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There were once at least thirty different subspecies of wolf. Most have become extinct. About five subspecies survive today. In England, the last wolves were wiped out by about 1500, a few still live in eastern Europe, India, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Middle East. No one knows how many survive in Russia and China. Most wolves in North America are found in Alaska and Canada and hunters, from whom most of our knowledge of this shy creature comes from, say they are now almost impossible to find.
The wolf in the wild, even when in the company of a large pack, is extremely fearful of people. However, many people still subscribe to the false beliefs that have been handed down for generations.
Excluding the most arid deserts in the southern part of North America and the most eastern part of Greenland, wolves once ranged over all of North America. By the 1950's, due to government sponsored predator-control programs, wolves had been 'successfully' eradicated from 99 percent of their range within the lower 48 United States of America.
The wolf hunts in packs and is a large predator that depends for its survival on large prey, such as deer, elk, caribou, and in some parts of its range, moose and bison that tip the scales at more than a thousand pounds. It has powerful jaws capable of exerting about 1500 pounds per square inch, or about twice that of the domestic dog. It is accustomed to a feast and famine existence, often going many days without eating and then gorging as much as 20 pounds in a single sitting. One of the wolf's most important roles in nature is to remove the sick and the weak, and in this way create a win-win relationship with its prey. The end result is a system which has succeeded for hundreds of thousands of years.
Twenty-four subspecies of wolves are recognized in North America. All subspecies of wolves are physically and behaviorally quite similar. Only through skull measurements can subspecies be positively identified. Wolves, dogs and coyotes are very close genetically.
Physical appearance:
Wolves in the Rocky Mountains generally weigh from 70 to 115 lbs. The males are the heaviest. They average 26 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder and measure 57 to 76 inches in length. The wolf has a wide range of size, shape and color. They have a long and bushy tail, which is usually carried down or straight out. The ears stand erect, are rounded and about 2 inches long. The eyes are yellow and appear green-gold when reflecting light.
Wolves' chests are narrow and shaped like a keel. Their front limbs seem to be pressed into their chests with the elbows turned inside and the paws facing out. Wolves' legs are generally longer than the legs of other dogs. In color, they range from white to shades of black, brown and gray. White and light-colored wolves are more common in the arctic, and black and gray are seen in the sub arctic and further south. Gray prevails in the south.
The coat is a thick layer of soft and fine fur topped by long hair that gives the coat its color. The hair can be as long as 6 to 7 inches in the mane. Wolves can raise and lower this hair depending on the circumstances. The wolf uses its hair to communicate anger and aggression. The hair on the mane and at the end of the tail is usually darker than the rest. There are patterns of color on the face that seem to give wolves expressive features. Wolves appear thinner in summer because their coat thins out. It can be hard to distinguish between wolves, coyotes and dogs if the light is bad or you don't get a long, close look. Because of their long legs and thin body a wolf could be mistaken for a deer or calf.
Tracks
Wolves travel long distances in the course of a day. It is not unusual for wolves to travel 20 miles in a 24-hour period. They cover the distance at a trot. The wolf's stride is long at a trot and longer than that of other animals with similar tracks. A wolf's front paws are larger than the rear feet and the toes are spread out more. Their unique stride causes the hind foot to often land in the print made by the front foot on the same side.
Wolf tracks are similar to coyote and dog tracks. They are much larger than those made by coyotes but some dog tracks that are larger than what a wolf makes. Mountain lion tracks are often mistaken for wolf tracks.
Howling
Wolves howl, bark, whimper, and growl. They howl to greet one another, announce their location, define their territory, and call the pack together Wolves have a variety of communication tools including scent marks, vocalization, visual displays, postures and rituals. Wolves sometimes bark if their den is disturbed of if they are surprised. The howl of a wolf is described as deep and mournful. The howl is continuous and can last up to 11 seconds. The pitch is constant or, if it varies, does so smoothly. A howling session by one lone wolf lasts about 35 seconds, and the animal will howl several times. When a pack is howling they go on a little longer. One wolf will start and one or more others will join in. It's hard to tell how many wolves are howling if there are more than 3 or 4 doing it together. Most wolf howls can be heard for almost a mile in the woods. Wolves almost never bark, except as pups.
The howl of a coyote is a higher pitch than that of a wolf and includes barking before, during, and after. The howling of some large dogs can be similar to wolves, but dogs almost always bark too.
