The scientific name for the grey wolf is Canis lupus.
The wolf can range from 3 to 5 feet long. This can depend on where the wolves live. In the north hemisphere the wolves a slight larger to those from the south.
Wolves are carnivores which means they have a meat-based diet. They can often eat large, hoofed animals including deer, bison, elk and moose but will also hunt smaller animals including beavers, hares and rodents.
Wolves can reach speeds of up to 36 – 38 miles per hour for short bursts.
Baby wolves are often called pups or sometimes whelps.
Aside from smaller animals, a wolf, or pack of wolves, will often hunt larger animals that are more difficult to overpower. These can include caribou, deer, moose, bison, and elk.
There are 3 species and close to 40 subspecies of wolf, the most common type of wolf is the grey or timber wolf.
It’s estimated that there are between 200,000 to 250,000 wolves left in the world. The vast majority of these are grey wolves.
Parts of North America, Europe, and Asia with larger populations of wolves mostly restricted to remote areas of Eastern Europe, Northern Asia, Alaska, and parts of Canada, However, wolves can be found all the way from the North Pole through to Mexico.
As we mentioned above, wolves can be found in a wide range of locations throughout the world. This is due to their ability to adapt and survive in different ecosystems. This can range from cold & snowy landscapes to harsh & dry conditions, and many other habitats in between!
Wolves were the last of Britain’s top predators to be hunted to extinction back in 18th century.
Dogs were probably domesticated by accident, when wolves began trailing ancient hunter-gatherers to snack on their garbage. Docile wolves may have been slipped extra food scraps, so they survived better, and passed on their genes. Eventually, these friendly wolves evolved into dogs.
As a species that hunt to eat, wolves are naturally very dangerous animals however in the wild usually they do not pose a threat to humans. Wolves are very cautious animals that generally avoid contact with humans. To put it simply, they are just not interested in humans, as they neither categorise us as prey.
As natural hunter’s, wolves will travel far to find their next meal. In fact, they can travel up to 30 miles per day while in search of food. Because of their physical attributes they can travel long distances much easier than other animals.
This is a difficult question to answer as wolves can live a difficult life between fighting for their next meal and living in harsh landscapes. However, some wild wolves can live to be 14 years old. Wolves in captivity can live up to 16 years this is because they don’t have to fight in the search of food or against their environment and so can, on average, expect a longer lifespan.
A group of wolves is called a wolf pack. A wolf pack forms to become a family unit that contains adult wolves and their pups.
Wolves are apex predators meaning that they have no natural predators in the wild. If food sources are low, animals such as polar bears, grizzly bears, black bears, and Siberian tigers will look at wolves as a tasty meal!
To help support our conservation efforts you can adopt a wolf here at Paradise Wildlife Park. To see our wolves in person, and perfect as a gift for friends or family (or as a treat to yourself!) you can book one of our wolf experiences today!
