There are about seven certain types wolves, and seventeen (or so) varieties of the gray wolf, resulting in a total of about 24 species that can be found throughout the world.

Wolf- a typical predator that gets food on its own active search and persecution of victims. Everywhere, ungulates form the basis of the diet of wolves: in the tundra - wild and domestic reindeer; in the forest zone - moose, roe deer, wild pigs, domestic sheep, cows, horses; near the steppe and desert - antelopes of various species and sheep; in the mountains - wild and domestic goats.

polar Wolf (Canis lupus tundrorum) is one of the rarest animals on our planet. The habitat of the polar wolf is the Arctic. to harsh conditions arctic climate the wolf is well adapted. The wind-proof dense and warm coat helps it survive in extreme temperatures. The wolf possesses sharp eyesight and a magnificent scent, which are indispensable in hunting for the few living creatures that inhabit these harsh places. Scarce supplies biological feed and difficulties in obtaining food lead to the fact that the wolf eats its prey whole, leaving neither the skin nor the bones of the caught animals after the meal. Having an average weight of 60 to 80 kg with a height of up to 80 centimeters, the polar wolf is able to survive without food in the event of an unsuccessful hunt for several weeks, but then it can eat up to 10 kilograms of meat at one time. Polar wolves live in packs of up to 10 individuals and hunt polar hares, reindeer and other animals. In one she-wolf litter, approximately 3 to 5 cubs are born. The unique fur of the polar wolf has always attracted the increased attention of hunters, which has put the polar wolf on the brink of extinction. Due to global warming and melting polar ice the number of polar wolves continues to decline also due to drastic changes in the climate of its habitual habitats. Currently, the polar wolf is listed in the Red Book, and hunting for it is prohibited.

– rare view, included in the IUCN Red Book and the Red Book of the Russian Federation. On the territory of Russia is under the threat of extinction. Hunting is allowed in India, but only with licenses. Outwardly, this animal has a peculiar appearance - the features of a gray wolf, fox and jackal are mixed. Body length 76-103 cm, tail - 40-48 cm, weight - 14-21 kg. The red wolf has thick, long reddish-red hair on the back and sides, on the chest, stomach and inside legs are cream. The long fluffy tail looks like a fox, it is darker than the rest of the body, almost black at the end. The head shows a dark pattern around the eyes and on the nose. The red wolf is a predator, it feeds mainly on wild animals, but in the summer it also consumes plant foods, namely, mountain rhubarb. Puppy dens always have this plant. It is believed that wolves feed them to young wolf cubs by regurgitating half-digested rhubarb inflorescences. Sometimes they eat carrion. Wolves hunt in packs of 15-20 individuals, they act very well together, which allows them to catch even a large animal, for example, a buffalo. Thanks to their endurance, they drive their prey to exhaustion, after which its fate is decided. Red wolves are quite "talkative" animals. Awake animals almost constantly emit a low whine, apparently maintaining contact with other members of the pack. In India, red pegs breed within six months. The duration of pregnancy of females is 60-68 days. Average brood size is 4-6 pups. Wolf cubs are dark brown in color, blind, weighing 200-350 g. Puppies leave the burrow at 70-80 days, at seven months they already participate in collective hunting. Sexual maturity occurs at 2-3 years. Life expectancy in captivity is about 16 years. In captivity, this period is much less.

Marsupial wolf or thylacine, as it is otherwise called, is officially considered an extinct animal. According to official data, the last wild representative of this species was killed in 1930, and the last kept in captivity in a private zoo died of old age in 1936. But still, the possibility remains that the marsupial wolf still managed to survive in the wilderness of Tasmania (where it once thrived). But so far not a single animal has been caught or even photographed. But scientists do not lose hope. In 1999, scientists at the National Australian Museum based in Sydney issued a press statement announcing the start of an ambitious thylacine clone project. Scientists set out to use puppies' DNA marsupial wolf that have been preserved in alcoholic form. DNA was extracted, but, alas, the samples were damaged and unsuitable for the experiment. The project was suspended. But in 2008, scientists managed to “revive” one of the marsupial wolf genes and “embed” it into a mouse embryo. So who is this marsupial wolf? Marsupial wolf (Tasmanian wolf or marsupial tiger) is a mammal, the only one in the thylacine family. His first studies and descriptions date back to 1808. These descriptions were made by a certain Harris, he was an amateur naturalist. His work was published by the London Linnean Society. The thylacine was one of the largest carnivorous marsupials in the world. The length of his body reached one and a half meters, and even more with the tail. The height at the withers is approximately sixty centimeters. The weight of the marsupial wolf was twenty - twenty-five kilograms. But the most surprising thing about his appearance was his mouth - elongated and elongated, it could open as much as 120 degrees. An interesting fact is known that when a wolf yawned, its jaws formed a straight line (well, almost a straight line).

(Chrysocyon brachyurus) or guar, aguarachai got its name because of the long hair that adorns its shoulders and neck, resembling a horse's mane. Habitat maned wolf mostly savannas South America, but it can also be found in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and Northern Argentina, where it lives in the pampas and along the outskirts of swamps overgrown with tall grass. Lean and light, the maned wolf has a red coat color, an elongated muzzle and large ears, which makes it remotely similar to a very large fox. The length of the body of a maned wolf, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, is approximately 160 cm, the height of the wolf in the shoulder area reaches, on average, 75 cm, and the weight varies from 20 to 23 kilograms. Aguarachai - the tallest of all known species wolves. Long legs help the maned wolf locate prey over tall grass that covers savannahs and wetlands. The wolf hunts, as a rule, alone, and its prey is mainly small animals, such as agouti, pacu, various birds and reptiles. The wolf also eats fruits and other plant foods, carries around poultry, and is capable of attacking sheep when in packs. Auarachai live in pairs, but rarely contact each other. The cubs of the maned wolf have a black coat color and are born in winter, 2-3 wolf cubs per litter. Aguarachai or maned wolves are listed in the International Red Book as a species in danger. Currently, there is no immediate threat of extinction, but the maned wolf still remains a very rare animal.

(Canis lupus arctos), also called the Ellesmere or Arctic wolf, lives in North America on a group of Arctic islands and in the northern part of the island of Greenland. The Melville island wolf is slightly smaller than the common wolf, and its length, from the ears to the tip of the tail, varies from 90 to 180 cm. The wolf reaches a maximum height of 69-79 cm, with a weight of about 45 kg., although especially large , adult males can weigh about 80 kg. Melville fur island wolf usually light white or greyish. The ears of the wolf are small in size, which helps him rationally expend heat in conditions low temperatures. In order to more successfully hunt, Melville wolves unite in packs of 5-10 individuals. The main objects of hunting of the Melville island wolf are reindeer and musk oxen, to which the wolf pack uses driven hunting tactics, attacking mainly weakened prey that cannot offer strong resistance. The food of the wolf is also Arctic hares, lemmings and, occasionally, moose. Permafrost is a significant obstacle that makes it difficult for a wolf to set up and dig a den, so wolves use the natural landscape and place their dwellings in rock ledges, caves or small depressions. Few cubs are born to the Melville island wolf, 2-3 cubs per litter, which is largely due to the harsh living conditions in the Arctic climate.

It belongs to the class of mammals and the order of carnivores. The name Japanese wolf comes from two subspecies of the common wolf family (Canis lupus) that once inhabited the islands of Japan. In the world classification, the Japanese wolf belongs to the Hokkaido wolf (Canis lupus hattai). He is also known as Ezo, the wolf that lived on the island of Hokkaido. And the second subspecies is the Khondos wolf or Honshu wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax). Today, both species are considered extinct. In terms of external dimensions, Hokkaido was much larger than the Honshu wolf, and in terms of parameters approaching the size of an ordinary wolf. In 1889, this subspecies became extinct due to the increased settlement of the island for the construction of farms, during the Meiji Restoration period, the Existing Meiji Government determined the reward for anyone who brought the head of a dead wolf, thereby organizing a campaign to exterminate them.

