Wolf (lat. Canis lupus) - carnivorous mammal from the Canidae family. Along with coyotes (Canis latrans) and common jackals (Canis aureus), as well as some other species and subspecies, gray or common wolves are included in the genus Wolves (Canis).

Description of the gray wolf

According to genetic and genetic drift studies, wolves are the direct ancestors of domestic dogs, which are generally considered a subspecies of the wolf. Currently, Canis lupus is the largest modern representative of its family.

Appearance

The size and body weight of a wolf are characterized by pronounced geographical variability and directly depend on climatic conditions, some external factors. The average height of the animal at the withers varies from 66 to 86 cm, with a body length ranging from 105-160 cm and a weight of 32-62 kg. A profit or one-year-old wolf weighs no more than 20-30 kg, and the weight of two- and three-year-old wolves is no more than 35-45 kg. A wolf becomes mature at the age of three years, when the minimum body weight reaches 50-55 kg.

In appearance, wolves are similar to large, pointed-eared dogs with high and strong limbs, large and more elongated paws. The two middle fingers of such a predator are characterized by a noticeable projection forward, due to which the footprint acquires a very peculiar relief. Wolves have a broad-browed head with a relatively wide and fairly elongated, massive muzzle, which is characterized by increased expressiveness, which allows one to distinguish more than a dozen facial expressions of a predator. The skull is high, massive and large, with a wide nasal opening, widening at the bottom.

This is interesting! Significant differences between a wolf's track and a dog's track are represented by the large distance behind the lateral toes, as well as the keeping of the paw "in a lump" and a more straight "path" left by the animal.

The tail part is “log-shaped”, thick, always lowered down. An important characteristic of a wild predator is the structure of its teeth. The upper jaw of a wolf is equipped with six incisors, a pair of canines, eight premolars and four molars, and the lower jaw has a couple more molars. With the help of fangs, the predator not only holds well, but also drags prey, so the loss of teeth causes hunger and a rather painful death for the wolf.

Double-layer wolf fur is sufficiently long and thick.. Coarse guard hairs have water- and dirt-repellent properties, and the undercoat is necessary to retain heat. Different subspecies differ in coloration that matches their environment. Forest predators have a grayish-brown color, while tundra predators have a light, almost white, and desert individuals are gray-reddish. Wolf cubs have a uniform dark color, which becomes lighter as the animal grows older. Within the same population, the coat color of different individuals can also have noticeable differences.

Character and lifestyle

Wolves are primarily active at night, accompanying their presence with a loud and prolonged howl, which serves as a means of communication even over very long distances. In the process of hunting prey, a wolf, as a rule, does not make unnecessary sounds and tries to move as silently as possible.

This is interesting! The habitats of the gray wolf are very diverse, which is due to the affinity of such a predatory mammal to almost any landscape .

The predatory mammal has very well-developed hearing.. Such an animal's vision and sense of smell are somewhat less developed. Thanks to well-developed higher nervous activity, strength, speed and agility, the wolf's chances of survival are very high. The predator is capable of running at speeds of up to 60 km/h and covering a distance of 75-80 km in one night.

How long do wolves live?

General life expectancy indicators for the gray wolf in natural conditions in most cases depend on human activities. Average duration The life of such a predator in nature is fifteen years or a little more.

Range, habitats

Wolves are found in most areas of Europe and Asia, as well as in North America, where they have chosen the taiga, coniferous forest zones, icy tundra and even deserts. Currently, the northern border of its habitat is represented by the coast of the Arctic Ocean, and the southern border is Asia.

As a result of active human activity, the number of places where the predator is distributed has significantly decreased over the past few centuries. People often exterminate wolf packs and force them out of their inhabited places, so this predatory mammal no longer inhabits Japan, the British Isles, France and Holland, Belgium and Denmark, as well as Switzerland.

This is interesting! The gray wolf is a territorial animal, occupying from 50 km 2 to 1.5 thousand km 2, and the area of ​​the family territory directly depends on the landscape features in the predator’s habitat.

The distribution zone of wolves is determined by a sufficient amount of prey, regardless of the time of year. With the onset of winter, the predator tries to avoid places with a lot of snow and continuous forest. The largest number of individuals is observed in the tundra and forest-tundra, forest-steppe and alpine zones, as well as steppes. In some cases, wild predators settle in close proximity to human habitation, and taiga zones are currently characterized by the spread of wolves following the deforestation of the taiga, which is quite actively carried out by people.

Gray wolf diet

Wolves feed almost exclusively on food of animal origin, but in the territory southern regions Predators often eat wild fruits and berries. The main diet consists of domestic and wild ungulates, hares and small rodents, as well as birds and carrion. Tundra wolves prefer calves and females, geese, lemmings, etc. The prey of predators inhabiting mountainous areas is often rams and tarbagans, as well as hares. They can also become food for the wolf.

For some reason, the only dogs I like are shepherd dogs and Siberian huskies. Maybe because they resemble natural animals - wolves!

Let's take a quick look at interesting facts about these animals. Almost all photos are clickable up to 1920 px

Gray wolves are slender and have a powerful build with a large, deep-set chest and sloping back. The gray wolf's belly is retracted and its neck is muscular. Their limbs are long and robust, with relatively small paws. Each front paw has five toes and the hind paws have four. Females, as a rule, have a narrow muzzle and forehead, a thin neck, their legs are slightly shorter than those of males, and less massive shoulders. Wolves very strong for their size, with enough strength to turn over a horse or frozen elk carcasses.

In general, gray wolves are the largest of the animals included in the family Canidae, not counting some large breeds domestic dogs.

