Wolf external structure. Gray 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 some 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, in their bodily configuration they resemble German Shepherds and likes.

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°, placing the muzzle between the hind legs and covering it with the 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 wildlife wolves can breed starting 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 winter, packs often attack weak or wounded wolves, they can 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 tend to be natural conditions do not interbreed voluntarily. 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 important role in the spread of diseases. 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, as 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; it is afraid of strangers and will hide from them rather than 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", which 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, more than 80 thousand wolves were killed in the US state of Montana alone.

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 a 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 hunting game of all time. 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 Lupine, whose name is directly related to Latin word"lupus", but the surname most likely came from Remus, the founder of Rome, who was fed 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 far north on average exceed a weight of 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 a lack of fear of humans and pronounced wolf instincts and a high level of 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.”

In the eyes of a child, a wolf is an animal from a fairy tale; for adults, a wolf is a character in films about werewolves. This is based on the fact that people are now completely captivated by television. You just need to watch more than just entertaining movies; sometimes it’s worth paying attention to documentaries about life. Then you can learn a lot of interesting things about wolves, most importantly, reliable ones. For example, about how they behave in natural environment habitat, what kind of wolf is in nature, what enemies threaten... After reading this article, you can make sure that this is not such a terrible and unprincipled animal as shown in horror films and fairy tales.

The wolf is a typical predator

In the animal world, the wolf is considered the most typical predator. Together with their closest “relatives” - coyotes and jackals, they honorably take their place in the wolf family. There are only 2 species of real wolves in the world - red and gray.

It won’t take much time to describe the appearance of this predator; there is no person who does not know what a wolf looks like. All the signs of a real predator are there! The body is slender and at the same time tightly built, designed for long marches and fast running (a wolf can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h), the muzzle is elongated. All this is accompanied by the obligatory “decoration” of the predator - two rows of large and sharp teeth (with one bite the wolf gnaws the throat of a sheep). The claws on the paws are dull, they wear down from walking, these animals move a lot. It’s not for nothing that people say: “The feet feed the wolf!”

The size and color of predators depend on their location. The northern representatives of this genus are quite large, with light gray, almost white coat. Predatory inhabitants middle zone the usual gray color, but among them there are rare beauties whose fur is completely brown and red from the southern region; they are noticeably inferior in size to their relatives. Their weight and size are quite small compared to their northern “brothers”.

In what area does the wolf live in nature?

The life of wolves is quite possible in any area, it would be so, but man put his evil will into this. People persistently exterminated these predators in order to push them away from their homes. It turns out that the lifespan of a wolf in nature largely depends on

These hardy predators live in different areas and in any climate. It is possible to meet them in the wild in mountains, forests, steppes and tundra. Only in Holland, Belgium, Denmark and France, our contemporaries, unfortunately, cannot see a wolf in the wild; in these countries the animals were simply exterminated. You can admire them only in zoos. This is such a sad fact.

Lifestyle of wolves in the natural environment

A wolf pack usually consists of 10-30 predators; these are pack animals. The head of every family, as it should be, is the eldest pair of parents. The life of wolves in the wild is very interesting! Animals live in their community according to “wolf” laws, only in in a good way this definition. The leader maintains strict discipline, distributes responsibilities fairly and divides the spoils. Animals “talk” to each other using facial expressions and gestures. A simple grin from an alpha male and an alpha female can put a disobedient relative in his place.

The lives of wolves can tell us one more interesting detail. The dominant couple always proudly holds their tail up, showing others their dominance. Members of the pack, one step lower in rank, try to ensure that the tail is an even continuation of the body. The lower the animal's position in the family, the lower the tail goes. The weakest keep it tight, despite their low position, no one dares to offend them. On the contrary, they can count on protection and a share of the spoils, unless they themselves run into rudeness.

Marriage period and procreation

The life expectancy of wolves is not that long, considering all the dangers that await them in nature. During their lifetime, animals must have time to leave offspring in order for their lineage to continue. nature! Wolves bring puppies once a year.