Lyry wolf found exclusively in South America

Newfoundland Wolf - Officially disappeared in 1911

Newfoundland Wolf (Canis lupus beothucus) The Newfoundland wolf lived on an island off Newfoundland off the east coast of Canada. The color was light with a dark stripe along the ridge. The size had an average of 5.5 feet (from the nose to the tip of the tail). The diet was: Caribou (as reindeer are called in Canada), beavers, voles and other rodents. Hunting and fur trade in the region led to the complete extinction of this species in 1911. Factors such as a severe food shortage in the 1900s, which led to a sharp decline in the caribou population, also had an impact on the disappearances.

A wolf that looks a lot like a fox. This species is under the threat of extinction, for fur, which has no analogues (fur color can reach yellow), fishing for this animal is common.

Also known as Mountain Wolf, Alaskan or Canadian Forest Wolf. A direct relative of our timber wolf, but due to specific habitat conditions, it has a thicker coat and a whitish color that remains even in summer.

On the territory of Russia there are wolves of six subspecies:

Tundra wolf, Central Russian forest wolf, Siberian forest wolf, Steppe wolf, Caucasian wolf, Mongolian wolf.

Contrary to popular belief, it is this wolf that reaches its maximum size on the Eurasian continent, and not the tundra wolf. The color is classic, not bleached like the tundra. The body length of adult Central Russian forest wolves can exceed 160 cm, and the height at the shoulders can reach 1 meter. Of course, such sizes can only apply to very large individuals. It is generally accepted that on average an adult male weighs 40 - 45 kg, over-flying (about 1 year and 8 months old) - about 35 kg, and a profitable (8 months old) - 25 kg. She-wolves weigh 15 - 20% less. Anyone who is familiar with the old hunting literature, or who has been in the "wolf" corners and talking with the locals, must have read or heard about huge wolves. How much mass can wolves reach? For Central Russia, scientific papers indicate the maximum mass in the range of 69 - 80 kg. (Ognev, Zworykin). And here are the results of weighing specific animals. For the Moscow region - a male weighing 76 kg, the largest of the 250 wolves caught by the well-known wolf cub V. M. Khartuleri in the thirties and forties of the last century. For Altai - a male weighing 72 kg. The wolf, whose stuffed animal is in the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, weighed 80 kg (5 pounds). According to N. D. Sysoev, head of the state hunting inspection Vladimir region, in the period from 1951 to 1963, 641 wolves were killed, of which 17 were especially large. Among these animals, the largest mass was: from males - 79 kg, obtained in the Sobinsky district, from females - 62 kg. The footprint of the right front paw of this huge, almost eighty-kilogram animal was 16 cm long and 10 cm wide. It must be said that even larger wolves are indicated for Ukraine - 92 kg from the Luhansk region and 96 kg from Chernihiv, but the conditions for determining the mass of these animals are unknown. The Central Russian timber wolf lives throughout the forest and forest-steppe zone of the European part of Russia, probably penetrating into Western Siberia. In the north, its entry into the forest-tundra is quite possible, however, just like the tundra into the taiga.

Also a large beast, in its medium size not inferior to the previous subspecies. According to many scientists, as a separate subspecies, it is still conditionally distinguished, since the taxonomy of Siberian wolves is still poorly developed. The predominant color is light gray, buffy tones are poorly visible or absent altogether. The fur, although not as high and silky as that of the tundra wolf, is also thick and soft. Its range is mostly considered to be Eastern Siberia, the Far East and Kamchatka, except for the tundra zone, as well as Transbaikalia.

In general, somewhat smaller than forest, with sparse and coarser hair. Color on the back with a noticeable predominance of rusty-gray or even brown hair, and the sides are light gray. Its range includes the steppes of southern Russia, including the Ciscaucasian, Caspian, Ural and Lower Volga regions. Poorly studied. The system of certain features has not been developed. The number is low, especially in the western parts of the range.

Medium-sized animal with coarse and short outer hair and rather poorly developed underfur. The color is noticeably darker than the above subspecies due to the black guard hairs evenly distributed over the skin. The general tone is dirty gray, dull. Within our country, the range is limited by the Main Caucasian Range and its wooded foothills.

The Mongolian wolf is the smallest in size compared to all wolves that live in Russia. The average weight of males of this species does not exceed 40 kg. The Mongolian wolf has a dull, dirty-gray hue, rough and hard hair. This subspecies of wolves is common in eastern and southwestern Transbaikalia and in Primorsky Krai.

The lifestyle of wolves. Migration of wolves in search of new territories

Wolves lifestyle

Wolves are active mainly at night, but sometimes they can be found during the day. They make their presence known with a vowel howl, which is very different in character in adult males, she-wolves and young ones, and also depending on the situation. The point is that with different kind howling wolves exchange information about the presence of prey, the appearance of other wolves in the territory of the pack, the appearance of people and other important events. Wolves also have a fairly developed facial expressions - their muzzle expressions, postures and tail positions can be very diverse, which reflects the emotional state of the animals and is of paramount importance for establishing contacts between individuals or, on the contrary, preventing collisions. Of the analyzers in wolves, hearing is the most developed, something weaker is sight and smell.
Well-developed higher nervous activity in wolves is combined with strength, dexterity, tirelessness, running speed and other physical data, which significantly increase the chances of this predator in the struggle for survival. Without visible effort, he can carry a sheep in his teeth, holding it in front of him or throwing it behind his back. If necessary, the wolf develops a speed of up to 55-60 kilometers per hour, capable of crossing up to 60-80 km. per night, and on average per day (in the forest zone) to pass more than 20 km.

In the tundra, as well as in the mountains, wolves carry out seasonal migrations behind herds of wild and domestic ungulates. Sometimes there is a noticeable increase in the number of wolves in a certain area as a result of a sharp deterioration in living conditions in neighboring areas. Migration of wolves in search of new territories In a wolf pack, there is a strict hierarchical ladder, which is determined by a very complex set of relationships in the pack, the age of its members and exploits in hunting. The least respected are the young wolves, who occupy the lowest places in the hierarchy, it is they who often fight back from the pack, showing pride and impatience for oppression by older brothers. Such wolves migrate from the territory occupied by the pack to fairly long distances in search of the same tribesmen or smaller packs with weaker leaders and available single she-wolves. Lone wolves move cautiously, avoiding encounters with humans, but not necessarily at night. Along the way, the wolf stops to hunt, often for livestock. When meeting with lonely brothers, they stray into small flocks and continue on their way in search of free territories and rich hunting grounds. At the same time, a pack of migrating wolves can be up to three, five individuals. When united in a pack, wolves often attack shepherds and enter small villages, but only when they have not been lucky in hunting for a long time. A meeting of migrating wolves with a pack of fellow tribesmen can end in trouble for a weaker opponent. Thus, going through difficulties and trials, wolves explore new territories, sometimes running hundreds of kilometers.

Wolf hunting. How do wolves divide territory?

Wolf hunting

Wolves belong to the canine family and are very similar to dogs in appearance and habits. Well-developed muscles and fairly long legs allow them to run fast enough. Wolves used to be very numerous in the Northern Hemisphere, but in many countries they have been exterminated. Wolves live in packs according to the laws of hierarchy (one wolf rules over others) and communicate using a whole range of sounds of different tones.
How do wolves hunt? They move in search of prey along the same routes, more than 160 kilometers long. Sometimes it takes them several weeks to cover all the trails. Wolves are carnivores, so they eat meat. They attack other animals that they meet on the way. Wolves prey on deer, elk and other large ungulates. In Canada and Alaska, wolves stalk caribou herds, attacking young and weak, sick animals. In the north, wolves prey on musk oxen. And if they see a herd of livestock left unattended, they will immediately attack it. Wolves also prey on hares and other rodents, but only if there is no easier prey nearby. Hungry animals, having lost hope, feast on fresh meat, are content with forest berries.