The length of an adult gray wolf is 105-160 cm, the height of the animal at the shoulder is 80-85 cm. The weight of the wolf varies in different geographical areas; On average, a European wolf can weigh 38.5 kg, a North American wolf can weigh 36 kg, and an Indian and Arabian wolf can weigh 25 kg. Female wolves typically weigh 5-10 kg less than males. Wolves weighing more than 54 kg are rare, but exceptionally large specimens have been recorded in Alaska, Canada, and the former Soviet Union.

Gray wolves can run at speeds of 56-64 km/h, and can run for more than 20 minutes without stopping, although not necessarily at that same speed. In cold climates, wolves may reduce blood flow to conserve body heat. The warmth of the lower paws is regulated independently of the rest of the body, and is maintained at a level just above where the paws come into contact with the ice and snow. The head of a gray wolf is large and heavy. The ears are relatively small and triangular. As a rule, their body configuration resembles that of German Shepherds and Laikas.

In general, gray wolves are the largest of the animals included in the Canidae family, apart from some large breeds of domestic dogs.
In winter, gray wolves have a very dense and fluffy coat, with a short undercoat and long guard hairs. Most of the undercoat falls out in the spring and grows back in the fall. Winter wool is very resistant to cold; wolves in northern countries can remain calm in open areas at -40° by placing their muzzle between their hind legs and covering it with their tail. Wolf hair provides better insulation than dog hair and does not collect ice.

Their sense of smell is poorly developed compared to some breeds of hunting dogs. Because of this, they rarely catch hidden hares and birds, although they can easily track prey using fresh tracks.

A pack of wolves consists of a male, female and cubs. As a rule, wolves rarely accept strangers into their pack and often kill them. However, during times of threat, for example, during times of high numbers of artiodactyls, several flocks may unite to better protection. In areas with few wolves, the wolf is usually monogamous. Usually the pair remains for life until one of the wolves dies. However, after the death of one of the wolves, the couple quickly recovers with the help of the others. In the wild, wolves can breed from the age of two. Females can give birth to cubs once a year. Mating usually occurs at the end of winter. Gestation lasts 62-75 days, and babies are usually born in the summer. The average litter consists of 5-6 cubs. Wolf cubs are born blind and deaf, and are covered in short, soft grayish-brown fur. At birth they weigh 300-500 grams. During the first month they feed on their mother's milk. After 3 weeks, the wolf cubs leave the den for the first time. At 1.5 months of age, they are already able to flee from danger. They start eating solid food at 3-4 weeks of age. During the first four months of life, wolf cubs grow very quickly: during this time, the weight of the cub can increase almost 30 times.

Wolves are very territorial animals. They defend their territory from other packs by marking their territory with their scent, direct attacks and howling.

Wolves mainly feed on ungulates (sometimes 10-15 times larger than themselves). They hunt marmots, hares, badgers, foxes, ferrets, gophers, mice, hamsters, voles and other rodents, as well as insectivores. Wolves may also readily scavenge, especially during times of food shortage. They often eat waterfowl, lizards, snakes, frogs, toads and rarely large insects. During harsh winters, packs often attack weak or wounded wolves, and they may even eat the bodies of dead pack members.

Wolves are usually the dominant predator.
The body language of wolves consists of various expressions of the muzzle and tail position. An aggressive or defensive wolf is characterized by slow and deliberate movements, a high posture and raised hair; calm wolves have a calm posture, smooth hair, drooping ears and tail. Using howls, wolves gather a pack (usually before and after a hunt), transmit information, find each other during a storm or in unfamiliar territory, and communicate over long distances.

Although dogs and wolves are genetically very close, they generally do not voluntarily interbreed under natural conditions. But, nevertheless, they can produce viable offspring, and all subsequent generations will also be able to have offspring.

The gray wolf was once the most common mammal in the world living north of 15°N latitude. V North America and 12°N in Eurasia. Wolves typically have difficulty adapting to humans and the changes that humans make, and are therefore often referred to as indicator species. Wolves do not seem to be able to adapt to the expansion of civilization as easily as coyotes, for example, did. Although gray wolves are not endangered, wolf populations remain threatened in some areas.

Because wolves travel long distances, they can play an important role in the spread of disease. Infectious diseases spread by wolves include brucellosis, tularemia, listeriosis and anthrax. Wolves can also suffer from rabies. But, as a rule, if a wolf shows the first symptoms of the disease, it leaves its pack, thus preventing the spread of the disease.

Damage caused by wolves to livestock has been one of the main reasons for wolf hunting, and this may pose a serious problem for the conservation of wolf populations. Wolves, as a rule, are not dangerous to humans as long as there are few of them, they have sufficient food, they rarely encounter people and sometimes hunt. Cases of wolf attacks on humans are rare, but in the early 20th century such attacks occurred frequently.

Wolves are notoriously difficult to hunt due to their elusiveness, keen senses, and ability to quickly kill hunting dogs. When hunting wolves with dogs, greyhounds, hounds and fox terriers are usually used. The greyhounds chase and block the wolves until the heavier dogs arrive and do most of the fighting.

Wolf skins are used mainly for scarves and trimmings women's clothing, although they are also sometimes used in short cloaks, coats and rugs. Hunting wolves for their fur has little effect on their population size, since only the northern varieties of wolves (whose numbers are stable) have commercial value. Hunting wolves for fur remains a lucrative source of income for many Native Americans.

Keeping wolves as pets is becoming increasingly popular. In the United States alone, according to various estimates, from 80,000 to 2 million wolves live in homes. Wolves can be less predictable and controllable than dogs. Wolf cubs under the age of one year are, as a rule, not aggressive towards strangers, although their aggression increases with age, especially during the mating season. Males can be more aggressive and more difficult to control than females. Wolves are difficult to keep in standard kennels because they can quickly learn how to open valves simply by watching people do it.

Although wolves are trainable, they lack the flexibility of dogs. As a rule, they react to coercive methods differently than dogs, they become afraid, become irritable and resist. Even when a certain behavior has been repeated several times, the wolf may become bored and ignore subsequent commands. When training a wolf, mere praise is not enough. Unlike dogs, wolves tend to respond more to hand signals than to voice signals.

