Temporal range: Late Pleistocene – Recent
|A wolf howling
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The grey wolf or gray wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a mammal of the order Carnivora. It is the ancestor of the domestic dog. A recent study found that the domestic dog is descended from wolves tamed less than 16,300 years ago south of the Yangtze River in China.
Adult wolves are usually 6–7 feet in length from nose to tail. As adults they may weigh between 29–175 lbs (pounds; 13–79 kgm), though wolves over 200 lbs are uncommon and are usually found in the far north. Wolves measure 20–38 inches at the shoulder. Wolves have fur made up of two layers. The top layer is resistant to dirt, and the underlayer is water resistant. The color of their fur can be any combination of grey, white, red, brown, and black.
Wolves live in groups called "packs". The members of the pack are usually family members, often just the parents and offspring. Packs are up to 15 wolves. The leaders are called the alpha male and the alpha female. Their territory is marked by scent and howling; they will fight any intruders. Young wolves are called 'pups' or 'cubs'. Adult females usually give birth to five or six pups in a litter.
Wolves are carnivores and eat mostly medium to large size hoofed animals (ungulates), but they will also eat rodents, insectivores and foxes. Some wolves have been seen eating salmon, seals, beached whales, lizards, snakes and birds. They also eat moose, deer and other large animals. Wolves usually stalk old or sick animals, but they do not always catch what they stalk. They may go days without food, but the way they eat stays the same. The alpha male and female feed first. Then the other members feed. Sometimes (especially if the prey they have killed is large) wolves may store food and come back that day to feed on it. Wolves have very sharp teeth which helps them tear large chunks of meat from a dead animal. Mother wolves chew meat, and then spit it out to give to their pups.
Wolves and humans [change]
Even though many people think that wolves are terrible, mean creatures, they are actually much gentler than many people imagine. The main reason wolves become violent is because they may be sick or to protect other wolves in the pack. Many people around the world, especially in Canada and Alaska, have huskies for pets a close relative of the wolf.
A few years ago wolves were put back into Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to breed, because they were becoming endangered. The wolves have been very successful in the park. There had been no wolves there for a long time, because of hunting and poisoned water. Many people were not happy about this because they were afraid that the wolves would eat the sheep and cows near the park. However, wolves only eat livestock when they can not find wild prey.
Extinction in Britain [change]
Wolves in Britain were all killed after centuries of hunting. The last wolves survived in the Scottish Highlands. There is a legend that the last one was killed there in 1743 by a character called MacQueen.
Today, an increasing number of influential people want new wolves to be brought to Britain so that they can live in the Scottish Highlands again.
Wolves and other predators [change]
Wolves are three times as large as a coyote. They kill coyotes when they come into wolf territory and try to steal kills. Coyotes mostly stay away from wolves. When wolves move away, coyotes move in. When wolves move in, coyotes move out.
Wolves will compete with bears for food. Black bears almost always lose, and for brown and grizzly bears it depends on the wolves and the bear. Bears are bigger and stronger than a lone wolf.
Wolves will also steal kills from cougars. Most of the time a wolf would not win a fight against a cougar but two or more wolves would definitely kill it. Wolves kill cougars very often.
Wolves are larger and stronger and no lynx would win a fight against a wolf, only if the wolf was very small or young it would lose. Lynx mostly avoid wolves completely.
- Mech & Boitani (2004). Canis lupus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-05-05. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
- Pang et al. (September 1, 2009). "mtDNA data indicate a single origin for dogs south of Yangtze River, less than 16,300 Years ago, from numerous wolves". Molecular Biology and Evolution. http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/26/12/2849. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
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