How do wolves divide territory?

Owning a vast territory, a pack of polar wolves, for example, will not be able to retain exclusive rights to it, of course, but wolves living in the forest, whose possessions are much smaller, are forced to clearly recognize the border of their territory .. Wolves mark their possessions with the smell of their own body, raising their paws like domestic dogs. They do this especially carefully on the border with the territory of another flock. So that the neighbors understand who they are dealing with and are afraid to violate the border. Smells play an even greater role in communication between wolves than sounds. If one pack of wolves, for example, in the process of hunting, crosses paths with another, then bloody showdowns with victims are inevitable, which is why the wolves howl warning others of their whereabouts. The alpha male usually begins to howl, others pick up his howl .. Pursuing prey, wolves howl making shorter sounds, notifying their fellows where they are. All nearby wolf packs respond to the howl of one of the packs, and an unthinkable forest cacophony immediately begins. However, it often happens that one of the flocks does not reasonably pick up someone else's howl, it is numerically too small, and therefore it needs to hide or retreat as quickly as possible for the same reasons. It should be noted that a lone wolf will never howl

Life in a wolf's skin

Have you ever wondered where this expression came from? For some reason, it is generally accepted that life in a wolf's skin is, first of all, the risk of running into a hunter at any moment, who, with his very first intention, will try to take this very skin from you. It may well be that life in a wolf's skin is not at all the fear of dying at the hands of a hunter, but the fear of dying alone? In ancient times, it was believed that wolves embody in their essence all the evil that lives in the forests. In all children's fairy tales, of course, the wolf appears in the image of a negative hero, but if you think about it thoroughly, it was we who made such an image of the wolf. Maybe, in fact, wolves are completely different? One day, bumping into television program about domesticated wild animals, I was able to imagine for myself the real image of the wolf, not inspired by false ideas. Like a faithful dog, a huge gray wolf, playing, licked the hands of his master, a man who had long ago picked him up as a wolf cub in the forest, cured him and gave, in fact, a new life. Why did the wolf, such a terrible and lonely animal, sincerely thank his savior and educator? Perhaps because he found himself a true friend among people and now he is not afraid to die alone.

Wolf- this is, first of all, the highest symbol of freedom in the animal world, a symbol of independence (whereas the so-called king of animals - a lion is trained in a circus).
WolfIt is also a symbol of fearlessness. In any fight, the wolf fights to victory or to death.
Wolf does not pick up carrion, which means it is also a symbol of purity.
Wolf lives with a family, takes care only of his wolf-wife, and the wolf-father himself brings up his cubs. Among wolves there is no such vice as adultery.
Wolf- it is also a symbol of high morality, devotion to the family (which cannot be said about males of other animals).
Wolf - a symbol of justice and ambition. Under normal conditions, the wolf will not allow, for its part, to offend the weaker.

27 comments on the article Breeds of wolves

The wolf is a mammal, a predator of the canine family. The very word "wolf" leads to Proto-Indo-European roots. The wolf, coyote, jackal belong to a small genus of wolves. According to the results of studies in genetic drift and DNA sequencing, he is the direct ancestor of the domestic dog. And she, in turn, is a subspecies of the wolf. In the canine family, the wolf is the largest animal: body length - 160 cm, height at the withers - 90 cm; weight - 62 kg.

Previously, most often the wolf could be found in North America and Eurasia. But today the situation has much worsened, in some places even to a critical state. All the ongoing changes that technical progress entails contribute to changes in the natural landscape, climate, urbanization and mass extermination of animals. Wolves are no exception, so in many regions they are even at the stage of extinction. But in some places their numbers remain stable. But, no matter what, wolves continue to be exterminated as a threat to humans and livestock, or just for fun.

This situation can lead to irreparable consequences, since the wolf is also part of a large ecosystem. Biomes such as forest, steppe, mountain systems, taiga are directly dependent on the existence of this mammal. All 32 wolf subspecies differ only in size and fur color. In the Russian Federation, we can meet the common and tundra wolf.

According to Bergman's rule: the colder the climate, the larger the animal, we conclude that the size and weight category of wolves is variable depending on the habitat. For example, a female Arabian wolf can weigh about 10 kg, while a female wolf living in Alaska can weigh up to 70 kg. But this happens in rare cases, for example, when a wolf weighing 80 kg was registered in Alaska in 1939. Now individual males can weigh in the range of 77 kg. But most often we meet a wolf weighing 32 - 62 kg, with a height at the withers of 60 - 85 cm and a length of 105 - 160 cm. Therefore, they are recognized as the largest mammals in their family. The female is about 20% smaller than the male, which has an even broader head.

The appearance of a wolf is very similar to that of a large pointed-eared dog. It is characterized by such external parameters:
- paw 15 cm long, 7 cm wide;
- high on the legs;
- wide massive muzzle;
- a broad-browed and strongly elongated head with characteristic "whiskers".

The track of a wolf can be easily distinguished from that of a dog - on its middle paws, two fingers are slightly ahead of the rest. A wolf is distinguished from a coyote and a jackal by a rather massive and expressive muzzle, in which it is narrower and sharper. Anger, fun, anger, threat, fear, etc. can be reflected on it. - only about 10 facial expressions. The most important weapon of a wolf is its teeth, by which you can find out what kind of life a predator leads. They can withstand a load of 10 MPa. When a wolf loses its teeth, it is doomed to hunger and inactivity. Let's write down characteristics placement of teeth in the cleft palate:
- the upper jaw consists of 2 canines, 6 incisors, 4 molars and 8 premolars;
- the lower jaw consists of the same teeth as the upper one, only plus 2 more molars.

An important role is played by the fangs, with which the predator holds and drags its prey, 4 upper premolars and the very first lower premolars, with which it cuts it.
The back of the wolf's body is the tail, constantly in a lowered state. It is much more massive and longer than that of a dog. It can be used to determine what emotions the animal is experiencing, or what place it occupies in the pack.

The fur cover of the wolf is quite dense, consists of two layers of wool. Therefore, sometimes wolves can seem so massive to us, which in reality is not so. All this is explained by the way and place of life of the animal. The first layer of wool is waterproof, designed to warm the animal - the undercoat. The second layer repels dirt and water with coarse outer hair. When spring comes, wolves begin to molt, rub against trees and stones, so that the fluff exfoliates faster from the body.

The environment determines the color of the wolf. If it is a tundra, the color is almost white, if it is a forest, then it is gray-brown, if it is a desert, then it is grayish-reddish. Since this is a predator, it must merge with the environment in order to be unnoticed. But this does not always determine the color of the wolf. It often happens that, by the way of its color, the wolf informs others about its individuality. This only applies to the top (second) layer of wool, as the bottom (first) is always grey. Wolf cubs are always born in the same color - black, which is then changed to its own unique color. BUT Blue eyes change color to orange or golden yellow after 8 to 16 weeks. A very rare blue-eyed wolf. Mixed shades are possible within the same population, they only enhance the individuality of the animal.