Under certain weather conditions, wolves can hear sounds at a distance of 9 kilometers in the forest, and at a distance of 16 km. in open areas.

The Vikings wore wolf skins and drank wolf blood before battle, which they took with them to raise their morale.

The earliest images of wolves were found in caves in southern Europe; they are more than 20,000 years old.
It is impossible to tame a wolf and make it a guard dog, he is afraid strangers and will hide from them, and not bark.

The autoimmune disease lupus, or tuberculosis of the skin, literally means “red wolf” because in the eighteenth century doctors believed that the disease developed after a wolf bite.

Wolves distinguish about 200 million shades of smell, people only 5 million. The wolf family is able to smell the smell of other animals at a distance of 1.5 kilometers.

Wolf puppies always have blue eyes at birth. They turn yellow only at eight months.

The gestation period of a she-wolf is about 65 days. Wolf puppies are born deaf and blind, and weigh only half a kilogram.

Wolves were once the most common land predators, the only places where they did not live were deserts and tropical forests.

Enormous pressure is created by the teeth in the cleft palate, approximately 300 kilograms per square centimeter (compared to 150 kg/cm^2 in a dog).

The North American gray wolf population in 1600 was 2 million. Today there are no more than 65 thousand of them left in North America.

A hungry wolf can eat 10 kilograms of meat in one sitting, which is like a man eating a hundred hamburgers in one sitting.

A wolf pack can consist of two or three individuals, or maybe ten times more
Wolves are descended from ancient animals called "Mesocyon" that lived about 35 million years ago. It was a small animal, similar to a dog, with short legs and a long body. Perhaps they, like wolves, lived in packs.

Wolves can swim up to 13 kilometers, using small membranes between their toes to help them move in the water.

Between 1883 and 1918, only one American state Montana killed more than 80 thousand wolves.

Adolf Hitler (whose name means "leading wolf") was fascinated by wolves and sometimes demanded to be called "Mr. Wolf" or "Conductor Wolf" as a pseudonym. "Wolf's Gulch" (Wolfsschlucht), "Wolf's Lair" (Wolfschanze) and "Werewolf" (Wehrwolf) were Hitler's code names for various military headquarters.

In the 1600s, Ireland was called the "Wolfland" because there were so many wolves there at the time. Wolf hunting was the most popular sport among the nobility, who used wolfhounds to locate the wolf and kill it.

Biologists have found that wolves will react to people imitating wolf howl. It would be strange if it were different...

In 1927, a French policeman was convicted of shooting a boy he thought was a werewolf. That same year, the last wild wolf was killed in France.

When Europeans arrived in North America, the wolf became the most popular animal hunted in American history. These animals were on the verge of extinction at the beginning of the 20th century. The US federal government even adopted a program to eradicate wolves from the western states in 1915.

Dire wolves (“canis dirus”) are one of the representatives of prehistoric wolves that lived in North America about two million years ago. They hunted mainly for prey of such size as mammoths.

Wolves can run at a speed of 32 km/h for a minute or two, and in moments of danger or persecution - up to 56 km/h. It has been observed that throughout the day they run at a “trot” (approximately 8 km/h) and can travel at this speed throughout the day.

The smallest representatives of wolves live in the Middle East, where they reach a mass of no more than 30 kilograms. The largest wolf individuals live in Canada, Alaska, and Russia, where they gain weight up to 80 kilograms.

Wolves use howls to communicate with disunited members of their group to rally before a hunt, or to warn rival packs to stay away from them. Lone wolves howl to attract mates or simply because they are alone. In fact, the wolf howl lasts no more than 5 seconds, just because of the echo it seems that the sound is longer.

The reflective layer in a wolf's eyes is called "tapetum lucidum" (Latin for "bright tapestry"), it glows in the dark and also contributes to the animal's night vision.

Where wolves live, there are often ravens (sometimes called "wolf birds"). Crows often follow packs of wolves to peck leftovers from the hunt, and also use wolves as protection.

According to Pliny the Elder, a first-century Greek scholar, the wolf of tongues rubs the gums of puppies to relieve pain when they emerge. He also believed that wolf dung could be used to treat stomach colic and cataracts.

The Aztecs used wolf liver in the treatment of melancholy as an ingredient in medicine. In addition, they pricked the dying person's chest with a sharpened wolf bone in an attempt to delay the date of death.

In the Middle Ages, Europeans used wolf liver powders to relieve pain during childbirth.

The Greeks believed that if someone ate the meat of a wolf, which kills lambs, then they were at high risk of becoming a vampire.

The Cherokee Indians did not hunt wolves because they believed that the brothers of those killed would take revenge on them. In addition, the weapon that was used to kill the wolf was considered “damaged.”

The British King Edgard introduced a special annual tax of 300 skins for Wales, as a result of which the Welsh wolf population was quickly destroyed.

In 1500 the last wild wolf was killed in England, in 1700 in Ireland, and in 1772 on Danish soil.

Germany became the first country to place the wolf population under conservation laws in 1934. Under the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche (b.1844-d.1900) and Oswald Spengler (b.1880-d.1936), society became convinced that natural predators mattered much more than their after-kill value. By the way, in Germany all wild wolves were exterminated by the mid-nineteenth century.

Unlike other animals, wolves have a number of distinctive facial movements that they use to communicate and maintain relationships within the pack.

In Japanese, the word wolf is characterized as “great god.”
Between 6,000 and 7,000 wolf pelts are still traded worldwide each year. They are supplied mainly from outside

Russia, Mongolia and China, and are most often used for sewing coats.

In India, simple traps are still used to catch wolves. These traps are pits camouflaged with branches and leaves. The wolves fall into the pit on sharp stakes, and the people finish them off from above with stones.