The mating season begins in winter, the rut of one pair lasts for 5-10 days, pregnancy lasts 60-64 days. In the spring, wolf cubs are already squealing in the hole of a pair of wolves. Usually there are from 3 to 5 babies in a litter; they are born blind and helpless, and do not show their noses from the den for a whole month. From 1.5 months they become real predators and begin to eat meat, although it is semi-digested; the father of the family regurgitates it for the puppies. Wolves create their pairs for life, only in the event of the death of one of the spouses, the remaining one looks for a new life partner; the parents take care of the growing kids as equals.

Life expectancy of wolves in nature

Wolves have few enemies among animals, they are brave and hardy, they have excellent hearing and sharp eyesight, and they have nothing special to fear. If this beast enters into battle, it fights until its last breath. His main enemies are man and hunger! During starvation, many young, inexperienced animals die, and older ones also suffer losses from this invisible enemy. As for people, they are the ones who take lives greatest number animals.

The lifespan of wolves in nature is approximately 6-10 years, but in the wild the animal rarely lives to a ripe old age. Nature lovers know the Arctic wolf, whose name was Sword; scientists observed his life. They recorded this animal as a long-liver of the wild; it managed to live up to 13 years. But there are very few such “grandfathers” in the wolf family.

Lifespan of wolves in captivity

Wolves, like many other animals, live in captivity. They can be seen in zoos; even today there are many private properties where wolves are kept as pets. They are well tamed, but almost impossible to train, preserving the wild pride of the beast in captivity. He won't suck up to the owner like he does.

Under human protection and in captivity, a wolf can live up to 15 years. In this case he will not be threatened with it worst enemies- hunger and man himself. At good conditions content, with high-quality nutrition, including everything necessary for a predator, a wolf can live 17-18 years.

A short message about the wolf can be used in preparation for the lesson. A story about a wolf for children can be supplemented with interesting facts.

Report about the wolf

The wolf is a predator that lives in forests. They used to live almost all over the world, but now there are much fewer of them.

Wolf: description of the animal

Externally, wolves look like large dogs with a strong, muscular body and high legs.

The size and weight of wolves depend on the area in which they live; the closer to the north, the larger the animal. Males are usually larger than females. On average, their height ranges from 60 to 85 cm, the length of the head and body is 100 – 160 cm, the length of the tail is 35 – 56 cm. The weight of females is 18 – 55 kg, for males 20 – 80 kg.

The muzzle is elongated, wide and very expressive. The tail is long, thick and carried down. Wolves have thick and long fur, consisting of two layers, helping to keep them warm. winter time. The color of the coat varies from light to dark gray.

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

Where do wolves live?

In nature, the wolf can be found in Europe (Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia, etc.), in Asia (Russia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Iran, the Hindustan Peninsula, etc.), in North America (Canada and Alaska). The wolf lives in all habitats except tropical forests and arid deserts.

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 very rarely dig holes themselves.

How long does a wolf live?

The lifespan of a wolf in the wild is from 8 to 16 years; in captivity it can reach 20 years.

What does a wolf eat?

The wolf eats everything he can catch, and everyone who is weaker than him. These are: deer, elk, roe deer, wild boar, antelope. In addition to large animals, hares, gophers, and rodents play an important role in the diet of wolves. In summer they eat fish, birds, frogs, geese and ducks. They often return to the remains of their own uneaten prey, mainly in times of famine. Wolves do not disdain carrion.

A wolf is a hunter capable of defeating a beast ten times heavier than itself. His only weapon is his nose and sharp teeth. A lone wolf can only handle a small deer or sheep, but a pack can easily kill a half-ton elk or bison.

The wolf runs easily and quickly; at this rhythm it can cover 80 km in 24 hours.

Wolves breeding

Female wolves mature at 2 years of age, males become sexually mature at the age of 3 years. 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 gestation period is from 62 to 65 days, after which 5-9, 10-13 blind wolf cubs are born.
Wolves are caring parents and very smart animals. They take care of the cubs, and other wolves from the pack help the parents.

• Wolves attack humans extremely rarely, and in most cases, aggression is shown by animals infected with rabies.

We hope the information provided about the wolf helped you. And you can leave your report about the wolf through the comment form.

The wolf (canis lupus), also called the gray wolf or common wolf, is a predatory mammal belonging to the canidae family. The wolf belongs to the wolf genus, which also includes the coyote and jackal. In the canine family, the wolf is the largest animal.