The vocal means of wolves are striking in variety: barking, growling, whimpering, howling, grumbling, yelping. And each of these types of sounds has its own variations. The voice capabilities of wolves do not exceed only humans and bats. Messages can be quite diverse: they report the location of animals or even the appearance of a person on the territory. Farley Mowat saw this for himself by watching wolves on the Canadian tundra. He traced and checked the message transmitted by the wolves about the movement of the caribou. The distance from one wolf to another could be about 8 kilometers. After listening to the information received, the wolf threw back its head and began to howl with a vibrating howl, but at first the howl was in low tones and ended the transmission of the message to the next one in very high tones, which are still distinguishable by human hearing.
In parallel, the verification of the truth of the information transmitted by the wolves was carried out - everything was correct. When the growl of a wolf is similar to the growl of a dog that is trying to rush at a person, then such a cry is called a battle cry. Those. this is a kind of signal to attack, which gives the leader.

At dawn or dusk, you can hear how a pack of wolves howl. But this doesn't happen every day. The leader of the pack always begins to howl, his voice is very different from the rest, then the rest of the pack members support him. It all ends with yapping and shrill barking. All this speaks of a "friendly" family, this is a sign of their belonging to the pack, which they emotionally strengthen during the howl. But it is also one of the ways to communicate with other packs. Farley Mowat also met a man in the tundra who understood all the messages transmitted by wolves. It was the Eskimo Utek.

In the course of evolution, wolves have developed many physiological features that help them survive in any terrain. Wolves can easily move long distances. This disposes them physiological structure paws that have membranes between the fingers, which allows you to move through deep snow much faster than other animals, correctly distributing the load. Wolves are "digitigrade" animals, since during the run the main load is directed to the fingers, which balances their weight very well. On the front paws of the wolves there is a fifth vestigial finger, which is located on the inside of the metatarsus. In addition, the front paws are much larger than the hind legs.

Wolves are well adapted to survive in very cold winters. Wool does not transmit heat, its thermal conductivity is 2 times less than that of a beaver or muskrat. Highly important point is the absence of sweat glands in wolves, they, like dogs, “sweat their tongues”. Moving on slippery surfaces, the wolf feels very confident due to the bristly fur and blunt claws. On the paws there are special blood vessels that do not allow the paws to freeze. Another way to report the location of the pack is the scent trail. Between the fingers of the wolf are special glands that secrete the smell. They help them navigate the terrain by following the tracks left, and inform other packs about the location of the leader. The physique of wolves is quite streamlined, especially the chest, the back is sloping, and the legs are very strong. They allow the wolf to overcome distances of up to tens of kilometers a day at a trot, and the speed is about 10 km / h. But in critical situations, wolves can accelerate to 65 km / h, performing jumps 5 meters long.

For some reason, I like only shepherd dogs and Siberian huskies from dogs. Maybe because they resemble natural animals - wolves!

Let's take a brief look at interesting facts about these animals. Almost all photos are clickable up to 1920 px

Gray wolves are slender, powerfully built with a large, deep-set chest and sloping back. The belly of the gray wolf is retracted, the neck is muscular. Their limbs are long and reliable, with relatively small paws. There are five toes on each front paw and four on the hind paws. Females usually have narrow muzzle and forehead, thin neck, her paws are slightly shorter than those of males, and less massive shoulders. Wolves very strong for their size, with enough strength to overturn a horse or frozen elk carcasses.

In general, gray wolves are the largest of the animals belonging to the Canidae family, apart from some large breeds domestic dogs.

The length of an adult gray wolf is 105-160 cm, the height of the animal at the shoulder is 80-85 cm. The weight of the wolf varies in different geographical areas; on average, the European wolf can weigh 38.5 kg, the North American wolf 36 kg, and the Indian and Arabian wolves 25 kg. Female wolves tend to weigh 5-10 kg less than males. Wolves weighing over 54 kg are rare, but exceptionally large individuals have been recorded in Alaska, Canada, and the former Soviet Union.

Gray wolves can run at a speed of 56-64 km/h, and can run non-stop for more than 20 minutes, although not necessarily at the same speed. In cold climates, wolves may reduce blood flow to conserve body heat. Warm lower parts The paws are adjusted independently of the rest of the body, and are maintained at a level just above where the paws come into contact with ice and snow. The head of a gray wolf is large and heavy. The ears are comparatively small and triangular. As a rule, in bodily configuration they resemble German shepherds and huskies.

In general, gray wolves are the largest of the Canidae family apart from some large domestic dog breeds.
In winter, gray wolves have a very dense and fluffy coat, with a short undercoat and long protective hairs. Most of the undercoat falls out in the spring and grows back in the fall. Winter wool is very resistant to cold; wolves in the Nordic countries can safely be in open country at -40°, placing their muzzle between their hind legs and covering it with their tail. Wolf hair provides better insulation than dog hair and does not collect ice.

Their sense of smell is poorly developed compared to some breeds of hunting dogs. Because of this, they rarely catch hidden hares and birds, although they can easily track prey on fresh tracks.

A pack of wolves consists of a male, female and cubs. As a rule, wolves rarely accept strangers into their pack and often kill them. However, in times of threat, such as when there are large numbers of artiodactyls, several packs may unite for better defense. In areas with few wolves, the wolf tends to be monogamous. Usually a pair lasts for life until one of the wolves dies. However, after the death of one of the wolves, the couple is quickly restored with the help of others. AT wild nature wolves can breed from the age of two. Females can bring cubs once a year. Mating usually takes place at the end of winter. Pregnancy lasts 62-75 days, cubs are usually born in the summer. The average litter consists of 5-6 cubs. Wolf cubs are born blind and deaf, and are covered with short, soft greyish-brown fur. At birth, they weigh 300-500 grams. During the first month, they feed on their mother's milk. After 3 weeks, the cubs leave the den for the first time. At 1.5 months of age, they are already able to flee from danger. They start eating solid food at 3-4 weeks of age. During the first four months of life, wolf cubs grow very quickly: during this time, the weight of the cub can increase by almost 30 times.

Wolves are very territorial animals. They defend their territory from other packs by marking their territory with their scent, direct attacks, and howls.

Wolves mainly feed on ungulates (sometimes 10-15 times larger than themselves). They hunt marmots, hares, badgers, foxes, ferrets, ground squirrels, mice, hamsters, voles and other rodents, as well as insectivores. Wolves may also willingly feed on carrion, especially during food shortages. They often eat waterfowl, lizards, snakes, frogs, toads, and rarely large insects. During harsh winters, packs often attack weak or injured wolves, and they may even eat the bodies of dead pack members.

Wolves usually dominate among predators.
The body language of wolves consists of various expressions of the muzzle, the position of the tail. An aggressive or defensive wolf is characterized by slow and deliberate movements, high posture and raised hair, calm wolves have a calm posture, smooth coat, lowered ears and tail. With the help of howling, wolves gather a pack (usually before and after hunting), transmit information, find each other during a storm or in unfamiliar territory, and communicate over long distances.

Although dogs and wolves are genetically very close, they do not usually voluntarily interbreed under natural conditions. But, nevertheless, they can produce viable offspring, and all subsequent generations will also be able to have offspring.

The gray wolf was once the most common mammal in the world, living north of 15°N. in North America and 12°N. in Eurasia. Wolves tend to have difficulty adapting to humans and the changes that humans make, and are therefore often referred to as indicator species. Wolves do not seem to be able to adapt to the expansion of civilization as easily as, for example, the coyotes did. Even though gray wolves are not endangered, wolf populations are still under threat in some places.

Because wolves travel long distances, they can play an important role in the spread of disease. Infectious diseases spread by wolves include brucellosis, tularemia, listeriosis, and anthrax. Wolves can also suffer from rabies. But, as a rule, if the first symptoms of the disease appear in the wolf, he leaves his pack, thus preventing the spread of the disease.

The damage caused by wolves to livestock has been one of the main reasons for hunting wolves, and this can be a serious problem for the conservation of the wolf population. Wolves are generally not dangerous to humans as long as they are scarce, have adequate food, rarely meet humans, and occasionally hunt. Cases of wolf attacks on humans are rare, but in the early 20th century such attacks were common.