Wolf Dens
Wolf dens are always located near water and are often dug into well-drained soil on a slope facing south. They can be under a boulder, around tree roots, or in banks or hollow logs. Wolves will use and enlarge coyote or fox dens. The entrances are about 18 inches in diameter and are large enough for a thin person to squeeze through. There is a straight, forked or hooked passageway, which is 4 to 17 feet long with a chamber approximately 18"H by 48"W by 41"Deep. There is no bedding is in the den. A well-used den will have bones scattered about and well-worn trails should lead from it. Dens are often reused year after year.
Most packs occupy a range of about 80 to 100 square miles, and move about it on a regular basis. The pack members are very athletic, capable of incredible endurance, such as pursuing prey over long distances or plowing through chest high snow for long periods. Most of their activity occurs at night.
The wolf is a highly social animal, generally living within the same pack for most, if not all, of its life. Survival depends very much upon the pack. Pack members cooperate in hunting, killing large prey, feeding and caring for the young, defending their territory against other packs, and so forth. The pack functions mostly as a strong autocratic system, with each individual having fought for its placement or rank within the group. Generally only the top male and female are permitted to breed, while any attempts to do so by others are punished. When to hunt, where to hunt, and many other activities are also commonly determined by the pack leaders.
WOLF FAMILIES and SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Because of the ways in which wolves have evolved and the special demands of their way of life, wolves have become one of the most highly social of all carnivores. Wolves live in packs - groups of animals that are usually related by close, blood ties (family units). A hierarchical order exists within the pack; every animal knows its place in that order.
Researchers studying wolves today observe the common traits shared by humans and wolves. Like many human beings, wolves live in extended families. For wolves, those families are called packs. Wolves live in packs because cooperation allows wolves to bring down larger prey than individual wolves can do on their own. Pack life also insures the care and feeding of the young, and allows wolves to expertly defend their common territory. The male and female leaders of the pack are called alphas. These two animals lead the pack during a hunt and often eat first when a kill is made. Generally, though not always, the alpha wolves are the only wolves in the pack to have pups.
Wolves sexually mature at around 22 months of age and most matings take place with members of their own pack. Mating with the alpha female, by other members of the pack, is almost always forbidden.The breeding season for wolves occurs from roughly January through March, depending on the latitude. Litters of pups are born in April through June and they emerge from the den at about one month of age. There can be up to 14 pups in a litter but the average is six. Wolf pups vary greatly in size. By August, pups weigh about 40 lbs., the weight of a healthy coyote, but they are usually taller than coyotes by the beginning of July. They are distinguishable from coyotes by their puppy features: feet too large for their bodies, legs too long, blunt nose, and shorter, less bushy tail. Wolf pups feet are full grown by late July.
Animals in the highest latitude usually have the latest season. Pups are born in the spring (following a 63 gestation period). The entire pack takes a part in raising the young. The average litter size is four pups.
Wolf pups at birth weigh about one pound and are darkly furred. They are deaf, blind, have little or no sense of smell and cannot regulate their own body heat. For their safety, wolf pups are born in a den. Wolf dens can be in rock caves abandoned by other animals, in the hollowed bases of large trees, or in shallow surface beds. More commonly, pregnant female wolves dig dens themselves, often as early as three weeks before the pups are born. Wolves prefer their den sites to be located on elevated areas near water. Dens are typically tunnels that extend six to fourteen feet into the earth. At the end of the tunnel is an enlarged chamber where the newborn pups are kept. The age of the pups when the pack abandons the den is not known; it is thought to be between eight and ten weeks after the pups are born.
Between the time the pups leave the den and the next winter, the young wolves remain at rendezvous sites while the adults hunt the surrounding countryside. When adults return from the hunt, the pups lick the muzzles of the adult animals, and the wolves regurgitate predigested food for the young pups.
As the pups grow, some of them will be very assertive in their play, while others in the same litter will be weaker and more submissive. Like human children, the more assertive wolf pups will grow up to be alphas while the more submissive pups will most likely grow into subordinate wolves.
Next in the social hierarchy of the pack is the beta wolf. Betas can be either male or female and, if something happens to one of the alphas, it is the beta that will most likely move up in rank. the remainder of the pack is typically composed of adolescent wolves, one to four years old, several pups and an omega. An omega wolf can be either male or female and is the scapegoat, the lowest ranking member of the pack. The omega lives on the outskirts of the pack, usually eating last. The omega serves as both a stress-reliever and instigator of play.
When wolves become adolescents and have reached sexual maturity, many will leave their home territory in order to search for a mate. These wolves are called dispersers. The long, drawn-out howl of a 'lone wolf' will hopefully attract another unattached wolf. The two new self-proclaimed alphas find suitable territory to start a family of their own.
In Closing, Wolves have now become unjustly brutalized and hunted. There are many organizations that are trying to preserve the life of the wolf as well as other endangered species like it. Defenders Of Wildlife is one.