Here are its dimensions: the length of the wolf is up to 150 cm, including the tail - 2 m, height at the withers - 90 cm, body weight - the same as the weight of an adult, maybe up to 90 kg.

According to recent studies of wolf DNA, it has been established that the wolf is the ancestor of the dog. Probably a long time ago, wolves were domesticated and a breed of domestic wolf - a dog - was developed.

The wolf was previously distributed quite widely throughout the world, especially in Eurasia and America. Currently, as a result of the mass extermination of the wolf, and due to the spread of cities and villages, the wolf's habitat has sharply decreased.

Moreover, in some regions this predator is now not found at all. In other regions it appears less and less often, because there are areas in which hunting it is still not prohibited. It continues to be exterminated, since this predator still kills livestock, can attack humans, and besides, hunting a wolf is an old human pastime.

However, the wolf brings great benefits - it regulates the balance of the ecosystem, for example, in the taiga, in the steppes and mountains, in the tundra, the wolf helps nature get rid of dying or sick animals, thereby healing the gene pool of nature.

There are 32 subspecies of wolves in the world. In Russia you can find common and tundra wolves.

Why is a wolf called a wolf?

The word wolf, which is Slavic peoples sounds almost the same, for example in Bulgarian the wolf will be “volk”, in Serbian “vuk”, in Belarusian - voyuk, and in Ukrainian “vovk”.

It is believed that this word is closely related to the word “drag”, “to drag away”, because when a wolf dragged away living creatures, he dragged it in front of him. This is where the word “wolf” comes from.

Wolf Ancestors - Evolution

The wolf's ancestor is canis lepophagus, an ancient mammal similar to the coyote. The ancestor of the wolf lived in North America.

When the ancient canids, the wolf's rivals, the borophages, died out, the ancestor wolf increased its body size. The wolf's skull has also increased in size. The found remains of a wolf tell us this.

A wolf similar to a real wolf was first discovered during the study of the early Pleistocene, which existed more than 1.8 million years ago.

For example, a wolf was found called canis priscolatrans, which resembles the appearance of a real red wolf. This ancient wolf lived in Eurasia. It later evolved into the subspecies canis mosbachensis, which was much more similar to the modern wolf.

This wolf was distributed throughout Europe and only 500 thousand years ago it evolved into the modern wolf.

When geneticists began to study wolf DNA, they discovered that there are at least 4 family tree wolf These are the African genealogical line of the wolf, the Himalayan, Indian and Tibetan lines.

The Himalayan genealogical line is considered to be the oldest. That is, the Himalayan wolf is considered the most ancient species, but appeared about a million years ago, then comes the Indian wolf - this is a branch from the Himalayan line, the Tibetan wolf is already a descendant of the Indian wolf, it appeared only 150 thousand years ago. The Tibetan line of wolves is otherwise called Holarctic; it is common in Europe and North America.

The extinct Japanese wolf is a descendant of the Himalayan wolf; previously it was very large, but subsequently natural changes led to the disappearance of large ungulates, the Japanese wolf became smaller.

The Hokkaido wolf, however, which lives on the mainland and has the ability to hunt large prey, is much larger than its extinct Japanese cousin.

The Japanese wolf, as well as the Japanese Hondo wolf or shamanu, became extinct due to extermination by humans. The wolf was exterminated due to rabies, cases of which were described in literary sources and dated back to 1732. The most recent wolf was exterminated in Japan in 1905. It was a miniature wolf, more like a fox than a wolf.

Now you can only see stuffed animals of this wolf in museums.

Appearance of a wolf

IN different parts The world's wolf looks different. The appearance of the wolf greatly depends on the prey and the surrounding climate. If we consider the average representative of a wolf, then this animal is approximately 65 to 90 cm at the withers, weighing from 30 to 90 kg.

The wolf reaches maturity at about 3 years of age, gaining height and weight. In Siberia, a wolf up to 80 kg in weight can be found.

But hunters say that it is not at all uncommon to meet an animal weighing more than 90 kg.

The smallest wolf in the world is the Arabian wolf - canis arabs, it can weigh 10-15 kg.

If we consider the wolf population, males are usually 20% larger than females in both height and weight. In appearance, a wolf resembles big dog with pointed ears.