Wolves are notoriously difficult to hunt due to their elusiveness, keen senses, and ability to quickly kill hunting dogs. When hunting wolves with dogs, as a rule, greyhounds, hounds and fox terriers are used. The greyhounds chase and block the wolves until the arrival of the heavier dogs, which carry out most military operations.

Wolf skins are used primarily for scarves and trimming women's clothing, although they are also sometimes used in short cloaks, coats, and carpets. Hunting wolves for their fur has little effect on their population size, as only northern varieties of wolves (whose numbers are stable) are of commercial value. Wolf hunting for fur remains a lucrative source of income for many Native Americans.

Keeping wolves as pets is becoming more and more popular. In the US alone, according to various estimates, from 80,000 to 2 million wolves live in homes. Wolves can be less predictable and controllable than dogs. A wolf cub under the age of one year is usually not aggressive towards strangers, although their aggression increases with age, especially during the mating season. Males can be more aggressive and harder to manage than females. Wolves are difficult to keep in standard kennels, as they can quickly learn how to open valves just by watching people do it.

Although wolves are trainable, they lack the pliability of dogs. As a rule, they react to coercive methods differently than dogs, they become afraid, become irritable and resist. Even when a certain behavior has been repeated several times, the wolf can get bored and ignore subsequent commands. When training a wolf, mere praise is not enough. Unlike dogs, wolves tend to respond more to hand signals than to voice signals.

Under certain weather conditions, wolves can hear sounds at a distance of 9 kilometers in the forest, and 16 km. in open area.

The Vikings wore wolf skins and drank wolf blood before the battle, which they took with them to raise their morale.

The earliest depictions of wolves are found in caves in southern Europe and are over 20,000 years old.
A wolf cannot be tamed and made a guard dog, he is afraid of strangers and will hide from them, and not bark.

The autoimmune disease lupus, or skin tuberculosis, literally means "red wolf" because in the eighteenth century doctors believed that the disease developed after a wolf bite.

Wolves distinguish about 200 million shades of smell, people only 5 million. The wolf family is able to smell the smell of other animals at a distance of 1.5 kilometers.

The eyes of wolf puppies are always blue at birth. They turn yellow only by eight months.

The gestation period of a she-wolf is about 65 days. Wolf puppies are born deaf and blind, and weigh only half a kilogram.

Wolves were once the most common land predators, the only places where they did not live were deserts and rainforests.

Enormous pressure is created by the teeth in the cleft palate, approximately 300 kilograms per square centimeter (compared to 150 kg/cm^2 in a dog).

The population of the North American gray wolf in 1600 was 2 million individuals. Today there are no more than 65 thousand of them left in North America.

A hungry wolf can eat 10 kilograms of meat in one sitting, it's like a person eating a hundred hamburgers in one sitting.

A wolf pack can consist of two or three individuals, or maybe ten times more.
Wolves are descended from ancient animals called "Mesocyon" that lived about 35 million years ago. It was a small animal, like a dog, with short legs and long body. Perhaps they, like wolves, lived in packs.

Wolves can swim for distances of up to 13 kilometers, helping themselves when moving in the water with small webs between their fingers.

Between 1883 and 1918, only one US state Montana killed over 80,000 wolves.

Adolf Hitler (whose name means "leading wolf") was fascinated by wolves and sometimes demanded to be called "Herr Wolf" or "Conductor Wolf" as a pseudonym. "Wolf Gorge" (Wolfsschlucht), "Wolf's Lair" (Wolfschanze) and "Werewolf" (Wehrwolf) were Hitler's code names for various military headquarters.

In the 1600s, Ireland was called "Wolfland" because there were so many wolves there at the time. Wolf hunting was the most popular sport among the nobility, who used wolfhounds to locate the wolf and kill it.

Biologists have determined that wolves will respond to humans imitating wolf howls. It would be strange if it were different...

In 1927, a French policeman was convicted of shooting a boy he thought was a werewolf. In the same year, the last wild wolf was killed in France.

When the Europeans sailed to North America, the wolf became the most popular game among them in hunting animals in all of American history. These animals were on the verge of extinction at the beginning of the 20th century. The U.S. federal government even enacted a wolf eradication program in the Western states in 1915.

Dire wolves ("canis dirus") are one of the representatives of prehistoric wolves that lived in North America about two million years ago. They hunted mainly prey of such sizes as mammoths.

Wolves can run for a minute or two at a speed of 32 km / h, and in moments of danger or pursuit - up to 56 km / h. It has been observed that during the day they run at a “trot” (about 8 km / h) and can travel at this speed throughout the day.

The smallest representatives of wolves live in the Middle East, where they reach a mass of no more than 30 kilograms. The largest wolf individuals live in Canada, Alaska, and Russia, where they gain weight up to 80 kilograms.

Wolves howl to communicate with disunited members of their group to rally before a hunt, or to warn rival packs to stay away. Lone wolves howl to attract mates or simply because they are alone. In fact, the wolf howl lasts no more than 5 seconds, just because of the echo it seems that the sound is longer.

The reflective layer in the eyes of the wolf is called "tapetum lucidum" (Latin for "bright tapestry"), it glows in the dark and also promotes night vision in the animal.

Where wolves live, crows (sometimes called "wolf birds") are often found. Crows often follow packs of wolves to finish off the remains of the hunt, and also use wolves as protection.

According to Pliny the Elder, a Greek scholar of the first century, she-wolf of tongues rubs the gums of puppies to relieve the pain when they appear. He also believed that wolf dung could be used to treat stomach cramps and cataracts.

The Aztecs used wolf liver in the treatment of melancholy as an ingredient in medicines. In addition, they pricked the chest of the dying man with a sharpened wolf bone in an attempt to delay the date of death.

During the Middle Ages, Europeans used wolf liver powders to relieve the pain of childbirth.

The Greeks believed that if someone ate the meat of a wolf that kills lambs, then he is exposed to high risk become a vampire.

The Cherokee Indians did not hunt wolves, because they believed that the brothers of the dead would take revenge on them. In addition, the weapon with which the wolf was killed was considered "corrupted."

The British King Edgard introduced a special annual tax of 300 skins for Wales, as a result of which the Welsh wolf population was quickly destroyed.

In 1500 the last wild wolf was killed in England, in 1700 in Ireland, and in 1772 on Danish soil.

Germany was the first country to place a wolf population under conservation laws in 1934. Under the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche (b.1844-d.1900) and Oswald Spengler (b.1880-d.1936), society became convinced that natural predators mattered much more than their value after being killed. By the way, in Germany, all wild wolves were exterminated by the middle of the nineteenth century.

Unlike other animals, wolves have a range of distinctive facial movements that they use to communicate and maintain relationships within a pack.

In Japanese, the word wolf is characterized as "great god".
Between 6,000 and 7,000 wolf skins are still sold annually in the world. They are supplied mainly from

Russia, Mongolia and China, and are most often used for sewing coats.

In India, simple traps are still used to catch wolves. These traps are pits camouflaged with branches and leaves. Wolves fall into the pit on sharp stakes, and people finish them off from above with stones.

Wolves were the first animals to be listed as endangered in 1973.

John Milton's famous poem "Lycidas" takes its name from the Greek "wolf cub" lykideus.

In the world of Harry Potter, there was a werewolf Remus Lupin, whose name is directly related to the Latin word "lupus", but the surname most likely came from Remus, the founder of Rome, who was fed by wolves.

The last wolf in Yellowstone Park was killed in 1926. In 1995, people managed to restore the wolf population, and after ten years, approximately 136 wolves roam the park, huddled in 13 packs.