Wolves were the first animals to be listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

John Milton's famous poem "Lycidas" takes its name from the Greek "wolf cub" lykideus.

In the world of Harry Potter, there was a werewolf, Remus Lupin, whose name is directly related to the Latin word “lupus,” but his surname most likely came from Remus, the founder of Rome, who was raised by wolves.

The last wolf in Yellowstone Park was killed in 1926. In 1995, people managed to restore the wolf population, and ten years later, approximately 136 wolves roam the park in 13 packs.

Currently there are about 50 thousand wolves in Canada and Alaska, 6500 in the USA. On the European continent, in

Italy - less than 300, Spain about 2000, Norway and Sweden - less than 80. There are about 700 wolves in Poland, and 70 thousand in Russia.

Wolves never miss a chance to eat. Often, living in the harshest corners of the planet, wolves often eat their wounded or sick relatives. In addition, hunters should pick up a wolf caught in a trap as soon as possible, since there is a very high risk that other wolves will discover it and eat it.

Some wolves can reach a weight of 100 kg. The size of wolves increases exponentially with distance from the equator. Tropical wolves are often the same size as regular dogs, but wolves in the far north average over 60 kg.

In 2008, Stanford University researchers discovered that mutations associated with black fur are found only in dogs, making black wolves the offspring of hybrids. Most often, such wolves are found in North America.

In areas where wolves were hunted to extinction, coyotes flourished. Recent research has shown that 22% of all coyotes in North America are descendants of wolves. Such animals are usually larger than ordinary coyotes, but smaller than wolves, and are also extremely cunning. They combine the absence of fear of man and pronounced wolf instincts and high level aggression.

Although wolves are not the main carriers of rabies, they can easily catch it from raccoons and foxes. Unlike other animals, which become lethargic and disoriented when infected, wolves instantly become enraged. Most attacks on people are caused by rabies. And the desire of wolves to bite the neck or head often leads to the fact that the rabies virus enters the human brain much earlier than medical assistance is provided

America's wolves are less likely to attack people than their other counterparts. Historical records show more than 3,000 people were killed by wolves in France between 1580-1830. The wolves of India and Russia are not far behind them. In contrast, in the United States and Canada, there are extremely few officially confirmed wolf attacks.

Despite their close relationship, wolves perceive dogs mainly as prey. In Russia, at one time, stray dogs served as the main source of food for wolves.

The plague that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages caused tension between humans and wolves. In those days, corpses were destroyed much more quickly by wolves, and not by fire or burial underground. Such "burial" methods instilled a taste for human blood in entire generations of wolves. It was probably from then on that wolves included human meat in their “menu.”

The wolf is a predatory mammal. By nature, it belongs to the canine family. In this family, the wolf is considered the most large mammals. A genus of wolves was identified, to which the jackal and coyote were also classified.

In size, the gray wolf is quite large - it can reach a length of up to 170 cm without taking into account the tail, and the tail itself can still reach a size of about 50 cm. In height, a wolf can reach a size of just under 1 meter, and its weight can be up to 90 kg.

In total, 32 subspecies of wolves can be distinguished. Representatives of these subspecies differ in coat color and size. In some regions you can find almost white or almost black wolves.

It is believed that the wolf is the ancestor of dogs, which are now universal favorites among people.

The gray wolf has a very developed charm. They can sense their prey 3 kilometers away. Their nose is capable of distinguishing about 200 million odors. If we compare it with human charm, then a person is able to distinguish only 5 million different odors.

Wolves habitat

Some time ago, the wolf was distributed throughout the world. But many factors (changes in landscapes, mass extermination of wolves, as well as urbanization) played a negative role in the life of wolves. And their number began to decrease quickly. And today in many regions hunting it is not prohibited; it continues to be destroyed.

Despite the fact that the wolf can cause harm to farms and people, the gray wolf is still considered a forest orderly. Scientists believe that wolves help heal the gene pool of nature itself, as they destroy sick and dying animals.

Today, no matter how scary it sounds, the wolf is teetering on the brink of complete extermination. And only in America and northern Eurasia is the situation with this population less stable. In Russia, the wolf cannot be found only in the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. Russia is home to gray wolves and tundra wolves, which can sometimes be almost white.

Usually the wolf is attached to the territory. The territory where a pack of wolves lives is marked on all sides with odorous marks. Wolves live in the crevices of caves, in thickets, and sometimes they can occupy other people's holes and dig their own holes much less often. Gray wolves are tied to burrows only for the period of raising offspring. And that's only the female. The wolf doesn't live there. When the puppies grow up, the animals leave their permanent home and can change their resting place, always giving preference to reliable and protected places to spend the night.

It has been proven that wolves can exchange information among themselves. They can communicate to each other information about the location of other animals, as well as the approach of people.

What do wolves eat?

The basis of wolves' diet is ungulates, such as deer, elk, wild boars, etc. Sometimes they attack domestic animals, even destroying dogs. They also do not neglect smaller prey, such as hares, voles, and gophers. They destroy nests and can catch birds that are on the ground. A wolf is capable of catching a fox, and in some cases even a sleeping bear in a den.

Very often, gray wolves catch weakened or wounded animals. In difficult times, they eat fish washed ashore, seals, and also eat insects and reptiles during periods of famine. They can also eat plant foods, such as berries, watermelons, melons, etc.

Reproduction of gray wolves

The gray wolf is essentially a monogamous animal. This means that there is one male for every female. A couple breaks up if one of them dies. Most often, wolves live in families, forming a pack. At the head of the pack is a pair of leaders - a female and a male.

Wolves breed once a year. This time falls on the month of January - April. She-wolves also come into heat once a year. The gestation period for she-wolves is approximately two months, and the number of puppies at birth can reach up to 12 puppies. Wolf puppies are very similar to regular domestic dog puppies.