The habitat of the red wolf is Central, Central and South Asia, as well as the Malay Peninsula. This predator can be seen on the island of Sumatra and on the island of Java.

You can expect a red wolf in Russia, but it is hardly possible to meet one, since this predator has not been seen by anyone on Russian territory for 30 years. Perhaps its population has already disappeared in Russia and yet the red wolf is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

It is quite easy to recognize this predator - it has a fox appearance - short legs, long body with a long tail, small head and thick red-red long hair. It is possible that when you meet this wolf, you feel like you have met a fox.

The red wolf is a pack animal; scientists believe that there are no more than a few thousand of these unusual wolves left. This wolf hunts at any time of the day or night and always lives where there are many ungulates. Since his hunting targets are mountain sheep, goats and deer.

The number of red wolves has been reduced due to the fact that its habitat has been destroyed by humans, the number of wild grazing ungulates has decreased, and therefore the number of red wolf individuals has also decreased.

How is a wolf different from a dog?

His legs are strong and taller, his paw is slightly larger and more extended. The head has a wider forehead, compared to a dog's, its muzzle is wide and there is quite a lot of hair on the sides, which makes it look like a lion. The wolf has narrow-set eyes and an elongated muzzle. It is narrower and much more expressive than a dog's.

The wolf's muzzle is very expressive. So scientists have identified about 10 emotions that can be “read” on his face - anger, humility, tenderness, fear, threat, fear, anger, calm and submission.

The wolf has a large and high skull. The wolf's nose protrudes forward and widens slightly at the bottom.

A separate discussion will be about wolf teeth. Legends and fairy tales were written about them. A wolf’s teeth are its most important tool, which is influenced by the way this predator hunts and lives. The upper jaw contains 20 teeth, of which only 6 incisors and 2 large canines.

There are 22 teeth on the lower jaw. The wolf grabs and holds its prey with its fangs. The fangs are very strong and can hold up a fairly large animal. For a wolf, its teeth are not only a great assistant in hunting, but also a means of protection. If a wolf suddenly loses its teeth, it will lead to starvation and ultimately death.

At the wolf's a long tail. It is much longer and thicker than the dog's and is lowered down. The wolf does not wag its tail like a dog. You can tell a wolf by a wolf's tail, just like by a dog's. If the tail is lowered and does not move, then the wolf is calm; if the wolf twitches its tail, it is dissatisfied.

A wolf's fur is thick and hard. It has two layers - coarse hair and undercoat. The undercoat gives the wolf warmth in winter, and the hard fur protects this predator from dirt and water.

A wolf can shed. This usually happens when spring turns into summer. The wolf's body temperature heats up and the fluff begins to peel off from the body. The wolf is simply hot. He begins to rub against the trees to quickly get rid of his winter fur.

The fur color of the predator depends on the subspecies of the wolf. For example, a forest wolf has gray-brown fur, a tundra wolf has almost white fur, and a wolf living in the desert wears a grayish-red fur coat.

There are unusual wolves - pure white, red or even black. Small wolves or cubs have a uniform coat color - usually dark. Over time, their cover becomes several tones lighter.

However, only the second layer of fur is different in wolves. A wolf's undercoat is always gray.

A wolf is also distinguished from a dog by the tracks it leaves on the ground or snow.

The following differences will help you recognize wolf tracks:

The wolf's index and little fingers are positioned further back than the middle fingers.
the wolf holds his paw collected - so his footprint is more prominent,
The path of wolf tracks is always straighter than dog tracks and more crowded, which will reliably indicate that a wolf passed here.

The size of a wolf's track is from 9.5 to 11 cm in length, that of a she-wolf is from 8.5 to 10 cm in length.

Wolf eyes have been a subject of mysticism for many centuries and artists often depict them in their paintings.

Wolf cubs are born with blue eyes, but after 2-4 months their eyes become yellowish or even orange in color. Very rarely, a wolf’s eyes remain blue even after the period of “childhood”.

It is also very rare to find a wolf with green, brown or green-blue eyes.

How the wolf howls

It is believed that the wolf howls mainly at the moon on one note and no longer gives voice. However, this is not at all true. The wolf's voice is quite diverse in frequency range. His ability to change the frequency of his voice can only be compared with that of a human.