Currently, there are about 50 thousand wolves in Canada and Alaska, 6500 in the USA. On the European continent, in

Italy - less than 300, in Spain about 2000, in Norway and Sweden - less than 80. There are about 700 wolves in Poland, and 70 thousand in Russia.

Wolves never miss a chance to eat. Often, living in the most severe corners of the planet, wolves often eat their wounded or sick relatives. In addition, a trapped wolf should be removed by hunters as soon as possible, as there is a very high risk that other wolves will find it and eat it.

Some wolves can reach a weight of 100 kg. The size of wolves grows exponentially with the degree of remoteness from the equator. Tropical wolves are often the same size as normal dogs, but the wolves of the far north average over 60 kg.

In 2008, researchers at Stanford University found that mutations associated with black fur occur only in dogs, so black wolves are nothing more than hybrids. Most often, such wolves are found in North America.

In areas where wolves were subject to mass extermination, coyotes flourished. Recent studies have shown that 22% of all coyotes in North America are descendants of wolves. Such animals are usually larger than ordinary coyotes, but smaller than wolves, and also distinguished by extreme cunning. They combine the absence of fear of a person and pronounced wolf instincts and a high level of aggression.

Although wolves are not the main carriers of rabies, they can easily pick it up from raccoons and foxes. Unlike other animals, which become lethargic and disoriented when infected, wolves are instantly enraged. Most cases of attacks on people provoked by rabies. And the desire of wolves to bite on the neck or head often leads to the fact that the rabies virus enters the human brain much earlier than medical care is provided.

The wolves of America are less likely to attack people than their other brethren. Historical records show over 3,000 people killed by wolves in France between 1580-1830. The wolves of India and Russia do not lag behind them. In contrast, in the US and Canada, there are very few officially confirmed wolf attacks.

Despite their close relationship, wolves perceive dogs mainly as prey. In Russia, at one time, stray dogs served as a staple food for wolves.

The plague that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages caused tension between humans and wolves. In those days, corpses were destroyed much faster by wolves, and not by fire or burial underground. Such methods of "burial" have instilled a taste for human blood in generations of wolves. Probably, since then, wolves have included human meat in their "menu".

The wolf is a typical representative predatory mammals. Many are familiar with him from literature, and some met in person. But meeting him does not bode well. The animal is not only widespread in nature, but also a frequent character in stories, films, both fiction and animation. Suffice it, for example, to recall Jack London and his story "White Wolves". About the cartoon "Well, wait a minute" is not worth talking about. He is familiar to everyone since childhood.

The name of the animal in different peoples sounds differently, but is characterized by pronounced consonance. In Bulgaria, for example, this predator is called "Vylk", and in Ukraine "Vovk". In Serbian, the name sounds like "Vuk".

general description

For the most part, representatives of the wolf kingdom have medium or big sizes. The largest species is considered to be related to gray and polar wolves. An adult at the withers can reach 85 cm. If you do not take into account the tail, then the body will be 1.5-1.6 meters long. There is a rule that was derived by Bergman. In accordance with it, the size of the predator will be the larger, the more severe the environment in which it lives.

The mass of Siberian wolves can reach 90 kg. Such massiveness can impress anyone. by the most miniature size possessed by the wolves of Arabia. For example, the mass of females rarely exceeds 10 kg. No matter what species the wolf belongs to, the female is always smaller than the male.

By external signs, wolves have a pronounced resemblance to large dogs. The body is characterized by the presence of a pronounced muscle relief. As for the maned wolves, they have an outward resemblance to foxes. The tail has a rather pronounced thickness and length. Wolves have a massive head. The ears are pointed, set high, and the muzzle has an elongated shape. The shape of the skull of a maned wolf is similar to that of a fox.

There are 42 teeth in the predator's mouth. The fangs are very large and massive. With the help of teeth, the wolf not only tears the prey apart, but also grinds the bones. When a wolf grabs its prey, it holds it tightly with its fangs. Red wolves contain a dental formula in which the molars are present in smaller numbers.

The cubs that have just been born have eyes blue color. Three months later, the iris already has an orange or golden yellow tint. But the blue color of the eyes of some representatives remains for life.

The body of the animal is covered with thick fur. The undercoat is two-layered. Wool has low thermal conductivity. This feature determines the circumstance in which wolves are able to survive in the most severe conditions.

The color of the animal is highly variable. You can find almost all shades in it. There are also completely white wolves. Nature decreed this not by chance. This allows the wolves to perform good camouflage, merging with the surrounding landscape. Different shades indicate that each animal has its own personality.

The predator's toes allow for balancing while moving. It was not in vain that nature rewarded him with strong limbs, since in search of food the wolf has to travel considerable distances. Typically, running speed in normal mode does not exceed 10 km per hour. But, when a predator is chasing prey, it can develop a decent speed, which reaches 65 km per hour.

The predator has well-developed organs of touch. Suffice it to say that he can smell the prey, which is located at a distance of 3 km from him. More than a million are available for his sense of smell. different shades smell. This circumstance renders the animal a good service during the rutting season. The predator is also capable of marking territory.

The vocal range of the wolf is simply amazing. It's hard to say what he can't portray with his voice. It is commonly believed that wolves howl at the moon. But it is not so. By these actions, they warn their relatives about their location, thereby driving away strangers. But a lone wolf howls very rarely, because he is afraid to attract trouble. Usually this is observed in animals in the pack.

Animals have well-developed facial expressions. By showing their teeth, they thereby express their various emotions. Some elements of behavior have a certain resemblance to a dog. If the animal raises its ears and tail, this indicates that for some reason it is alert.

On average, a wolf can live from 8 to 16 years. If favorable conditions are created for an animal in captivity, then life can last up to 20 years.

habitats

It so happened that in terms of prevalence, wolves are second only to humans. They are distributed on the territory of many states, including Russia. On the territory of our country, you can meet 6 species of wolves, including red and polar wolves.

The predator has adapted to existence on the territory of various natural zones. It can be found even in the tundra and desert. The habitat of wolves is characterized by pronounced territoriality. They are characterized by the presence of signs of a social orientation. They form groups (flocks), which include up to 40 individuals. Each flock has its own territory. Each group has its own leader, or rather a pair consisting of a male and a female. There is a strict hierarchy among the pack. But during the rutting period, one can observe the disintegration of the pack, since the wolves form a pair for this time.

Wolves themselves do not dig holes. They prefer to occupy someone else's home, for example, a badger's hole.

Wolves food

The wolf is an animal that is distinguished by endurance and speed. Pursuing prey, he, without getting tired, is able to overcome considerable distances. The diet is dominated by animal food. If the prey is insignificant in size, then it is quite possible to hunt alone. But to cope, for example, with a reindeer alone, a wolf cannot do it. Here, of course, the help of the whole flock will be required. In most cases, the wolf attacks the prey if it is young or sick.

It uses both small animals (hare, ground squirrel, beaver, other species) and large representatives (deer, saiga, bison) in food. If for some reason the main food is not available, the wolf can use small amphibians (frog). In the warm season, mushrooms and berries may be present in the animal's diet.

In some cases, a wolf can even attack a bear that is hibernating or weakened by illness or injury. In case of luck, the animal can absorb up to 14 kg of meat at a time. If the polar wolf is very hungry, he can swallow the whole hare along with the bones.

Wolves have one feature. They return to the corpse of the animal in order to eat all that is left of it. In addition, stocks of meat are made for the future.

Steppenwolves can quench their thirst by raiding watermelon and melon fields.

I must say that there are quite a large number of species of wolves. Separately, it is necessary to dwell only on some types.

