leftovers. If this partnership doesn’t happen then the population of animals like elk and deer that wolves hunt will go up creating a imbalance in the food chain.

The Gray wolves are territorial animals. They live and travel as a pack which is made up of 6 to 8 wolves. A pack’s territory can be as large as 12 000 square km! In the winter a pack will not move to find a warmer place to mark their territory. Instead they will adapt to the change in the season. Wolves have two types of hairs. They have long, stiff hair of the outer coat called guard hairs. The second type is the undercoat made up of soft fur which grows thick in the winter. This fur which is normally a lighter shade turns darker on the neck, shoulders and rump.  This insulates the body from the cold. As spring approaches wolves shed this hair. 

In the past, humans have only affected gray wolves in a negative way. Farmers killed them because of livestock losses. Habitat loss. Wolves are very misunderstood animals. Most people fear humans and think they are a threat to humans. In reality they are shy animals and much more afraid of us then we are of them.  They were slaughtered by the thousands. Wolves mostly disappeared from the states all throughout. But in reality wolves are shy and much more afraid of us than we are of them. 

When Europeans arrived in North America, wolves roamed much of the continent. Farmers and ranchers almost entirely eradicated them from what is now the United States. 

As of now the population is stable and least concern.  However they are only found in Asia, Canada and northern parts of the U.S.

On the top of the food chain they play a key role in the ecosystem. If gray wolves stopped hunting animals, the population of these animals will go up creating an imbalance in the food chain. 

Use howl to communicate. Intended for a long distance. Wolves will usually howl to get the attention of their pack and keep everyone together. Howl scares away any strangers. 

Largest members of the dog family 

Hunt in packs so they are able to take down large animals together 

Wolves are top predators in their habitat so they have many ways to protect themselves against threats. 

 They can run fast and don’t get tired very easily, so they can outrun anything that might be trying to chase them. 

Wolves also have sharp eyesight, and excellent senses of hearing and smelling. While a bear or a mountain lion might be able to attack a single wolf all by itself, they are no match for the pack of wolves that travel together. With all of their defenses, few animals are any threat to wolves. 

These animals show us an important lesson: you are stronger when you work as a team / strength in numbers

Despite differences between species, wolves defend themselves in the same ways. With their strong jaws, pack mentality and pragmatic hunting strategies, these animals are able not only to hold their own against attackers, but effectively prey upon beasts significantly larger than they are.

Wolves live in packs with distinct social hierarchies, and these packs do everything together. Comprising 6 to 10 wolves, the pack lives, sleeps, travels and hunts together, working as a unit that is significantly more efficient than any wolf on his own. Wolves fiercely protect each other within the pack, and their teamwork enables them to safely kill much larger animals with defense mechanisms of their own, like moose with massive antlers and powerful legs 

A wolf's most powerful weapon is his mouth, equipped with large teeth and strong jaws. He uses his jaws to snap, bite and tear at foes, clamping down with enough force to crunch through bones. To put the power of his bite into perspective, he can apply as much as 1,500 pounds of pressure per square inch -- twice the strength of a German shepherd. Just a few bites from these powerful jaws can incapacitate an enemy, leaving it vulnerable enough for the wolf to finish it off 

Though they frequently kill large prey like moose, deer, bison and goats, wolves are pragmatists, and their selective nature is a powerful defense mechanism. Wolves actively choose to pursue prey that is either very young or very old, and therefore less effective at fighting back -- a full-sized bison in the prime of its life, for example, is a much more dangerous target than a calf. Because wolves consciously pursue less able-bodied prey, they give themselves a distinct advantage before the fight even starts 

The ability to adapt is critical for self-preservation and defense of the pack, so wolves exhibit a tendency to move around. While a wolf pack typically stays within a certain territory, that territory can be as large as 1,000 square miles, and the pack may travel as much as 50 miles a day looking for food. This is largely because of their bodies, which are uniquely adapted for frequent, extensive ground travel -- adaptations like long legs and excellent balance equip them to defend the pack by seaching far and wide for food. 

Wolves work together to hunt, raise their young, and protect their territory 

 All of a pack's adults help to care for young pups by bringing them food and watching them while others hunt.

Young wolves stay in their parents' pack for at least two years before some of them take off to join other packs or to start their own. They may stay close to their parents or go far away. Wolf pups play a lot as they're growing. They leap and pounce, chase and wrestle, play hide-and-seek and tag—a lot like you do! 

Pups are born blind and deaf and begin to see after 9–12 days. 

Consists of a mated pair - alpha male and female and the pair's off springs

 Wolf packs rarely adopt other wolves into their fold but this does not mean it doesn't happen. 

In some cases, a lone wolf is adopted into a pack to replace a deceased member. Studies of wolves' cortisol levels show that they rise significantly when a pack member dies, indicating the presence of stress.

Wolves are highly territorial animals, and generally establish territories far larger than they require to survive in order to assure a steady supply of prey. Wolves mark their territory by urinating or leaving scratches in the ground. Territory size depends largely on the amount of prey available and the age of the pack's pups, tending to increase in size in areas with low prey populations. A territory can be around 40km2 and range up to 6000 km2.  Wolf packs will usually only abandon  their territory when they are facing a serve food shortage. 

The dog, Canis familiaris, is a direct descendent of the gray wolf, Canis lupus: In other words, dogs as we know them are domesticated wolves. Not only their behavior changed; domestic dogs are different in form from wolves, mainly smaller and with shorter muzzles and smaller teeth. Darwin was wrong about dogs.