Wolves can howl, howl, whine, growl, yelp and bark. And at the same time, every howl, bark, etc. may have thousands of variations.

Even a wolf's howl at the moon is the singer's aerobatics - the wolf starts from the lowest note and gradually brings his singing to a high note, but this note is not the last. We hear it last, since the human ear is not capable of perceiving all the frequencies that the wolf’s throat is capable of transmitting.

A wolf can “talk” to its packmates and warn, for example, that people are about to appear, call for an attack, or that there is prey somewhere.

Wolves howl at dawn and when the moon appears, and they howl collectively; at this moment, according to scientists, wolves show their belonging to the pack and feel an emotional upsurge. This is comparable to the emotional uplift people experience during choral singing.

However, wolves do not howl every day; perhaps the howl of wolves begins when they need the general support of the pack, the feeling of a friendly shoulder.

People have been learning to understand the language of the wolf for centuries, and now there are people who understand wolf negotiations.

How a wolf finds prey

The wolf has a very sensitive sense of smell. Its sense of smell is tens of times stronger than that of a human, so a wolf can smell prey at a distance of 3 km from it.

The wolf distinguishes hundreds of millions of different smells and has a wealth of information about the reality around it. In addition, the wolf sometimes marks its territory through urine and feces. The wolf marks its territory most strongly during the rut.

Current habitat of the wolf

Previously, the wolf lived everywhere in the world, but due to the advent of weapons in humans, the wolf’s habitat decreased significantly. Now the wolf can be found throughout the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In Russia it is absent only in Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

The wolf inhabits the tundra, forests, steppes, penetrates south to desert areas, and can live in the mountains above the forest belt (3000 - 4000 m).

Wolf Pack

Gray wolf is a social animal whose main social networks consist of wolf families and their offspring.
On average, a pack consists of 5-11 animals (1-2 adults, 3-6 juveniles and 1-3 yearlings), and sometimes two or three such families.
It happens that the number of wolves in a pack can reach up to 40.

IN ideal conditions a wolf couple can produce puppies every year, without separating for this up to 5 years. The reason for separation for wolves is the beginning of puberty of the offspring and competition in the fight for prey.

For wolves it has great importance size of hunting territory per wolf stab. Sometimes wolves can move long distances—up to 400 km from the starting location—in search of food.

It is important for a wolf pack that the wolves within it are not hostile towards each other. Therefore, the larger the flock, the more food there is in the territory, and the smaller the flock, the less food there is. Wolves can search for unoccupied territory for a long time in order to create a pack that has no enemies among other wolves.

A created wolf pack rarely accepts other wolves into its fold; as a rule, it kills them. In rare cases, when a wolf pack adopts another wolf, this can only be due to its youth (up to 3 years), that is, a wolf that a wolf couple can “adopt” without harm to themselves and their offspring.

Sometimes a lone wolf is accepted into a wolf pack, but only for the purpose of replacing a deceased male wolf.

During times of abundance of ungulates, different wolf packs may unite.
Wolves are very territorial animals, and tend to occupy a territory much larger than they need to survive. This is done so that random fluctuations in the number of prey do not prevent the wolf pack from surviving.

In general, the territory depends not only on the number of prey, but also on the number of wolf cubs. After all, wolves, reaching 6 months of age, have the same food needs as an adult wolf.

The wolf pack constantly moves around its territory in search of food and covers approximately 25 km per day. Basically, almost all the time they are in the center - the core of their territory. This is done in order to avoid accidental collision with another wolf pack.

The core of a wolf pack's territory is approximately 35-40 square kilometers, while the entire territory can be up to 60-70 square kilometers. A wolf pack can leave its territory only in an emergency, for example, when there is an acute shortage of food.

Wolves are excellent at protecting their territory from other wolf packs, using special marks as warnings to ensure that the wolf pack's territory is not disturbed by another wolf pack. If suddenly this happens, then the wolf pack attacks the intruders, but first they try to scare them away by howling.

Marking their territory, as we have already said, is done by urinating or defecating; sometimes wolves scratch the ground, then mark the scratches. They leave a scent every 200 meters, and usually mark for 2-3 weeks.