1. Red Wolf. It is a fairly large predator. In his appearance, in addition to wolf external data, the features of a jackal and a fox were reflected. The mass of the animal can reach 21 kg, and height - up to 1.1 meters. Compared to other wolves, the tail of this species is fluffier and more voluminous. The end of the tail is always dark in color. The color of the red wolf is dominated by red shades. The species includes 10 subspecies, has the smallest number of teeth in comparison with other representatives. It has a fairly wide geographical distribution in nature, but most often it can be found in the Himalayas. Some territories are distinguished by the small number of this representative. This is due to the fact that its population has sharply decreased, in connection with which it was taken under protection.
2. The wolf is maned. It is a unique member of this family. On the nape there is wool, the length of which can reach 13 cm. The presence of wool determines the formation of a real mane. The weight of the animal can reach 23 kg. The body length of a maned wolf can be 1.3 meters. The elongated muzzle introduces obvious disproportions in the structure of the body. The color is reddish-yellow, but a dark stripe runs along the spine along its entire length. inhabits this species exclusively on flat land. The body has extremely long limbs. It feeds on various rodents, amphibious insects, armadillos. From plants they prefer to eat nightshade. In this way they get rid of nematodes.
3. Eastern wolf. So far this view has not taken certain place in the classification. Some consider it a hybrid of the gray wolf, while others consider it as an independent unit. With a height of 89 cm, the weight reaches 30 kg. This applies to males. Females are somewhat more modest in size. The color of the fur contains yellowish-brown shades. On the back are dark hair. For the most part, they are characterized by animal food.
4. Wolf ordinary (gray). It is one of the largest predators of this family. The growth of an individual reaches 86 cm. Individual specimens grow up to 90 cm. Body weight is highly variable, but usually does not exceed 60 kg. The tail of a predator can grow up to more than half a meter. The color is characterized by variability and depends on the habitat. In the forests, you can usually meet representatives with a gray-brown color, and in the tundra - white wolves. But the undercoat is always gray in color. These wolves usually use ungulates for food. This includes deer, elk, wild boar, and other representatives of the fauna. Smaller animals, like a hare, are also eaten. Such a wolf would not mind eating rodents. It is not uncommon for gray wolves to attack pets. When the harvest time comes, predators occupy the fields where gourds grow. They quench their thirst with watermelon and melon. In our country, gray wolves are ubiquitous.
5. Red look. Previously, it was considered an independent nosological unit. But with the advent of the possibility of DNA testing, it was found that such wolves are hybrids of a gray wolf and a coyote. The weight hardened wolf can reach 41 kg. In length, representatives of this species can grow up to 1 meta 30 centimeters. The body has a more slender character than that of other types of wolves. There are very long legs. The diet consists mainly of rodents and small animals. Such wolves rarely attack a large animal. Mushrooms and berries play a secondary role in nutrition. Can eat carrion. In the last century, this species was completely exterminated. Only 14 specimens remained in captivity. All measures aimed at restoring the population are being carried out.
6. Tundra wolf. This subspecies is the least studied. By appearance available great resemblance with the polar wolf, but representatives of this subspecies are more modest in size. Body weight can reach 49 kg. Mostly individuals with a gray-white color are found, although pure white wolves also come across. The animal has very large teeth. This subspecies is distributed almost throughout the tundra.
7. Steppe wolf. These animals are small in size. This subspecies has been little studied in comparison with other analogues. Inhabits the Kazakh steppes and southern territories our country.
8. Eurasian wolf. In appearance, it is similar to the North American subspecies, but differs in denser and shorter fur. A mature male can reach a weight of 73 kg with a height of 76 cm. A monochromatic color is predominantly characteristic and includes a wide variety of shades. In his diet, he mainly uses big booty and medium sized animals. Under certain circumstances, it can be used as food for small rodents.
9. Polar wolf. It is closely related to the European wolf. The length of individual representatives can reach 1.5 meters, and the mass reaches 85 kg. The body is covered with light fur, which is quite dense in structure. This subspecies is well adapted to living in extreme conditions. Found throughout the Arctic. Its life expectancy can reach up to 17 years.

reproduction

Puberty in animals occurs in the second year of life (females). As for males, the ability to fertilize them appears only by 3 years. Marriage games include various courtship. It happens mutually. In the struggle for a new pair, males enter into fierce fights. Wolves leave the pack to mate. The female carries the fetus for 65 days. The number of puppies in a litter can vary, but is always odd. Usually the female brings 3-13 cubs. A newborn wolf cub is born completely blind. He begins to see only by the end of the second week.

Those puppies that are weaker than the rest are rejected by the female herself. This is done so that the remaining cubs get more milk. In nutrition, puppies use the meat burp of their parents. It includes undercooked meat. Having matured a little, the wolf cubs begin to eat the prey brought by the wolves. All members of the pack take part in feeding the puppies. Closer to autumn, wolf cubs themselves take part in the hunt.

natural enemies

In the wild, wolves have more than enough enemies. Sometimes, dividing the prey, the wolf may come into conflict with the lynx. If the forces are unequal, then the wolf will die. Sometimes wolves of different packs are at enmity with each other, arranging a real bloody spectacle.

It is not difficult to guess that the main enemy of wolves is man. People at all times mercilessly shot them. In addition, traps are placed on them everywhere. Naturally, this negatively affects the population.

AT recent times the fashion has gone home content wolves. The wolf is easy to train, but he will only execute commands if he is interested in it himself. Anyone who decides to have a wolf in their home should always remember that this is an extremely unsafe event. The wolf is not a dog and must be treated with extreme caution. Be especially careful if there are children in the house.

Video: wolf (Canis lupus)

Wolves are one of the most famous and typical predators. Together with several closely related species - jackals, coyotes, wild dogs - they are part of the wolf family. There are only 2 types of real wolves in the world - gray and red. They can also include the coyote, which in fact is not much different from typical wolves. The appearance of these animals does not need a detailed description. They are characterized by all the signs of real predators: a dense but slender body, relatively long legs, an elongated muzzle, armed with a set of sharp and large teeth.

Gray wolf (Canis lupus).

The claws of wolves wear down from contact with the ground, so they are relatively blunt. These signs indicate a mobile lifestyle and a pronounced carnivorous nature of these animals. The color and size of wolves vary greatly depending on the area where they live. So, the northern populations are large and have a light, almost white coat color; wolves temperate latitudes usually gray, sometimes completely black individuals come across among them; wolves from the southern regions are small, with red or brown hair.

Alaskan wolves are white.

The range of wolves covers vast areas of the Northern Hemisphere, but in some parts of the range ( Western Europe, British Isles) they are completely exterminated. These animals live in various landscapes - in the tundra, forests, mountains and steppes. Wolves lead a sedentary lifestyle, but in search of food they can roam long distances. In general, these animals are characterized by great mobility: in search of food, wolves can go almost a whole day without rest, overcoming up to 50-60 km at a time. Of particular note is the extreme endurance and vitality of wolves: a hungry wolf without food is able to remain fully active for up to 10 days, a wounded wolf leaves for several kilometers from hunters, surrounded by dogs fiercely defends itself to the last drop of blood, and caught in a trap gnaws off its own paw to escape from the pursuers. There are cases when a wolf, having received a broken paw during a hunt, remained lying on the ground, he remained motionless for 17 days, after which, as if nothing had happened, he continued to search for prey. Such a will to live is amazing! But wolves also have secret weaknesses: oddly enough, but these brave predators give in to the sight of a fluttering rag. This feature formed the basis of the famous wolf hunt with flags. In this case, the hunters, having found a pack of wolves, surround (“envelop”) it around the perimeter with a stretched rope with rags of fabric. The wolves, seeing the fluttering matter, do not dare to jump over the flags, and the hunters shoot the animals point-blank.

Wolves are pack animals. Each pack consists of several wolf families - a parental pair and a grown up young - and has from 7 to 30 individuals.

