Full Answer
What is the classification of a gray wolf?
The gray wolf is classified as part of the kingdom Animalia, order Carnivora, family Canidae, and the subfamily Caninae. Fast Facts: Gray Wolves Scientific Name: Canis lupus Common Name (s): Gray wolf, timber wolf, wolf
How many grey wolves are there in the world?
They Grey wolf is fairly widespread throughout its range. The overall population of the species is presently stable, estimated at about 400,000 animals. On the IUCN Red List, the Grey wolf is classified as Least Concern (LC).
What animals do gray wolves share ancestry with?
Gray wolves share their ancestry with domestic dogs, coyotes, and wild dogs such as dingoes. Scientists consider the gray wolf to be the species from which most other wolf subspecies evolved.
What states do gray wolves live in?
Today, the gray wolf's North American range has been reduced to Canada and parts of Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Mexican wolves, a gray wolf subspecies, are found in New Mexico and Arizona.
What family is the gray wolf in?
CanidaeWolf / Familygray wolf, (Canis lupus), also called timber wolf, largest wild member of the dog family (Canidae). It inhabits vast areas of the Northern Hemisphere.
What domain is a gray wolf?
EukaryoteWolf / DomainEukaryotes are organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within a nuclear envelope. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya; their name comes from the Greek εὖ and κάρυον. The domain Eukaryota makes up one of the three domains of life; bacteria and archaea make up the other two domains. Wikipedia
What is the genus and species of a gray wolf?
CanisWolf / GenusCanis is a genus of the Caninae which includes multiple extant species, such as wolves, dogs, coyotes, and golden jackals. Species of this genus are distinguished by their moderate to large size, their massive, well-developed skulls and dentition, long legs, and comparatively short ears and tails. Wikipedia
What phylum does a wolf belong to?
phylum ChordataWolves belong to the phylum Chordata. What family do Wolves belong to? Wolves belong to the family Canidae.
What genus is the wolf?
CanisWolf / Genus
What makes up a phylum?
At its most basic, a phylum can be defined in two ways: as a group of organisms with a certain degree of morphological or developmental similarity (the phenetic definition), or a group of organisms with a certain degree of evolutionary relatedness (the phylogenetic definition).
Are werewolves real?
The werewolf is a mythological animal and the subject of many stories throughout the world—and more than a few nightmares.
What is the gray wolf ancestors?
Modern grey wolves evolved from a couple of groups of earlier ancestors known as Canis mosbachensis, and the much larger Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides, an animal which likely preyed on early humans. There were other species of wolf that once lived and have since died out.
What Kingdom is the wolf in?
AnimalWolf / KingdomAnimals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and ... Wikipedia
Do wolves fall in love?
Whether the wolf's idea of love is the same as a human's is still hotly debated among scientists, but this research is based on years of observing two packs of nine wolves. The researchers said they are confident that when they say two wolves have a thing for each other, it's at least a serious case of puppy love.
What class is a wolf?
MammalWolf / ClassMammals are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia, characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding their young, a neocortex, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. Wikipedia
What genus are dogs?
CanisDog / GenusThe domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris or Canis familiaris) is a canid in the genus Canis, and is the most widely abundant terrestrial carnivore.
What order are wolves in?
CarnivoresTherapsidFeraeFerungulataWolf/Order
What are GREY wolf ancestors?
Modern grey wolves evolved from a couple of groups of earlier ancestors known as Canis mosbachensis, and the much larger Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides, an animal which likely preyed on early humans. There were other species of wolf that once lived and have since died out.
Where are gray wolves found?
Found in the U.S. except southeastern quarter, highlands of Mexico, Canada, Greenland, Libya, Egypt, and Eurasia with the exception of the southeastern corner. Habitat.
How do gray wolves communicate?
Gray wolves communicate using vocalizations, scent marking, and body language. Howling is used to communicate territorial cues over long distances and helps to bring the pack back together when they are dispersed. Each wolf has a distinct howl.
How fast do wolves run?