The first days of life, wolf cubs feed on their mother’s milk, then the wolves regurgitate digested food from their stomach, and later give them their prey. In order to feed newborn puppies, the entire pack takes part in feeding. After about six months, the puppies can already take part in hunting with adult members of the pack.

Gray wolf video:

Despite all the efforts of the pack to feed the wolf cubs, usually only 30-45% of them survive. The female reaches sexual maturity at 2 years, and the male at three years.

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The wolf is the most major representative canine family. The first wolves appeared 18,000,000 years ago; they descended from the extinct species Canis lepophagus.

Once upon a time, the wolf's range covered the entire northern hemisphere of our planet and was second in number after humans. Now the wolf lives in some countries of Europe and Asia, and also lives in North America. In Europe, the wolf is found in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, the Baltic states, Scandinavia and the Balkans. In Asia, wolves are found in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Iran, Iraq, the Hindustan Peninsula and the north of the Arabian Peninsula, and also partially in China. Wolves inhabit North America from Alaska to Mexico.

Where does the wolf live?

Wolves inhabit different natural landscapes. For example, red wolf lives in inaccessible swampy or mountainous areas. Tundra wolf, or polar, lives in the tundra and forest-tundra. common wolf prefers to settle in forest-steppes, steppes, semi-deserts, avoids dense forests. Often due to destruction natural environment habitats, wolves settle near humans.

Wolves live in packs. Each flock has its own area where they hunt and live permanently. Read the article about who wolves hunt. One such site can cover an area of ​​30 to 60 km². The perimeter of the entire territory of a wolf pack is marked by boundaries of “scent marks.” Which wolves leave for other packs so that they do not encroach on their territory. But still, fierce fights for territory often occur between flocks.

In the spring and summer, the flocks break up. Each member of the flock occupies his own area on the clan’s territory, where he gets food and lives. The best plot remains with the dominant pair (alpha pair). Although the pack during this period switches to a semi-vagrant lifestyle, when the puppies appear, all members of the pack take part in their upbringing and feeding.

To breed offspring, the she-wolf makes a den. Usually the den is thickets of bushes, crevices in rocks or trees. Burrows of other animals (badger, arctic fox, marmot) can also serve as dens. The she-wolf always makes her lair in dense bushes, ravines, ravines near swamps or near rivers and lakes.

Until the cubs learn to feed on their own, only their mother approaches the den. She does not allow other members of the pack to approach them.

Wolves never hunt near their lair. To get food, they leave the den at a distance of 7-10 km. At this time, the mother or one of the members of the pack remains with the babies.

A wolf is a predatory mammal that belongs to the order Carnivora, family Canidae (canines, wolves).

The Russian word “wolf” is consonant with some Slavic names of the beast: Bulgarians call the predator vylk, Serbs - vuk, Ukrainians - vovk. The origin of the name goes back to the Old Slavonic word “vylk”, which meant to drag, to drag away.

Predators have a long and thick tail, which in some species grows up to 56 cm in length and is always lowered down. The wolf's head is massive, with pointed ears set high, and the muzzle is elongated and wide. The skull of the red and maned wolves is shaped like a fox.

The wolf's mouth is armed with 42 teeth: the carnassial teeth are designed to tear prey into pieces and grind bones, and with the help of fangs the animal firmly holds and drags its victim.

Only red wolves have a dental formula that contains fewer molars.

Wolf cubs are born with blue eyes, but by the third month the iris becomes orange or golden yellow, although there are wolves who remain blue-eyed all their lives.

Wolf fur is thick and two-layered: the undercoat is formed by waterproof down, and upper layer constitute guard hairs that repel dirt and moisture. The low thermal conductivity of wool allows animals to survive in the harshest climatic conditions.

Wolves come in a rich range of colors, including various variations of grey, white, black and brown, although the fur is often red, pure white or almost black. It is believed that the color of the coat allows predators to blend harmoniously with the surrounding landscape, and the mixture of different shades emphasizes the individuality of the animals.

Wolves are digitigrade animals: relying on their toes allows them to balance their weight while moving. Strong limbs, a narrow sternum and a sloping back allow predators to travel long distances in search of food. The usual gait of a wolf is a light trot at a speed of about 10 km/h. The speed of a wolf chasing prey can reach 65 km/h.

The wolf has excellent hearing, vision is much weaker, but the sense of smell is excellent: the predator can smell prey 3 km away, and the ability to distinguish between several million different shades of odor is of great importance during the rutting season, during hunting and in the communicative communication of animals. Urine and fecal marks are used to mark territory boundaries.

The vocal range of wolves is rich and varied: predators howl, grunt, bark, squeal, growl, whine and convey complex messages to other members of the pack. At dawn you can hear the “choral singing” of wolves. It is believed that wolves howl at the moon, but in fact, by howling, animals inform pack members about their location and drive away strangers. Solitary animals that live outside the pack rarely howl, so as not to get themselves into trouble.

The facial expressions of wolves are also very highly developed: thanks to the position of the mouth, lips, ears and tail, as well as the display of teeth, predators express their emotional condition. Like a domestic dog, a wolf's raised tail and ears indicate wariness or aggression.

Lifespan of wolves

In nature, wolves live from 8 to 16 years; in captivity, life expectancy can reach 20 years.

Historically, wolves' range was second in area to that of humans in the Northern Hemisphere, but today it has declined significantly. Wolves live in Europe (the Baltics, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, Poland, the Balkans and Scandinavian countries), Asia (countries such as China, Korea, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Iran , Iraq, northern Arabian Peninsula), Africa (Ethiopia), North America (Canada, Mexico, USA, including Alaska), South America(Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay). In Russia, wolves are distributed throughout the entire territory, except for Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

They live in Russia the following types wolves:

• red wolf (2 subspecies out of 10);
• Gray wolf;
• tundra wolf;
• steppe wolf;
• Eurasian wolf, also known as Tibetan or Carpathian;
• polar Wolf.

