Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

Special Segments Butterflies of North America Conifers of North America Eastern Birds List of N.A. Insects Home Eastern Wildflowers General Topics Natural History Ecology Family Environment Evolution Home Education Home Conservation Geophysics Paleontology Commercial Organizations

Gray Wolf (Canidae: Canis lupus)

The Gray Wolf (also sometimes called the Timber Wolf) ranges across the Taiga (Northern Boreal Forest) and Tundra regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. The Gray Wolf was formerly found in the Rocky Mountain region southward as far as northern Mexico, but has been largely killed off. Efforts are now underway to reintroduce the Gray Wolf to these U.S. regions including Yellowstone Park and western Texas. Nothing brings the sense of the wild to you like listening to the wolves howl at night while camped beside a lake in Quebec or Ontario.

Characteristic Features: The Gray Wolf is the largest of the dog-like mammals of North America. The length of the body from head to rump ranges from 44 to 48 inches and the tail adds another 12 to 20 inches. The Gray Wolf weighs between 70 to 120 pounds. The color of the Gray Wolf (despite its name) is variable. Most Gray Wolves are grayish with scattered white, tan, or black hairs. Some individuals are nearly black in color. The tundra populations can be nearly white in color. Gray Wolves are dog-like in appearance and run with the tail held up in the air.

Similar Species: The Gray Wolf shares some of its habitat, particularly in the western half of North America with the Coyote. The Coyote is a much smaller animal than the Gray Wolf with a length of 32 to 36 inches in length and a body weight of 20 to 50 pounds. The nose is longer and narrower than that of the Gray Wolf and slightly upturned. The Coyote runs with its tail hanging down. The Gray Wolf and the Coyote are natural enemies and Gray Wolves regularly kill Coyotes when they can.

Food: The Gray Wolf will feed on a variety of mammals and birds, but it prefers large mammals such as deer, elk, and caribou.

Habitat: The Gray Wolf lives in forest and on the arctic tundra.

Behavior: The Gray Wolf is a deeply social animal running in packs of up to 12 animals. The animals of a pack are nearly always related by family ties and have a strict social hierarchy. The dominant male and female respectively are called the alpha male and alpha female and lead the pack. Every wolf in a pack knows its position in the pack and acts accordingly. Gray Wolves hunt in packs usually identifying old or injured prey animals and separating them from the herd. Wolves usually bite the shoulders and flanks of the prey. Some members of the pack harass the prey from the rear, while other members sieze the prey by the nose. Gray Wolves can eat up to 20 pounds of meat when it is available. It takes about 10 square miles of territory to feed one wolf. Although Gray Wolves are normally territorial, wolf packs may follow migrating caribou herds hundreds of miles in the arctic.

Reproduction: Gray Wolf pups are born in the spring. The average litter is 4 pups, although there is a great deal of variation. The pups are fed and cared for by all the members of the pack. Pregnant females dig dens for their litters. Dens are typically tunnels extending 6 to 14 feet into the earth. Gray Wolves take 2 years to reach sexual maturity. Upon reaching sexual maturity some wolves remain with the pack, but others go off on their own (lone wolves) to seek a mate and set up their own territory.