They travel at speeds of about 8 kph (4.9 mph) but can reach running speeds of up to 55 to 70 kph (34 to 43.5 mph).
Why do wolves use dens?
Wolves use dens for the rearing of their young. Dens are sometimes constructed out of the vacated burrows of other animals, in rock crevices, or hollows in and around trees. It is common for wolves to reuse the same den. These structures are sometimes quite large with tunnels extending 2 to 4 m (6.5 to 13 ft.) underground to a chamber. Some dens have more than one entrance.
How long do gray wolves hunt?
Additionally, gray wolves have been known to pursue prey for as long as 20 minutes covering distances of up to 5 km (3 miles). Wolves hunt in packs. They hunt by stealth, harrassment, and active chase, ultimately attacking the rump, flanks, and shoulders of large prey. Most attempts end in failure.
Why are wolves considered predators?
Wolves are predators and as such help control the populations of prey species; however they have been blamed for also taking livestock species. Studies have shown that these incidences are rare. Wolves have been hunted and trapped for sport, for their fur and for extermination.
What color are wolves?
Colors vary from light to dark gray with black and white interspersed, to some individuals being solid black and solid white.
What is the gray wolf?
Scientists consider the gray wolf to be the species from which most other wolf subspecies evolved. The gray wolf is classified as part of the kingdom Animalia, order Carnivora, family Canidae, and the subfamily Caninae.
What is the scientific name for a gray wolf?
Scientific Name: Canis lupus. The gray wolf ( Canis lupus) is the largest member of the Canidae (dog) family, with a range extending through Alaska and parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming. Gray wolves share their ancestry with domestic dogs, coyotes, and wild dogs such as dingoes.
Why are gray wolves open season?
One of the challenges of expanding gray wolf populations is that people continue to fear wolves, many farmers and ranchers consider gray wolves a menace to livestock, and hunters want the government to declare open season on gray wolves to stop them preying on game animals such as deer, moose, and elk.
How do wolves give birth?
Wolf mothers give birth in a den (typically a burrow or cave), where they can oversee the welfare of tiny pups which are born blind and weigh only about one pound. She will move the pups several times during the first few months of their lives. To feed their young, wolves regurgitate their food until the pups are old enough to manage meat on their own.
How do gray wolves affect vegetation?
Gray wolves exert control on their prey species, changing the numbers and behavior of large herbivores like deer (which is now overabundant in many places), thus ultimately affecting even the vegetation. Because of that important role, wolves hold a central place in rewilding projects .
How many people do gray wolves hunt?
Gray wolves are social animals. They usually live and hunt in packs of six to 10 members and often range over long distances—up to 12 miles or more—in a single day. Typically, several members of a wolf pack will hunt together, cooperating to pursue and bring down large prey.
Why do wolves howl?
A lone wolf may howl to attract the attention of his pack while wolves in the same pack may howl together to establish their territory and declare it to other wolf packs. Howling may also be confrontational or may simply be an answering call to the howls of other wolves nearby. Andyworks/Getty Images.
What is a grey wolf called?
The Grey wolf is sometimes called the "common wolf". Also, in North America, the species is referred to as "timber wolf" while in the Arctic, the animal is known as "white wolf".
Where do grey wolves live?
Grey wolves occur across North America and Eurasia, primarily found in remote areas and wilderness. Their range includes different habitats such as forest, arctic tundra, arid terrain and prairie.
How long do grey wolves breed?
Grey wolves breed from January to April. The female is responsible for digging a den, where she further gives birth and raises the pups. The gestation period last about 60-63 days, after which 1-14 pups are born with an average of 6-7. For the first 45 days, all members of the pack participate in feeding the pups through regurgitation. The mother stays with the young for the first 3 weeks, after which the pups continue living in the den, until they reach the age of 8-10 weeks. Females are sexually mature at 2 years old, and males - at 3 years old.
How do wolves live?