The wolves in the pack are in family relations to each other.

The life of a pack is very complicated and is subject to internal "wolf" laws. The expression "wolf law" has become a household word for injustice and unscrupulousness. But is this how wolves really live? Observations show that in reality the situation is exactly the opposite. All pack behavior is subject to strict discipline and a clear hierarchy. In the pack there is a dominant pair of wolves (the so-called alpha male and alpha female), their behavior regulates the mode of life of other animals. The leader leads the pack on the hunt and takes in it the most Active participation, he is the first to start dividing the booty.

The wolf grinned, protecting the carcass of the elk.

AT large flocks the leading pair also limits the reproduction of other pairs, preventing other animals from mating. The remaining members of the pack are divided into ranks from the strongest to the weakest. Each beast obeys the higher in rank and "suppresses" the lower ones. But this pressure is not accompanied by violence! Wolves have a very developed language of facial expressions and sounds: with the help of various grimaces, grins, growls, whining and howling, they signal each other about their condition. So, if the leader is "dissatisfied" with the behavior of the subordinate, it is enough for him to grin or growl and his message will be immediately understood.

The male of the dominant pair with a grin declares his right to be the first to eat the prey. The male of the second rank demonstrates a submissive pose and averted gaze, thereby recognizing the right of the strong and begging for his share.

Weak members of the pack also signal their needs to the leader: whining, they beg for their share of the prey; roll over on their back, showing a stronger unprotected stomach. This gesture means "I obey you" and is never rejected. Skirmishes between animals are rare and almost always at the initiative of the lower members of the pack! If the wolf, who is in the second and third roles, believes that it is his time to be the leader, he stops receiving the pointing signals of the leader and enters into a fight with him. In general, the degree of dominance of an animal can be easily determined by characteristic feature- the position of the tail. At the leader it is always victoriously raised, at the animals of the second rank it spreads horizontally, at the ones following them it is lowered, at the weakest it is pressed. It would seem that such a hierarchy looks cruel, but in fact it protects the members of the pack from unnecessary rivalry. Each wolf "knows" its place in the pack and, in case of obedience to the laws, is completely protected from the aggression of other animals. In addition, a pack lifestyle gives advantages in hunting, allowing you to kill prey. large size. Sometimes individuals may leave the flock. Lone wolves, as a rule, lose to animals in groups. It happens that a strong lone wolf meets a lone female, thereby giving rise to his own pack.

Wolves make their lairs in burrows, often dug themselves; less often - occupy the holes of other animals. Wolves spend most of the day in the burrow, leaving it only at dusk. They hunt mainly at night. Only one pair of wolves lives in each hole, and they gather in a pack using an unsurpassed means of communication - howling. wolf howl it is not just a voice, it is literally a message in which certain signals are encrypted. Howling can be enticing mating season; he can be calling when the leader gathers a flock to hunt; can be reciprocal when members of the pack respond to the call; howling can be death-death in agonizing animals and, finally, howling can be just entertainment. Yes, wolves often howl for no apparent reason, just like that, for the soul.

The calling howl of a wolf.

Each animal has its own unique timbre of voice, by which the wolves determine the location and condition of the members of the pack. Wolves listen with pleasure to sounds similar to howling, and this feature was again used by humans. For hunting wolves, a decoy is often used - a special horn that resembles a wolf's voice. The wolves respond to the sound of the call and give out their location in the forest. Once, a pack of wolves even responded to the sound of ... a locomotive!

The basis of the diet of wolves is medium-sized ungulates - roe deer, deer, fallow deer, mountain goats and sheep and boars. In winter, unfavorable for ungulates, wolves can also overcome larger animals - elk, bison, bison, musk ox. And vice versa, with starvation, wolves catch smaller animals - hares, ground squirrels, marmots, lemmings, voles. Sometimes wolves pick up dead fish, shellfish, eat grass and berries. In hunting, the wolf is helped by a keen sense of smell, good hearing, quick legs and the support of fellows. Wolves take their prey by starvation, exhausting the victim with a long pursuit. When running, a wolf can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h, the paws of wolves are wider than those of domestic dogs, which allows them to quickly move through deep snow.

In deep snow, wolves often move trail after trail.

During the hunt, members of the pack share duties, some of the wolves drive the prey, others cut it, if the victim has gone into the sludge (takes up all-round defense), the wolves surround it with a dense ring and try to exhaust it by alternately attacking from different sides. The bite of a wolf is very deep, for animals of small size (sheep, for example), the wolf bites the throat at once. The wolf can also carry the carcass of a small animal, but usually the victim is eaten immediately. Since the percentage of successful hunts is low, wolves try to eat in reserve. At one time, the wolf can absorb up to 10 kg of meat, the remaining pieces of the carcass are hidden in secluded places.

The wolf carries prey to hide in a secluded place.

The wolf remembers their location and after some time visits for more. In especially favorable cases, when there is a lot of prey and it is helpless (domestic animals in a pen), wolves can kill almost all animals. For this they earned the hatred of the farmers. Although the wolf prefers to eat fresh meat, it also willingly picks up carrion in times of famine.

Wolves breed once a year mating games start in winter. Unlike dogs, wolves form permanent pairs for life, a change of partner can occur only in the event of the death of the previous one.

A couple in love plays catch up.

The female brings offspring in the spring, there are 3-5 wolf cubs in the brood. Wolf cubs are born blind and spend the first weeks of their lives in a hole, from the age of one month they begin to crawl out of the hole, and from 1.5 months they begin to eat half-digested meat that the male burps. The grown wolf cubs move farther and farther away from the holes, and over time they begin to hunt small animals and wounded animals, which are brought by their parents.

The cubs are taking their first steps into the big world.

Females become fully grown by the age of two, and males by three. The life expectancy of wolves is 14-18 years. natural enemies wolves have few. They can engage in skirmishes over prey with bears, lynxes. Sometimes wolves die during the hunt from injuries inflicted by elks, horses, bison. The main enemy of wolves is hunger: both adult animals and young animals die from starvation.

But the largest number wolves were exterminated by man. On the one hand, people were afraid of wolves because they were defenseless against the collective attack of predators. The primitive peoples still retain respect for the wolf (for example, the wolf is a totem animal among the Indians of North America). On the other hand, the development of civilization has put wolves outside the law. In almost all countries of Asia and Europe, wolves have a negative image. They perform negative characters fairy tales, legends and myths (cannibal wolves, werewolves, symbols of deceit). In fact, the way of life of wolves has nothing to do with these fictions, their only fault is that they are human food competitors and sometimes encroach on domestic animals (cases of wolf attacks on humans are rare). People used this pretext for the total extermination of wolves, and the methods of hunting a wolf are striking in both diversity and inhumanity. They are hunted with dogs (hounds, huskies, greyhounds), birds of prey (golden eagles), they use trap fishing, trailing (tracking in the footsteps), fishing with flags and decoys, just hunting from a gun. Those who lack the talent to use these methods shoot wolves from cars and helicopters, use them to train fighting dogs. As a result, in many places of the range, wolves have become rare. In fact, their extermination is justified in rare cases when wolves are carriers of rabies (such animals represent real threat for people and livestock) or encroach on livestock in areas of herd animal husbandry. In other places, wolves perform the indispensable function of forest orderlies, destroying weak, old and sick animals. It has been observed that in reserves where wolves live, ungulate populations are healthier and more stable, and in places where they do not exist, deer and elk suffer either from disease or from starvation caused by overcrowding. Another threat is genetic crossbreeding with feral dogs and coyotes. For this reason, the red wolf, which lives in the southern United States, is almost on the verge of extinction. Wolves are well tamed, but in captivity they retain dignity wild beast without descending to the subservience of a dog.