Predators have mastered and adapted to life in a wide variety of natural zones: wolves live in the tundra, forests, deserts and semi-deserts, on plains, in mountain forests, and sometimes settle near populated areas.

Wolves are territorial and social animals, forming packs of 3 to 40 individuals that occupy a personal range of 65-300 square kilometers, marked by scent marks. At the head of the pack is a monogamous pair of leaders: an alpha male and an alpha female, the remaining members of the pack are their offspring, other relatives and lone wolves, subordinate to a strict hierarchy. During the rutting period, the flock breaks up, the territory is divided into small fragments, but the best area always goes to the dominant pair. While moving through their territory, leaders leave scent marks once every 3 minutes. At the border of the territory, the density of tags may be even more frequent.

Being nocturnal animals, during the day wolves rest in various natural shelters, thickets and shallow caves, but they often use the holes of marmots, arctic foxes or badgers, and they themselves dig holes extremely rarely.

What does a wolf eat?

Wolves are one of the most agile, fast and hardy predators, tracking and tirelessly pursuing their prey. The wolf's diet depends on the availability of food and in most species consists primarily of animal food. Wolves hunt equally successfully in a pack or alone, but they can only drive and attack large prey, for example, a reindeer, bison or yak, through a united hunt. In 60% of cases, wolves attack young, old, sick or wounded animals, and they perfectly sense whether the animal is strong and healthy or sick and weakened.

In the wild, the wolf feeds on large animals (elk, deer, roe deer, saigas, antelope, bison, wild boars), smaller mammals (hares, ground squirrels, beavers, armadillos, mice, lemmings), as well as fish, brooding birds, and their eggs. Wolves often prey on large and small domestic animals and birds (geese, ducks, sheep, cows, horses), as well as foxes, wild dogs and corsacs.

In the absence of a main source of food, wolves do not disdain small amphibians (for example, frogs), lizards, insects (beetles, locusts) and carrion (for example, dead seals washed ashore). In the warm season, berries, mushrooms and ripe fruits appear in the diet of predators.

In the steppes, wolves quench their thirst in fields with melons - watermelons and melons. Hungry predators even attack bears in hibernation; they will not miss the opportunity to tear apart a weakened and sick animal, eating up to 10-14 kg of meat at a time. A hungry polar wolf eats a white hare whole, with bones and skin. Interesting feature Wolves are considered to have a habit of returning to the corpses of half-eaten prey, as well as hiding excess meat in reserve.

Types of wolves, photos and names

In the canine (wolf) family there are several genera, which include different types wolves:

1. Genus Wolves (lat. Canis)
   • Wolf, also known as the gray wolf, or common wolf (lat. Canis lupus), which includes many subspecies, including domestic dogs and Dingo dogs (secondary feral):
     • Canis lupus albus(Kerr, 1792) – tundra wolf,
     • † Canis lupus alces(Goldman, 1941)
     • Canis lupus arabs(Pocock, 1934) – Arabian wolf,
     • Canis lupus arctos(Pocock, 1935) – Melville Island wolf,
     • Canis lupus baileyi(Nelson and Goldman, 1929) – Mexican wolf,
     • † Canis lupus beothucus(G. M. Allen and Barbour, 1937) - Newfoundland wolf,
     • † Canis lupus bernardi(Anderson, 1943)
     • Canis lupus campestris(Dwigubski, 1804) – desert wolf, also known as steppe wolf,
     • Canis lupus chanco(Gray, 1863),
     • Canis lupus columbianus(Goldman, 1941)
     • Canis lupus crassodon(Hall, 1932) – Vancouver Island wolf,
     • † Canis lupus deitanus(Cabrera, 1907) (in some classifications it is a synonym of the subspecies Canis lupus lupus),
     • Canis lupus dingo(Meyer, 1793) - Dingo dog, or secondarily feral domestic dog,
     • Canis lupus familiaris(Linnaeus, 1758) – dog,
     • Canis lupus filchneri(Matschie, 1907),
     • Canis lupus floridanus(Miller, 1912)
     • † Canis lupus fuscus(Richardson, 1839)
     • Canis lupus gregoryi(Goldman, 1937)
     • † Canis lupus griseoalbus(Baird, 1858)
     • Canis lupus hallstromi(Troughton, 1958) – New Guinea singing dog (in some classifications it is a synonym for the subspecies Canis lupus dingo),
     • † Canis lupus hattai(Kishida, 1931) - Japanese wolf, or shaman,
     • † Canis lupus hodophilax(Temminck, 1839),
     • Canis lupus hudsonicus(Goldman, 1941) – Hudson wolf,
     • † Canis lupus irremotus(Goldman, 1937)
     • Canis lupus labradorius(Goldman, 1937)
     • Canis lupus ligoni(Goldman, 1937)
     • Canis lupus lupus(Linnaeus, 1758) - European wolf, also known as Eurasian wolf, Chinese wolf, or common wolf,
     • Canis lupus lycaon(Schreber, 1775) - eastern wolf, or North American timber wolf,
     • Canis lupus mackenzii(Anderson, 1943)
     • Canis lupus manningi(Anderson, 1943)
     • † Canis lupus minor(M. Mojsisovics, 1887) (in some classifications it is a synonym of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris),
     • † Canis lupus mogollonensis(Goldman, 1937)
     • † Canis lupus monstrabilis(Goldman, 1937)
     • Canis lupus nubilus(Say, 1823) - buffalo wolf, or Great Plains wolf,
     • Canis lupus occidentalis(Richardson, 1829) - Mackenzi plains wolf, also known as Alaskan wolf, Canadian wolf or Rocky Mountain wolf,
     • Canis lupus orion(Pocock, 1935)
     • Canis lupus pallipes(Sykes, 1831) – Asian, also known as Indian or Iranian wolf,
     • Canis lupus pambasileus(Elliot, 1905),
     • Canis lupus rufus(Audubon and Bachman, 1851) – red wolf,
     • Canis lupus signatus(Cabrera, 1907) - Iberian wolf (in some classifications it is synonymous with the subspecies Canis lupus lupus),
     • Canis lupus tundrarum(Miller, 1912) – polar wolf,
     • † Canis lupus youngi(Goldman, 1937) is a wolf of the southern Rocky Mountains.
2. Genus Maned wolves (lat. Chrysocyon)
   • Maned wolf, or guara, or aguarachai (lat. Chrysocyon brachyurus)
3. Genus Red wolves
   • Red wolf, or mountain wolf, or Himalayan wolf, or buanzu (lat. Cuon alpinus)

