Gray wolf (canis lupus)

The gray wolf (Canis lupus), which is also known as the grey wolf, is a species of wolf found throughout the forests of the Northern Hemisphere. According to the taxonomic system of biology that classifies all living things based upon their shared characteristics, wolves are part of the family Canidae, which includes foxes, jackals, and coyotes. An extinct subspecies of the gray wolf was the ancestor to all domesticated dogs. Therefore, dogs are typically characterized as Canis lupus familiaris, a subspecies of the gray wolf. Wolves range in color and size depending on their subspecies.

Gray wolves figure prominently in the mythology of many cultures. Among the indigenous peoples of North America, the wolf figured into the origin myths of the Arikara and Ojibwe, while the Quileute of the Pacific Coast believed that humans were descended from wolves that had been turned human.

Behavior and Breeding

Wolves are highly social animals that primarily live in packs. The pack consists of an extended family of wolves, including a breeding pair and several of their offspring. The breeding pair are the alpha male and female. These animals dominate the other members of the pack and make decisions about hunting behaviors. All gray wolves are carnivores, which means they survive by capturing and eating other animals. They primarily hunt in groups.

Gray wolves communicate through a variety of methods. Wolves have a distinct language that consists of barks, howls, growls, whimpers, and cries. They also express themselves through body language. In particular, the position of the tail or body can have a variety of meanings, including submission, dominance, aggression, or affection. Facial expressions such as baring the teeth or flattening the ears have clear meaning to other wolves. Wolves also use scent as means of communication. Scat and urine can help to mark a territory, while pheromones (a type of smell emitted by the body) will let other wolves know when a female is in heat.

Gray wolves breed annually between the months of January and March. Female wolves are pregnant for an average of two to three months, and most puppies are born in the spring. Litters average between four and seven puppies. They reach full maturity after about ten months. Young animals usually leave their pack two to three years after their births and either join an existing pack or form their own individual pack. These animals usually travel at least fifty miles away from their parents to avoid competing with them for food or territory.

Prey and Predators

The prey of gray wolves often depends on their environment. For instance, in North America, scientists have identified six wolf ecotypes: Arctic, High Arctic, British Columbia, West Forest, Boreal Forest, and Atlantic Forest. For instance, while most wolves hunt hooved mammals like deer, moose, and elk, some subspecies of wolves such as Canis lupus columbianus of coastal British Columbia, Canada, are known to feed almost exclusively on marine life such as salmon and seals. Unlike other wolf subspecies, they spend a great deal of time in the water and are known to be excellent swimmers.

In addition to preying on large mammals, most wolves are opportunists and will feed on whatever prey is available. Arboreal forest wolves primarily feed on white-tailed deer, but eat beavers, rabbits, and other smaller animals if they are readily available. In other locations, gray wolves are known to feed on musk-oxen, mountain goats, elk, bison, and sheep.

Like many large predators, wolves require significant amounts of food to survive. On average, gray wolves need about 3.7 pounds (1.7 kilograms) of meat per day to stay healthy, although if enough food is available they will eat about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) a day. Growing adolescent wolves or pregnant wolves need more food—perhaps as much as two to three times that of the average amount. In Minnesota, the average wolf eats about fifteen to twenty deer per year. In this capacity, they serve an important role in controlling the populations of these animals. In regions where wolves were eliminated, deer populations exploded. These deer in turn had a negative influence on their environments by overgrazing on trees and plants. This altered their ecosystems in such a significant manner that it ultimately affected everything that shared these habitats. Once wolves were returned, these areas were restored to greater health. In addition, wolves feed on the sick and injured members of prey populations. This helps to keep prey populations healthier.

Wolves do not typically eat every day. As a result, on occasions where they catch a large animal, they will gorge themselves. They are capable of eating up to 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of food in a single setting. The remains left behind by wolves are eaten by other animals such as raccoons, coyotes, and other smaller animals. This represents another important role of wolves in their native ecosystems.

Conservation

Gray wolves have been stigmatized as dangerous predators that attack livestock. Despite their shy nature, they were actively hunted by humans, ostensibly to protect people and livestock from being attacked. In many locations, their populations have dropped dramatically from historic levels. Scientists estimate that perhaps as many as two million gray wolves lived in North America before the arrival of European colonists. By the 1960s, wolves only remained in small parts of Michigan and Minnesota in the contiguous United States. Populations in Canada and Alaska fared better.

The conservation of wolves has been assisted by their charismatic nature and popularity. In the United States, they have been one of the larger beneficiaries of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. In the western Great Lakes, gray wolf populations rebounded from one thousand to more than four thousand animals across three states. In the Rocky Mountains, wolves were reintroduced into the former native environments on federal lands by the US government. These efforts were controversial; many farmers and ranchers who worried that wolves would prey on their livestock opposed their return. Nonetheless, despite occasional clashes between ranchers and wolves, their numbers have rebounded. The strength of these populations has led several states to advocate legalized wolf hunts. Such hunts are legal in some states, although conservation groups have challenged them in various federal and state courts. In October 2020, the gray wolf was officially removed from the Endangered Species List, as announced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which removed special protections for the animals and their habitats as enforced by the Endangered Species Act. By that time, the species population had grown to around 6,000 animals in the lower forty-eight states. Several groups petitioned for the gray wolf to be relisted as an endangered animal in 2021, and in February 2022, a federal judged blocked the removal of the species from the Endangered Species List everywhere except in the northern Rocky Mountains region.

Another subspecies of gray wolf, the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), was virtually eliminated by 1977. Authorities in Mexico and the United States sought to save this unique subspecies by capturing the remaining animals. Using seven captured Mexican wolves kept in captivity, their wild population had grown to more than two hundred wolves by 2024.

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