About Defenders of Wildlife:
Of all the wildlife groups, Defenders of Wildlife has stayed closest to its original purpose to protect species and habitat. It remains lean and focused. -- Outside Magazine.
Defenders Mission:
Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Defenders focus programs on what scientists consider two of the most serious environmental threats to the planet: the accelerating rate of extinction of species and the associated loss of biological diversity, and habitat alteration and destruction. Long known for our leadership on endangered species issues, Defenders of Wildlife also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that will help keep species from becoming endangered. These programs encourage protection of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats while protecting predators that serve as indicator species for ecosystem health.
The Logo Symbolizing Defenders Mission:
The Defenders of Wildlife wolf logo symbolizes not only our long-standing leadership in predator protection but also our broader biodiversity mission. Some of the nation's most prominent biologists have estimated that protecting habitat for wide-ranging predators such as wolves will conserve 90 percent or more of overall biological diversity. Because wolves can require home ranges of several hundred square miles, their conservation can help preserve a host of other species making use of the same habitat. The wolf also is a symbol of wild nature. Defenders is leading efforts to restore wolves to selected former habitats in the lower 48 states and to prevent the extirpation of wolves in areas where they still exist.
In 1997, Defenders of Wildlife set up a special fund to promote the cause of wolf recovery around the country. Since then, this fund has provided necessary funding to valuable projects. Here is a look at some of the projects funded thus far:
Coyote-wolf Interaction Research in Yellowstone National Park
Beginning in 1996 Defenders began partial funding of Dr. Bob Crabtree's research to determine the effects wolves were having on coyote populations in the Park. Crabtree has been studying coyotes and their social structure since 1989, and when wolves were returned to the Park in 1995, he began documenting the radical changes taking place.
Wolf Sitters for Mexican Wolf Release
Defenders provided the funding vital to provide care and protection for the Mexican wolves after their release into acclimation pens. Three people were hired to drag road-killed deer and elk into the pens, provide water to the wolves, and make sure the wolves remained isolated form human contact during their two month stay within the confines of the pens. By living in tents close to the acclimation sites, the sitters were in a unique position to observe the wolves as they adjusted to their new home.
Reward Payments for Wolves Killed
Immediately after the release of the Yellowstone wolves, #10M, one of the recent releases was shot and killed. Defenders immediately sprang to action and offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer. In later instances in the northern Rockies, Defenders offered money to help catch wolf killers. Defenders has also extended this program to Wisconsin and will continue it in the Mexican wolf recovery area if necessary.
Matching Funds for Yellowstone Wolf Tracking Equipment
In 1997, Defenders provided $2,000 in matching funds to the Yellowstone Park Foundation's Gray Wolf Restoration Fund so that they could purchase a remote sensing station. The fixed telemetry station will allow around-the-clock data to be collected with limited human interference. Researchers can use this data to answer important questions about wolf denning behavior.
Mexican Wolf Biologist Training
In 1997, Defenders provided travel and educational scholarships to two biologists from Mexico. This was one of the first steps in getting ready for a Mexican Wolf restoration in Mexico itself.
How We Accomplish The Mission:
Defenders employs education, litigation, research, legislation and advocacy to defend wildlife and its habitat. In each program area, an interdisciplinary team of scientists, attorneys, wildlife specialists and educators works to promote multi-faceted solutions to wildlife problems.
Representative Accomplishments:
Endangered Species:
More than two decades of leadership in passage and enforcement of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA).
Successful plaintiff for endangered species, winning victories to enforce the ESA and expedite listings of species and adoption of recovery plans.
Founding member and Steering Committee member of Endangered Species Coalition.
Helped draft Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Participates in international CITES meetings to help protect wildlife from over exploitation in trade.
Published book on how to use incentives to make the ESA work more effectively.
With Regards to Wolves:
A champion of wolves and other predators since being founded in 1947.
Defenders led the successful fight to restore the gray wolf to its former habitat in Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho. Almost wiped out in the lower 48 states in the past century, the wolf has become a special symbol of the wild. Defenders' advocacy efforts in Yellowstone Park drew more than 70,000 citizen votes in favor of reintroduction.
Reduced opposition to wolf reintroduction by creating a widely praised $100,000 Wolf Compensation Trust that reimburses ranchers at fair market value for verified losses of livestock to wolves.
Started a landmark program that rewards landowners who allow wolf pups to be born and raised on their property.
Works to restore the Mexican wolf to the Southwest by advocating citizen support as well as congressional funding.
Working to restore wolves to the American Northeast.
Fought to stop "same-day, land-and-shoot" killing of wolves in Alaska.
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