Below is a description of several varieties of wolves.

• Red Wolf, aka mountain wolf, Himalayan wolf or buanzu(Cuon alpinus)

A large predator, externally combining the features of a wolf, fox and jackal. Mature males grow from 76 to 110 cm in length. At the same time, the weight of the red wolf is 17-21 kg. The animals' tail is longer than that of other wolves, fluffy, like a fox's, and grows to 45-50 cm in length. The red wolf has a short, pointed muzzle and large, high-set ears. The main color of the animals is various shades of red, and the tip of the tail is always black. Distinctive feature The subspecies is considered to have fewer teeth and 6 to 7 pairs of nipples. Differences in fur density, color and body size made it possible to divide the species into 10 subspecies.

The biotopes of predators are tied to mountains, rocks and gorges (up to 4 thousand m above sea level). The red wolf feeds on small animals - amphibians and rodents, as well as large animals: sambar, axis and antelope. In summer, wolves happily eat various vegetation.

A significant part of the animals’ range extends across Central and South Asia; predators live from the Altai Mountains and Tien Shan to Hindustan, Indochina and the Malay Archipelago. The largest population is found in the Himalayas, southern Iran, India and Pakistan's Indus Valley. In other habitats, the red wolf is extremely scarce or completely extinct, so the species is classified as endangered and is protected.

• Maned wolf, aka guara or aguarachai (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

A unique representative of the family, its name translates as “short-tailed golden dog.” Long hair up to 13 cm long grows on the nape of predators, forming a thick mane. Externally, the maned wolf resembles a large long-legged fox, the body length of adult individuals is 125-130 cm, due to excessively elongated limbs, the height of the wolf at the withers reaches 74-87 cm, and the animals weigh from 20 to 23 kg. The obvious disproportions of the body are especially emphasized by the long muzzle, large, high-set ears and a short tail with a length of 28 to 45 cm. The wolf's fur is reddish-yellow in color, a strip of black fur runs along the spine, the legs are almost black, and the chin and the end of the tail are light.

Maned wolves live exclusively on the plains, and, having evolved, acquired their surprisingly long limbs, allowing them to make their way through thickets of grass. The species' range extends from the northeast of Brazil to the eastern regions of Bolivia, in the south it covers Paraguay and the Brazilian state of Rio Grande Do Sul. According to the IUCN, the population is becoming vulnerable.

Predators feed on rodents, rabbits, armadillos, amphibians, insects, and also eat guava, bananas and nightshade, which rids animals of nematodes.

• Eastern wolf, aka North American timber wolf(Canis lupus lycaon)

It still does not have a specific classification: a number of scientists consider it as an independent species ( Canis lycaon) or is considered a hybrid of a gray wolf with a red wolf or coyote. The height at the shoulders of mature males reaches 80 cm, females - 75 cm, with a body weight of 40 and 30 kg, respectively. The fur of the eastern wolf is yellowish-brown, shaggy, black hair grows on the back and sides, and the area behind the ears is distinguished by a reddish-brown tint.

Eastern wolves are primarily carnivores, their prey being deer, elk and rodents.

These animals live in forests from the southeast of the Canadian province of Ontario to the province of Quebec.

• Common wolf or Gray wolf(Canis lupus)

One of the largest predators among canines, with a body size reaching 1-1.6 m. The height at the shoulders of seasoned individuals is from 66 to 86 cm, in particularly large specimens it can be up to 90 cm. An ordinary wolf weighs from 32 to 62 kg, among the inhabitants of the northern regions of the range, body weight varies from 50 to 80 kg. The tail of predators grows up to 52 cm. The color of animal fur is quite variable: forest inhabitants are usually gray-brown, tundra inhabitants are almost white, desert predators are gray with red, only the undercoat is always gray.

The favorite food of wolves is various ungulate mammals: deer, elk, roe deer, antelope, wild boar and small animals: mice, hares, gophers. Wolves do not disdain representatives of their own family, for example, small foxes and raccoon dogs; various domestic animals often become their prey. During the ripening period, predators quench their thirst on melon fields, eating watermelons and melons, because they need a lot of moisture.

The range of the gray wolf extends across Eurasia and North America. In Europe, predators are distributed from Spain and Portugal to Ukraine, Scandinavia and the Balkans. In Russia, the gray wolf lives everywhere except Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. In Asia, animals are distributed from Korea, China and Hindustan to Afghanistan and the north of the Arabian Peninsula. In North America, the animals are found from Alaska to Mexico.

• Red wolf(Canis lupus rufus)

At first it was considered as an independent species (lat. Canis rufus), but DNA tests allowed it to be considered a hybrid of a gray wolf and a coyote.

These predators are smaller than their gray relatives, but larger than coyotes, their size ranges from 1 to 1.3 m excluding the tail, and the height of the animals ranges from 66 to 79 cm. Seasoned wolves weigh from 20 to 41 kg. Red wolves are slimmer and longer-legged than their gray relatives, their ears are more elongated and their fur is shorter. The red color of the fur is characteristic of the inhabitants of Texas; other animals have gray, brownish and black tones in color along with red; the back is usually black.

