Did
you know....
1. A wolf pack can travel 125 miles in a single day. A Wolf pack
territory can be as large as 1000 square miles. Their territory and
habitats are being encroached upon by man, which has led to their near
extinction. While wolves are still listed as a threatened and endangered
species, recent efforts are slowly increasing their numbers.
2.
Wolves are very social animals and they communicate with each other
with body language, scent marking and vocalization. Wolves mate for
life, they don't change partners as some other animals do, and their
packs are normally made up of the alpha male and female and their young.
The average span of life of a wolf in the wild is 7 to 10 years.
3. A wolf can hunt and kill prey up to 10 times their own body
weight. Their preferred meal is moose, elk, and deer. They will sometimes
prey on small mammals. Due to loss of habitat wolves have resorted to
killing domestic animals such as horses, cattle and sheep, causing them
to be hunted and killed by the ranchers and farmers.
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4.
The gray wolf or timber wolf, as it's known in some places is the
biggest of around 41 species within the dog family. They grow to be
between 26 to 38 inches in shoulder height and weigh between 57 to
130 pounds. They are normally colored gray, brown, white or black. |
5.
Gray wolves are nocturnal hunters, feeding on hoofed mammals such as
deer, elk and moose. They usually prey on the young, old or sick.
6. Gray wolves live in packs which can include between 2 up to
over 15 but normally four to seven. The packs are led by the strongest
male. They are found in the upper U.S and Canada most plentiful.
7. The Mexican gray wolf is
sometimes called the "lobo" wolf. Their territory ranged from
the southwestern United States into Mexico. They were all but extinct
by 1970, in 1976 there were listed as an endangered species. Captive
breeding has helped them to increase their numbers, though they are
still very rare sight in the wild. There are only 50 Mexican wolves
living in the wild.
8. Mexican gray wolves feed on deer, antelope, and other small
mammals and rodents. They are the smallest wolf, being only 4 to 5 ft
long, from nose to tail and only 24 to 32 inches in height at the shoulder.
They normally weigh between 50 and 90 pounds.
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9.
The Arctic wolf lives in subzero temperatures and up to five months
of darkness a year. They can go weeks without food. There is very
little known of the habits and life of this wolf. Due to the isolation
of their territory they are safe from the greatest threat of all,
man. |
10. Arctic wolves main prey include oxen and caribou, as well
as arctic hare and lemmings. They kill virtually any animal they come
across, with food being scarce, and will consume every part of it, including
the skin, fur and bones.
11. Arctic wolves are usually between 25 to 31 inches tall in
height at the shoulder, average body length from nose to tail is three
to five feet. The colors of their coats range red, gray, white and black.
Average weight of an adult male is around 175 pounds.
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To
learn more about the Wolf - you can look for zoo animal cams,
visit Disney's Animal Kingdom or read Zoo Books!
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