The gray wolf is a majestic hunter that is necessary to many biomes. They are a living species and deserve to survive just as much as we do. If they die off, not only will we be losing an entire species, many other depending species will die, as well. This species of wolf are large compared to their predecessors. They grow up to 6 feet long and two and a half feet tall. Even though their name is the “gray” wolf they come in a variety of colors. Although grey is the most dominant, their fur can be pure white or black. Their color mostly depends on the climate of their habitat. Gray wolves have long noses and tall, curved ears. They can weigh as little as 80 and as much as 120 pounds. Gray wolves are very social animals just as we are . They live in packs of 8 with a male and a female alpha. The alphas lead hunts and make most of the pack’s decisions like where to settle. The pack works together to feed the pups until they are mature enough to join the hunt. Wolves depend on whines, barks, howls, and growls to communicate. They are carnivores, meaning they eat primarily meat. This species of wolf hunt mostly ungulates, or hoofed animals, like deer or moose. They will eat the occasional rodent when times are rough. As I stated earlier, the gray wolf hunt in packs led by the alphas. They can put on bursts of speed to catch their prey but not for very long. They, also, eat animals that died for reasons other than hunting. Wolves can go up to 2 weeks without eating which is
Wolves are natural born predators. They are considered secondary consumers. This means that they eat animals that eat plants, primarily deer. The wolves in the pack that are capable oh hunting hide in the brush still as statues. They scan a herd of deer for the weakest and oldest to catch as a meal. When the time is right, they burst out of the brush and aim for their prey’s hind legs, taking away its ability to run. After that, they bite its neck, making it impossible to breathe. After a successful kill, the wolves can do many things. They can eat their meal right there or they can “cache” the kill. Caching a fallen deer means burying it underground for use in the cold winter when prey is scarce.
The gray wolf is one of the world’s most well known and well researched animals with more documentation on them than any other wildlife species. It is a canid whose main habitats are in the wilderness of remote areas in North America, Eurasia and North Africa. It is the largest member of the wolf family, usually weighing between 70 and 120 lbs, and closely resembles in general appearance and proportions to a modern day breed of dog known as the German Sheppard, although they typically have a larger head, narrower chest, longer legs, straighter tails and bigger paws. The narrow chest of the gray wolf allows for swift and efficient movement through the common elements of their environment such as snow, brush and other conditions. Their larger heads indicate their higher level of intelligence and their large paws, webbed with fur aid in movement across mud and snow. The colour of a gray wolf’s fur lives up to its name and is predominantly a mottled gray although the gray wolf can also have fur that is nearly pure white, mixes of red, brown, or black. Being very social animals, gray wolves do mostly everything in packs of 2 – 15 animals; living, traveling and hunting. They can hunt and feed off smaller game, yet with their large pack size, they can work collectively to bring down large game such as deer, moose or bison. There are 37 recognized subspecies of the gray wolf in total ranging across six continents with familiar names that one
The diet of a Gray wolf is large hoofed mammals like deer, elk, bison, and moose. They also will eat smaller
Long before the settlers started to make the United States their home, “American Indians lived long beside the Gray Wolf before settlers started to come here.” (Rowe, Mark) The wolf is native to the North American continent and has been inhabiting its land for centuries. It is a canid species, or member of the canine family and is a cunning, smart, fast, and sly animal. Gray wolves range in color from black, brown, gray, and white and also look like a grown German Shepherd. They are well known for traveling in family sizes from 7-9 wolves, led by the alpha male and have a mate. They are a fierce animal that has been researched extensively because of their unique qualities and that they are near extinction.
