Wolf
- Class: Mammals (Mammalia)
- Order: Carnivores (Carnivora)
- Family: Dogs, foxes, jackals (Canidae)
- Genus: Canis
- Species: Canis lupus
- SubGenus: C. l. lupus
Size
The grey wolf male weighs between 40 and 60 kg, the female between 30 and 50 kg.
Ecology
Grey wolves are very adaptable creatures and occur in various habitats except tropical rainforests and deserts. They are highly social, pack-living animals, each pack comprising from two to thirty-six individuals depending upon their habitat and abundance of prey. Members of the pack conform to a strict hierarchy of behaviours, and are led by the alpha pair, the only breeding pair in the pack.
Vocalisations, such as howling allow pack members to assemble for group hunts, communicate location to one another and extents of territorial boundaries to other packs.
Food habits
During the winter months wolves hunt mostly large prey such as moose, but at other times of the year they also hunt roe deer, other smaller mammals and birds.
Longevity
In the wild wolves seldom reach 10 years of age, but are known to survive to the age of 15 in zoos.
Reproduction
The alpha female comes into heat only once a year, mating during February and March. Following a 2-month gestation period she settles in a dug-out lair, and gives birth to a litter of 2 to 6 pups, which are blind at birth.
Conservation status
The grey wolf has been heavily persecuted in Europe until recent years, and has been very close to extinction. The wolf population in Sweden is presently increasing, however its long-term viability and survival depends not only on their protection, but also on the continued migration of wolves from Finland and Russia.
IUCN Threat Category:
Critically Endangered.