Territorial fights between wolf packs are considered the main causes of wolf mortality in natural conditions, without human intervention. Scientists believe that this kills between 15 and 65% of wolves.

Reproduction and development

Wolves, as a rule, are monogamous; pairs are usually created for life, until one of the wolves of the pair dies. After the death of one wolf of a pair, the pair is usually quickly restored with the help of the other wolf.

Males predominate in a wolf pack, so unpaired females are rare. The age of first mating in gray wolves depends on environment- if there is enough food, or when the wolf population has decreased enough that the laws of population regulation come into force - already quite young wolves can be capable of reproducing.

This is confirmed by the fact that in good conditions of reserves with sufficient food, wolves can create families as early as 9-10 months of age. However, in the wild, the standard breeding age for wolves is 2 years.

Females can give birth to wolf cubs every year. Unlike the coyote, the wolf never reaches reproductive senescence. Estrus usually occurs in late winter. Wolves mate with old she-wolves 2-3 weeks earlier than with young ones. What explains this is unknown.

During pregnancy, female wolves remain in the center of the wolf pack's territory to protect the female from clashes with other wolves, which usually occur on the periphery of the pack's territory.
Pregnancy in a she-wolf lasts 62-67 days; wolf cubs, as a rule, are born in the spring and summer.

Wolves give birth to many more wolf cubs per litter than other canine species. The average litter consists of 5-6 cubs, with an increase in fertility in those areas where prey is abundant, although even a particularly large litter does not exceed 14-17 cubs.

Wolf cubs are born blind and deaf, and are covered with short, soft grayish-brown fur. The weight of a born wolf cub is 300-500 grams. Wolf cubs begin to see at 9-12 days. Their primary fangs appear 1 month after birth. After just 3 weeks, a small wolf cub can leave the den, and already at the age of 1.5 months they are strong and flexible enough to be able to run away from danger.

The mother wolf does not leave her den for a minute for at least 3 weeks. And all the concern about providing both mother and wolf cubs with food falls on the father wolf. Already at 3-4 weeks from birth, wolf cubs can eat solid food.

Wolf cubs grow very quickly - their weight from the beginning of the wolf cub's birth increases 30 times in the first four months. Wolf cubs begin to play at the age of 3 weeks. The games are mainly of a fighting nature.

Although, unlike coyotes and young foxes, their bites are painless. The wrestling of wolf cubs establishes a hierarchy in the family among the kids. The fight can last for 5-8 weeks. By autumn, the cubs are old enough to accompany adults in their hunt for large prey.

Wolf and hunting

Wolves usually hunt in packs, sometimes individually. The wolf will almost always eat its prey completely. Wolves have more advantages when hunting in a pack because they are intelligent animals, can work together, and are capable of preying on animals that are much larger and stronger than a single wolf. Wolves are strict predators and often survive after a hunt, they calculate their strength. Wolves do not kill for sport, only for survival.

Wolves feed on carrion, hunt and eat everything. Large game animals wolves prey on include deer, elk, caribou, bison, and musk ox. Small animals include beavers, hares, and small rodents.

Wolves have a large stomach and can absorb 10 kg at a time. However, wolves can survive without food for 2 weeks or even longer if food is scarce. Their digestion is very efficient, but the wolf's intestines cannot digest 5 percent of the meat. Any bone fragments that are not broken down somehow can be found in the wolf's stomach, wrapped in undigested hair, which protects the intestines from injury.

The wolf cubs feed from the adults, who regurgitate fresh meat, or for the wolf cubs to grow up, the wolves carry fresh pieces of meat into the den. Wolves play an important role in the lives of other animals. Because wolves eat sick or weak animals, and then they actually help herds of large ungulates regain their strength, relieving them of the burden of sick animals.

For example, there is a sick deer in the herd that eats food that could be used to feed a healthy young deer. Thus, by eliminating a sick deer, the wolf not only reduces the possibility of infection from this deer to other deer, but also contributes to the availability of more food for the rest of the herd.

