THE GRAY WOLF

THE GRAY WOLF



The Gray Wolf has the scientific name Canis lupus. This animal is a canine native to the wilderness and remote areas of Eurasia and North America. It is the largest extant member of its family, with males averaging 43–45 kg (95–99 lb) and females 36–38.5 kg (79–85 lb). Like the red wolf, it is distinguished from other Canis species by its larger size and less pointed features, particularly on the ears and muzzle. Its winter fur is long and bushy and predominantly a mottled gray in color, although nearly pure white, red, and brown to black also occur. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed., 2005), a standard reference work in zoology, recognizes 37 subspecies of C. lupus. The genus Canis is the same one that dogs belong to.
The Gray Wolf is very expressive, and this is largely attributed to it's more social lifestyle compared to other large predators. Wolves live in packs, hunt together and take care of each and every other wolf recognized as being part of their pack. The myth about alpha and beta wolves are actually false. Wolves do not have an innate sense of rank; they are not born leaders or born followers. The "alphas" are simply what we would call in any other social group "parents." The offspring follow the parents as naturally as they would in any other species. No one has "won" a role as leader of the pack; the parents may assert dominance over the offspring by virtue of being the parents. Younger wolves do not overthrow the "alpha" to become the leader of the pack; as wolf pups grow older, they are dispersed from their parents' packs, pair off with other dispersed wolves, have pups, and thus form packs of their owns.
Facial expressions (Konrad Lorenz, 1952). Bottom to top: increasing fear (ears back); left to right: increasing aggression (snarl); top right: maximum of both.
Wolves are legendary because of their spine-tingling howl, which they use to communicate. A lone wolf howls to attract the attention of his pack, while communal howls may send territorial messages from one pack to another. Some howls are confrontational. Much like barking domestic dogs, wolves may simply begin howling because a nearby wolf has already begun.
Wolves are the largest members of the dog family. Adaptable gray wolves are by far the most common and were once found all over the Northern Hemisphere. But wolves and humans have a long adversarial history. Though they almost never attack humans, wolves are considered one of the animal world's most fearsome natural villains. They do attack domestic animals, and countless wolves have been shot, trapped, and poisoned because of this tendency. In the lower 48 states, gray wolves were hunted to near extinction, though some populations survived and others have since been reintroduced. Few gray wolves survive in Europe, though many live in Alaska, Canada, and Asia.
Gray Wolves typically hunt deer, elks, foxes and any other animals living in their territory, this might also include the aforementioned domestic animals. They hunt in packs and work together to bring down bigger prey, but not all of the members of a pack hunt, usually some stay to take care of the young.
Here are some fun fact about wolves:

  1. Although they don't have an official national animal. People from Italia usually say if they had one, it'd be the wolf.
  2. A wolf's bite strength is strong enough to crush human bones.
  3. A pair of wolves that have mated can spend the rest of its life together.
  4. Wolves can attain a max speed of 45km/h and can maintain it, unlike other animals like cheetahs who lose their stamina quickly because of lactic acid formation in the blood.
  5. As per IUCN the population of the wolves in the world is now pretty much stabilized than before.

Sources:
https://defenders.org/gray-wolf/basic-facts
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/gray-wolf/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/gray-wolf/

Questions:
1. Are alpha wolves real? a. yes
b. no
c. maybe
d. all of the above

2. Wolves are very...
a. small
b. weak
c. stupid
d. expresive

3.Which of the following has the latin name of Canis lupus?
a. fox
b. dog
c. dingo
d. wolves

4. Which of the following is the farthest related animal with wolves?
a. cats
b. hyenas
c. turtles
d. foxes

5. A group of wolves are called...
a. a pack
b. a flock
c. a pod
d. a herd

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