The alphas are the leaders of the pack, establishing the group's territory, selecting the den sites, tracking down and hunting prey.They live in close ties with the members of their pack, communicating with each other through a wide variety of calls, including barks, whine, howls and growls.They are most active at sunrise and sunset. As a matter of fact, Grey wolves do not actually howl at the moon: they simply tend to howl, when the night is lighter, which usually happens during the full moon.Throughout the year, these animals undergo a stationary and nomadic phases: stationary phase takes place in spring and summer months, when they grown up the young, while nomadic phase lasts from the autumn to winter. Grey wolves prefer moving at night, being able to travel up to 200 km per day.
What do grey wolves eat?
Diet and Nutrition. The Grey wolf is carnivore and scavenger. The usual diet of this animal primarily consists of ungulates such as elk, moose, deer and caribou. They also consume small species like rabbits or beavers. In addition, these wolves will scavenge on occasion. Diet Carnivore, Scavenger.
Is a grey wolf a villain?
Over the centuries, the Grey wolf has always been pictured as villain, typically being a negative character in various fairy-tales and fables. However, despite this baseless and horrible reputation, Grey wolfs are very intelligent and sociable animals.
What is the name of the wolf in Greek mythology?
C. l. orion (formerly recognized subspecies in Greenland), named after Orion, the giant hunter, of Greek mythology. C. l. lycaon (eastern/timber wolf), named after Lycaon, the Greek mythological king of Arcadia. Creation stories, Native American.
What is the name of the book that tells the story of a wolf who loses his mate?
Brother Wolf: A Seneca Tale by HP Taylor (1996); picture book story of Wolf, his forest friends, and Raccoon, whose teasing goes too far when he plays a trick on Wolf. The Eyes of Gray Wolf by J London and J Van Zyle (1993); picture book story of a wolf who loses his mate and his journey to find a family.
What is the name of the movie that dispels the myth of the bloodthirsty wolf?
Cry of the Wild (1972); director Bill Mason sets out to dispel the myth of the bloodthirsty wolf. Wolf Pack (2002); National Geographic film documenting the lives of a Yellowstone wolf pack, its rise to power, and the challenges it faces.
What is the relationship between humans and wolves?
Commensal relationship between humans and wolves forms the central component of 3 hypotheses to explain origins of domestication (Thalmann et al. 2013; Zeder 2012) Proto-dogs took advantage of carcasses/refuse left by humans. Wolves assisted humans with prey location and/or capture.
When did the wolves return to Yellowstone?
The Return of Wolves to Yellowstone (1997) by T McNamee; non-fiction examining the scientific and political struggle surrounding the return of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. Children's books.
What books did Kipling write about wolves?
The Jungle Books (1893-1895) by R Kipling; fiction featuring a boy, Mowgli, adopted by wolves. Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906) by J London; fiction exploring the nature of the animal world through the lives of anthropomorphized dogs and wolves.
Scientific Classification
- Common Name
1. gray wolf, arctic wolf, tundra wolf, Mackenzie Valley wolf, timber wolf, plains wolf, Mexican wolf, lobo, European wolf, Eurasian wolf, common wolf, Iberian wolf, Turukhan wolf, Arabian wolf, steppe wolf, Asian desert wolf, Tibetan wolf - Kingdom
1. Animalia
Fast Facts
- Description
1. Like most canids, wolves have a high body, long legs, broad skull tapering to a narrow muzzle. The tail is bushy and coat has a thick, dense underfur. Colors vary from light to dark gray with black and white interspersed, to some individuals being solid black and solid white. Not to be co… - Size
1. Largest of the wild canid species. There is variation in average sizes according to region in which they are found. Wolves of Mexico, Italy and Arabia are smaller than those of North America. Average head/body length 1,000 to 1,600 mm (39.4 to 63 in.); tail length 350 to 560 mm (13.8 to …
Fun Facts
- Wolves use dens for the rearing of their young. Dens are sometimes constructed out of the vacated burrows of other animals, in rock crevices, or hollows in and around trees. It is common for wolves...