Wolves live and hunt mainly in their own territory. Members of the pack will guard and defend their territory from invading wolves. The size of the territory depends on the availability of prey. If prey is scarce, the size of the wolf's territory may be small; however, if prey is abundant, the wolf's territory may be much larger.
The hunt will begin with the gathering of pack members, they greet each other with howls. This howl will deter other wolf packs from entering that pack's territory. Wolves begin their hunt by passing through the entire territory of the pack until they discover their prey.

The wolf drives its prey in the opposite direction from the wind in order to avoid the opportunity for the animal to detect the wolf's scent and run away. As soon as their prey realizes that it is being pursued and tries to escape, the chase begins. The wolves chase her and as soon as they catch up, they immediately bite her, usually from the side.

Large animals try to avoid being bitten and turn around to attack the wolf with their horns. The wolf is afraid of being wounded by its horns. Therefore, in this case, the animal is surrounded by other members of the wolf pack in order to attack from behind. At this time, the wolf standing in front, taking advantage of the prey turning backwards, seeks to bite it in the throat or face. Then the entire flock attacks the prey and kills it. The wolf immediately begins to eat its prey.

A wolf can hunt all day long until their hunt is successful. After all, this is a matter of the wolf’s survival.

Quick facts about the wolf

1. The average lifespan of a wolf in the wild is 10 years. Wolves live in packs, which usually consist of an alpha male wolf, his alpha female, and their offspring of varying ages. Other wolves may also join the pack.
2. The wolf has no real natural predators; their biggest threat is other wolf packs in the surrounding areas. Wolves are known to live up to 20 years in captivity.
3. Wolves are predatory animals and typically hunt large animals, but wolves also hunt small animals. Wolves hunt together in a pack and work together as a team to catch and kill a large animal, such as elk or deer. Wolves are opportunists and will not waste their energy chasing a healthy deer 10 km when a wounded or sick deer is more accessible. Alaska Native peoples call the wolf "Wild Shepherd."
4. Wolves have a layer of thick fur, which is particularly necessary for wolves living in areas of the Arctic where it can be very cold. It was during winter months in these areas, the wolf's accumulated calories are most critical. Large animals such as elk and deer suffer greatly from cold and lack of food, and during this time they become slow, lethargic and therefore easier to catch.
5. Wolves are critically endangered today, as wolves have been killed in large numbers by human hunting, poisoned, or captured for their fur and to protect livestock. Wolves have also been severely affected by the loss of their habitat and have been pushed into smaller areas where food sources may not be plentiful enough to feed a hungry wolf pack.
6. Wolves typically mate in late winter to early spring and cubs are born a couple of months later when the weather is warmer and prey is plentiful. The wolf cubs develop intensively for the next part of the year in order to survive their first cold winter. The wolf cubs remain with their mother in the wolf pack.
7. Wolves can freely interbreed with dogs, coyotes, and jackals to produce fertile offspring. This is a case of incomplete speciation. There are physical, behavioral and environmental differences between these species, but they are completely genetically compatible. None of the animals in this group can breed with foxes, which are too different from wolves genetically.
8. Wolves are the largest representatives of the canine family.
9. The wolf does not run fast. The maximum speed of a wolf is approximately 45 km/h. Instead of running, they rely more on their hearing and smell to detect prey.
10. Wolves have great endurance - they can run day and night until they reach their prey.
11. Wolves develop close relationships and quite strong social bonds. The wolf often shows deep affection for his family and may even sacrifice himself to protect his family.
12. The wolf can be expelled from the pack or leave the pack at will- then he becomes a lone wolf. Such a wolf rarely howls and tries to avoid contact with the pack.
13. The wolf is a favorite character in legends and fairy tales, it is a very intelligent animal and does little to live up to its terrible reputation in legends and fairy tales.
14. People still fear wolves and persecute them more than any other predator. Several centuries ago, people even tortured a wolf and burned it at the stake. However, the wolf has high intelligence and instinct, which helped him save himself from extinction.

The final fate of the wolf depends on whether man allows the wolf to coexist next to him.

However, it is worth remembering that the wolf is nature’s most important orderly. And by depriving her of the wolf, the person risks dying himself.

The common gray wolf (Canis lupus) is highly developed nervous system and especially acute hearing and smell. The high mental development of the wolf, combined with great strength, exceptional endurance and the ability to adapt to various conditions of existence, is the reason that, so persistently persecuted by man from the beginning to the present day, it has not yet been exterminated.