Before the 1970s the gray wolf population was constantly declining to a number that was nearing extinction. To help their population, the Department of Fish and Wildlife decided that they should protect the gray wolves by placing them on the endangered species list. After many years of being on the list, the federal government conducted research to determine if the population had increased enough to be removed from the endangered species list. After the government hired scientists to conduct the research they decided that the gray wolf had, in fact, increased to a level that was not be in danger
Gray wolves. To some, these creatures are monsters, harbingers of death and destruction. To others, they are simply misunderstood creatures, protective of their family and their pack. However, what either side does not know is that these creatures play a greater role in their ecosystem than one human alone could understand. Grey wolves are one of thousands of different keystone species- species of organisms that have a large effect on the health and stability of a particular ecosystem. But they are also on the brink of extinction. The over hunting of these creatures in the 1900’s has lead to a severe decline in their population throughout the U.S., creating a ripple effect in the ecosystems in which they reside in. Luckily, reintroduction
The Gray Wolf have had an interesting history of evolution. It is a native to the location of Eurasia and North America. It evolved from the Canis species by its larger size and less pointed features. Its Binomial name is Canis Lupus. It is the only one of its species to have range encompassing new and old worlds of the wolf. The gray world is one of the most researched animals. Also it is one of the best known
For the first fact of many, wolves come in all shapes and sizes also in colors. Wolves are the largest animal in the Canis family. The ancestor of the present day gray wolf is the Dire Wolf which roamed the plant during the prehistoric era. Wolves come in a variety of brown, gray, black, and white. The most common wolf is the Gray Wolf. The grey wolf has also been seen being all black to
Over the centuries, the human population has grown, causing them a need to move west. Moving west would chose to be the right decision but not without negative effects on the environment around them. When European settlers began to migrate to the northern and western parts of North America, this is where the conflict began. With the settlers came their livestock and with the livestock came and easy for the wolves. Humans began seeing wolves as danger, not only to themselves but also to their livelihood. This is wear to extermination effort truly began. Humans began setting traps for wolves and hunting for them, killing them off slowly. By the “mid 1920’s government sponsored extermination” (“The Wolf that Changed America”) had wiped out all grey wolves. It was not until 1973 when the congress passed the endangered species act. After this human involvement in bringing the wolf population back up in the US increased. When Yellowstone National Park released thirty-one Canadian Grey Wolves into the park they saw a steady climb of population. By 1996 the population had increased dramatically. That same pack, which is now known as the “Druid Pack”, has increased to thirty-seven members. That is the largest wild pack scientists have recorded in the US. While the overall effect humans have had on wolves is
Wolves are very interesting organisms, they create their own packs that can reach around from 25 to 150 square miles, and with 5 to 30 wolves in that pack. They can even sprint for 36 to 38 miles per hour at short differences! The reason for this is because they were built for surviving and trying to be the best, to be competitive. It isn't as bad as you think however, it is proven that competing will make an animal stronger and more independent so they can survive on their own. Wolves think somewhat similar your average Dog, in fact, Wolves are Dogs ancestors! How do they relate? How do they do it? Ill tell you! Wolves have very different interspecific relationships to other animals and/or organisms. Along with Dogs, wolves are carnivores. Wolves tend to eat almost anything that has meat, no matter where they live. Usually, wolves are very competitive toward each other if they're not in the same pack, or if they're being greedy. The only time they
Humans routinely ignore evidence that wolves are vital to their ecosystems. They are a keystone species. These are misunderstood animals. It may be true that they kill livestock, but that does not mean they only serve to impede upon farming and food production. Wolves target
The Gray Wolf was known to have walked the Earth 100-120 million years ago. They use their howl to communicate. The average life span is 6-8 years old. They can adapted to harsh climates. The gray Wolf tends to live in the northern hemisphere, because when moved south they were killed to extinction. They topically eat larger mammals that have hooves and also eat fruit. Their packs have about 10-12 wolves, but can hold up to 36 members. The Gray Wolf travels up to 12 miles a day. You can tell who the alpha male is by body language such as, crouching, chin touching, and rolling over to show their stomach. The Gray Wolf is on extension list. Their job is to keep certain population in check, and also help other plants not die out.
The alpha (α) is considered as the fittest solution. Beta (β) and delta (δ) are the second and third best solution, but the rest of the candidate solutions are assumed to be omega (ω).
As a direct descendant of the wolf, the modern dog exhibits something like 85 to
Grey wolves are considered as apex predators, mostly prefer to live in a pack having group size of 5–12 on average. These wolves have a very strict social dominant hierarchy , divided in four types of grey wolves,