- Activity is diurnal. Wolves often travel long distances, covering ranges of up to 200 km (124 miles) per day. They travel at speeds of about 8 kph (4.9 mph) but can reach running speeds …
- Wolves use dens for the rearing of their young. Dens are sometimes constructed out of the vacated burrows of other animals, in rock crevices, or hollows in and around trees. It is common for wolves...
- Activity is diurnal. Wolves often travel long distances, covering ranges of up to 200 km (124 miles) per day. They travel at speeds of about 8 kph (4.9 mph) but can reach running speeds of up to 55...
- Wolves hunt in packs. They hunt by stealth, harrassment, and active chase, ultimately attacking the rump, flanks, and shoulders of large prey. Most attempts end in failure.
- Packs are usually composed of a mated pair that are the most dominant animals in the group, and their offspring of one or more years. The pack is led by an alpha male. The social hierarc…
Ecology and Conservation
- Wolves are predators and as such help control the populations of prey species; however they have been blamed for also taking livestock species. Studies have shown that these incidences are rare. Wolves have been hunted and trapped for sport, for their fur and for extermination. Many wolf populations have been eliminated from their historic ranges. Modern wolves are also at risk fro…
Bibliography
- Nowak, R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/populations/fall99insert.asp http://www.ualberta.ca/~jzgurski/taxa.html
Description
Habitat and Distribution
- Gray wolves were once found in large numbers throughout the Northern Hemisphere—in Europe, Asia, and North America. At one time or another, gray wolves have ranged across nearly every type of environment found north of the equator from deserts to tundra, but they were hunted to near extinction wherever they were found. In the ecosystems they inhabit, wolves are a keyston…
Diet
- Gray wolves typically prey on large ungulates (mammals with hooves) such as deer, elk, moose, and caribou. Gray wolves also eat smaller mammalssuch as hares and beavers as well as fish, birds, lizards, snakes, and fruit. Wolves are also scavengers and will eat the flesh of animals killed by other predators, by motor vehicles, and so on. When wolves find ample food or hunt successf…
Behavior
- Gray wolves are social animals. They usually live and hunt in packs of six to 10 members and often range over long distances—up to 12 miles or more—in a single day. Typically, several members of a wolf pack will hunt together, cooperating to pursue and bring down large prey. Wolf packs follow a strict hierarchy with a dominant male and female at th...
Reproduction and Offspring
- Most wolves mate for life, breeding once a year between January and March (or earlier in the south). The gestation period is about 63 days; wolves usually give birth to between four and six pups. Wolf mothers give birth in a den (typically a burrow or cave), where they can oversee the welfare of tiny pups which are born blind and weigh only about one pound. She will move the pu…
Conservation Status
- Gray wolves have a conservation status of Least Concern, meaning that there is a large and stable population. Wolves were successfully reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and parts of Idaho in 1995. They have been naturally recolonizing parts of their former range, moving into Washington and Oregon. In 2011, a lone male wolf made it to California. There is now a resident …
Gray Wolves and Humans
- Wolves and human beings have a long adversarial history. Although wolves rarely attack humans, both wolves and humans are predators at the top of the food chain. As a result, they are often in conflict as habitats decline and wolves become more likely to attack livestock. Negative feelings toward wolves have been nurtured over the centuries through popular culture. Fairy tales such a…
Sources
- Booker, Emily. “Ten Interesting Facts about Gray Wolves.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, 21 July 2011, www.worldwildlife.org/blogs/good-nature-travel/posts/ten-interesting-facts-about-gray-wolves.
- “Gray Wolf.” National Wildlife Federation,www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Gray-Wolf.
- Booker, Emily. “Ten Interesting Facts about Gray Wolves.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, 21 July 2011, www.worldwildlife.org/blogs/good-nature-travel/posts/ten-interesting-facts-about-gray-wolves.
- “Gray Wolf.” National Wildlife Federation,www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Gray-Wolf.
- Sartore, Joel. “Wolf | National Geographic.” Wolf | National Geographic, 7 Mar. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/gray-wolf/.