The diet of predators consists mainly of rodents, raccoons and hares; hunting for large prey is rare. The secondary food is insects and various berries; on occasion, carrion is eaten.

The red wolf is the rarest subspecies, its range, originally covering the eastern United States, was reduced to small areas of Texas and Louisiana, and in the 70s of the 20th century the red wolf was completely exterminated, with the exception of 14 specimens preserved in captivity. Thanks to measures aimed at restoring the population, of the 300 individuals bred, about a hundred predators today live within the state of North Carolina.

• Tundra wolf(Canis lupus albus)

One of the particularly large and little-studied subspecies, externally similar to its close relative, the polar wolf, but somewhat inferior to it in size: average weight predators are about 42-49 kg. Although pure white wolves are found among the population, most individuals are gray-white and dark gray in color with a complete absence of brown.

The developed massive jaws of the wolf with strong teeth allow it to hunt large prey, although the diet includes rodents and white hares.

Tundra wolves live throughout the tundra and forest-tundra of Europe and Siberia up to Kamchatka and the Arctic coast.

• Steppenwolf, or desert wolf(Canis lupus campestris)

A poorly studied species of predators of small size, with rather sparse and rough fur of a grayish-ochre color.

Desert wolves inhabit the steppe and desert landscapes of Central Asia, including the Kazakh steppes and southern Russia: the Ciscaucasia, the Caspian lowland, the Ural region and the Lower Volga region.

• Eurasian wolf, aka European, steppe, Carpathian, Tibetan or to Chinese wolf, also called common wolf(Canis lupus lupus)

Externally, the predator resembles the North American subspecies, but its fur is denser and shorter. The height of mature males at the shoulders is about 76 cm with a body weight of 70 to 73 kg.

The smallest individuals inhabit Eastern Europe, the most massive ones are found in northern Russia. Wolves can be solid in color or include various combinations of grey, white, black, red and beige, and the brightest colored specimens live in Central Europe.

The diet of European wolves depends on the range and consists mainly of medium and large prey such as saigas, chamois, mouflons, deer, roe deer, wild boars and even bison and yaks. Predators do not disdain smaller animals, catching hares and frogs, and in the complete absence of food, they feed on slaughterhouse waste in garbage dumps.

The Carpathian wolf is considered a particularly common subspecies of the common wolf and is found over a significant range that extends across Eurasia through Western Europe, Scandinavian countries, Russia, China, Mongolia, Azerbaijan and the Himalayas.

• polar Wolf(Canis lupus tundrarum)

The closest relative of the European wolf and the completely extinct Japanese wolf. Adult males grow from 1.3 to 1.5 m in length, not including the tail, and weigh about 85 kg, their height at the shoulders reaches 80-93 cm. The light fur of the polar wolf is extremely dense, adapted to survive in extremely cold climates and warming the animal during long hunger strikes.

The most accessible prey for predators are lemmings and Arctic hare; if the hunt is successful, the pack gets a musk ox or reindeer.

The species' range extends throughout the Arctic and undergoes minor fluctuations caused by migrations of animals - the main sources of food. The lifespan of a polar wolf is about 17 years.

Wolves breeding

Female wolves mature at 2 years of age, males become sexually mature at the age of 3 years. The wolf rut depends on the area and usually occurs from January to April. The couple's marital behavior consists of mutual courtship and flirting. When new pairs are formed, fierce fights break out between the males, and the weaker opponent often dies.

During mating, partners leave the pack and retire. The den is set up in a secluded place (dense bushes, thickets, rock crevices), and the she-wolf's pregnancy lasts about 62-65 days. There are usually an odd number of puppies in a litter - from 3 to 13; wolf cubs are born blind, and open their eyes only after 12-13 days. Females discard weak puppies so that stronger cubs can get more milk.

Grown-up wolf cubs feed on the burps of their parents, consisting of semi-digested meat, then begin to eat the prey brought, and all members of the pack feed the wolf cubs. By autumn, young (arrived) wolves already begin to participate in the hunt.

Enemies of the wolf in nature

Wolves have few natural enemies. Sometimes predators come into conflict over the division of prey with a lynx or a bear, and they can suffer and even die from injuries received while hunting large prey - elk, deer, bison or horse. Red wolves living in the United States have been attacked by alligators and cougars. Sometimes representatives of two different wolf packs engage in bloody fights among themselves, dividing the habitat, which also leads to fatal injuries. However, the main enemy of the wolf is considered to be humans: the installation of traps and unauthorized shooting of wolves by poachers sometimes lead to a callous and barbaric reduction in the population of these predatory animals.

Wolf as a pet

IN Lately It became “fashionable” to keep a wolf as a pet. The wolf is easy to train, but follows the owner’s commands only if it is interesting to him. True, puppies with a gentle disposition become more aggressive with age and are not averse to competing with a person for leadership in the pack. A wolf at home is not always safe, so such a pet should be treated with special attention and great caution.

• Through the targeted hybridization of wolves and dogs, several breeds were developed, among which the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog (Czechoslovakian Wolfdog) and the Saarloos Wolfdog are considered recognized.
• In the Middle Ages, wolves were considered servants of the devil and were often used as mysterious characters in fairy tales and legends, the most famous of which is the werewolf.
• Some European family coats of arms are decorated with the image of a wolf, meaning that the family owes its origin to a werewolf.
• Wolves attack humans extremely rarely, and in most cases, aggression is shown by animals infected with rabies.
• To boost morale, the Vikings drank wolf blood and wore animal skins before battle.
• There were so many wolf packs in 17th-century Ireland that the country became known as Wolfland.