Brief description of the wolf

The gray wolf is one of the most dangerous animals in Ukraine. Belongs to the canine family. The body length of a common wolf is over 120 cm. Males are always larger than females. Outwardly, gray wolves resemble shepherds, but are characterized by characteristics that are characteristic only of wolves. The head is large, broad-browed, the neck is short and inactive, the muzzle is massive and elongated. The eyes are light brown, placed obliquely. The brow ridges are convex, making the eyes appear sunken and larger than those of dogs.

The strong, high scruff of the neck and the gray wolf’s habit of bending its hind legs create the impression as if the dorsal part of its strong body is inclined towards the tail, and its powerful wide rib cage separated from the collected belly. Forelegs common wolves although slender, they are muscular and strong. The gray wolf never throws his evenly fluffy tail over his back; it always hangs like a log.

The fur color of a wolf in summer is reddish, much darker along the back and almost halfway up the tail. In winter in hairline In the case of an ordinary wolf, the rusty-reddish shades disappear, and the color acquires a brownish-gray color, lighter on the abdominal part.

Wolf habitat

Common wolves are distributed unevenly on the territory of Ukraine: they are more abundant in the forest areas of northern Polesie and the Carpathian mountain ranges, less common in the forest-steppe zone and steppe regions, and absent in Crimea. Typical forest dwellers, gray wolves have long adapted to life in cultivated landscapes. Particularly favorite habitats are thickets of bushes in semi-dry swamps, among forests.

Common wolves are active mainly at dusk and at night and can only occasionally be seen during the day. However, where they are not pursued, they hunt during the day. In the dark, wolves see much better than other canines.

Diet of common wolves

The gray wolf is a typical predator that obtains its own food, actively searching for and tirelessly pursuing its prey. The basis of food for ordinary wolves is wild boars, deer, roe deer, domestic ungulates, etc. In pursuit of them, wolves can reach running speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. Gray wolves also hunt small animals, especially hares, ground squirrels, mouse-shaped rodents, waterfowl and other birds nesting on the ground. As an exception, the gray wolf's diet includes berries, wild and garden fruits.

Wolves breeding

Gray wolves make their dens for raising babies in secluded places provided with food resources. They are building it is found in a shallow hole, a depression under the root of an inverted tree among a windfall, in a wide bush of thorny bushes, or in a depression on the ground among dense reed thickets, always near a reservoir. In mountainous regions, common wolves make their dens in rocky cliffs, rock crevices, caves or rubble.

Once a year, in mid-March or early April, after a 62-64-day pregnancy, the she-wolf often gives birth to five or six blind, deaf, toothless wolf cubs, which develop rapidly and are even able to crawl out of the den at three weeks of age. At the age of one month, they are fed by belching, that is, small pieces of semi-digested meat swallowed by their parents. In June-July, old wolves already teach wolf cubs to get food on their own. In the fall (late September - October), young gray wolves replace their baby teeth with permanent teeth. From this time on, the wolf cubs actively help the old wolves hunt.

Why is the gray wolf dangerous?

Common wolves - dangerous predators. Until recently, they caused great losses to our economy. Having settled near settlements, gray wolves attack domestic animals and dogs. They are especially dangerous in hunting areas. The gray wolf, covering long distances every night, regardless of whether he is hungry or not,
destroys all the game he encounters on his way, and much more than he can eat. In addition, gray wolves are the main distributors incurable disease– rabies.

Despite the fact that the gray wolf is a game animal, the cost of its skin is low compared to the harm it causes. This is the most harmful predator of the fauna of Ukraine. The persistent fight against this predator, which is carried out in Ukraine during all seasons of the year, has greatly reduced its number and, compared with the last century, the harm from wolves is not of a threatening nature. However, in Lately In connection with the establishment of the sanitary significance of the common wolf in nature, the fight against this predator was significantly weakened, and, naturally, the number of wolves increased again. Now there is a need to strengthen control over the number of gray wolves, both in Ukraine and throughout the CIS.

A short video about gray wolves shows how smart and resilient these animals are, and how they communicate in a pack. Also see how wolves in a pack hunt ungulates, helping each other.