Also called the timber or white wolf, this animal was once the most wide spread mammal, apart from humans, outside the tropics. There are probably two major reasons for its declining numbers: habitat destructions and the determined effort of country people to wipe it out. It is an intelligent and efficient predator that will take advantage of any feeding opportunity.
Close relatives
Gray wolves are related to other members of the wild dog family, in particular the very rare red wolf and much more plentiful coyote.
Gray wolves are the largest of the dog family. In a typical dog-like way, they mark their territory with strongly scented urine. Like other Canidae, wolves will eat dead meat and have certainly consumed human corpses. They hunt in packs and have been recorded killing as many as 200 sheep in a night in Italy.
Food
Pack members hunt together. Co-operative tactics allow them to pursue and fell animals that weigh up to 10 times more than the average wolf, such as moose, deer, caribou and wild horse. Smaller mammals including hares, beaver and mice are summer fare. Their hunting success rate is quite low, usually less than 10%, and they often have to go for long periods without eating. Gray wolves also eat fish and crabs, some plant material and human food scraps.Young
Gray wolves are sexually mature at around two years old and mate for life. Females bear litters of between four and seven blind, helpless young. These are cared for by their parents and other helpers in the group until they are strong enough to run with the pack.
Gray wolves are stuff of legend, ranging from the considerate she-wolf which suckled Romulus and Remus, indirectly ensuring the rise of Rome, to grossly exaggerated myths of savage attacks on people. Generally , a somewhat blood-curdling howl warns others to keep their distance, but when paths meet, they fight viciously, often until one leader is killed.
Habitat
The presence of Gray wolves is much reduced but they are still found in a wide variety of habitats from mountains to desert plains in Eastern Europe, the middle east, North America and Asia.
Howling Chorus
Wolves are social species and packs have a well developed hierarchy centring on the dominant breeding pair. Co-operative hunting by 6-12 individuals allows them to specialize in really large prey. They communicate with body language, facial expressions and howls. The howling chorus can be heard up to about 6miles(10km) away and tells other wolves to keep away.
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