Introduction

 

Wolves once roamed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, occupying nearly  every habitat with the exception of only tropical rainforest and arid desert.

  A wolf is a large predator that depends for its survival upon large  ungulates (hoofed animals), such as deer, elk, caribou, and in some parts of  its range, moose and bison that tip the scales at more than a thousand pounds.

What and how they eat

 

Wolves are opportunistic hunters, meaning they will take down what they can  get, which often happens to be the weak, sick, old and very young.

  Wolves will chase and test their prey looking for weakness. Hunting in this  manner helps to improve the overall health of their prey population by removing  the disadvantaged individuals, thereby allowing the healthiest animals to  create future generations (wolves will also take down healthy adults that are  often at some disadvantage, such as a moose on ice). Their method of hunting  also prompts the prey animals to become more vigilant, agile and aware. The end  result is a healthy natural relationship between predator and prey which has  succeeded for hundreds of thousands of years.

  Making Babies

Wolves breed once a year. Their breeding season is usually  January through February. The mother gives birth 63 days later, roughly in  April or May, to a litter of 4 to 8 pups, each weighing about 1 pound. The pups  are born in a den, where they will stay for the first 6 to 8 weeks of their  life. When the pups are first born they cannot see, hear or maintain warmth and  they need constant care from their mother. By to 8 weeks of age, the pups will  venture out of the den and begin their life of learning how to be a predator.

Gray wolf stats

 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 

Average length	Male:      5-6.5    feet (nose to tip of tail)       Female:  4.5 to 6    feet
Average height	26 to 32 inches
Average weight	Males:    80-110    lbs.       Female:  60-80 lbs.
Average paw size	4 inches wide by 5 inches long
Longevity	5-9 year average in the wild       14-15 years in captivity
Pelage	Any shade of gray, brown, black, white, or tawny
Number of teeth	42
Breeding season	Mid January to Mid April (depending on climate-the colder    the climate, the later the breeding season)
Gestation Period	63 days on average
Weight at birth	1 pound on average
Litter size	4-6 pups on average
Pup mortality rate	Highly variable, but approximately 40-60% per year
Pack size	6-8 members on average
Pack territory/    size	10-1000 square miles
Speed	6 miles on average but can reach speeds of 43 mph during a    chase
Common prey	Caribou, elk, deer, moose, bison, musk-oxen, sheep,    goats.  Also will prey on rodents,    beavers, fish, and birds.  Basically    whatever is available when ungulate are scarce.
Wolf to deer ratio	1 wolf to a population of 50-200 deer
Main threats to    survival	Loss of habitat due to destruction, development and    encroachment by humans, persecution by humans.

Interesting Facts

 
• It is       estimated that wolves sense of smell is 100 times greater than humans.  Under the right conditions a wolf can       smell something up to 300 yards to 1 mile away.

 
• The       wolf has powerful jaws, capable of exerting about 1500 pounds of pressure       per square inch -- or twice that of the domestic German Shepherd.

 
• Wolves       are accustomed to a feast and famine existence, often going many days       without eating and then gorging as much as 20 pounds in a single sitting.