Fast Facts:

Gray Wolf

Conservation

However, wolves became nearly extinct in the lower 48 states in the early part of the 20th Century because settlers believed wolves caused widespread livestock losses.

Constantly persecuted and targeted by predator eradication programs sponsored by the Federal government, wolves have been pursued with more passion and determination than any other animal in U.S. history. By the time wolves were finally protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, they had been exterminated from the lower 48 states except for a few hundred inhabiting extreme northeastern Minnesota and a small number on Isle Royale, Michigan.

There are three reintroduced experimental populations: one in central Idaho; a second in the Greater Yellowstone National Park area and northwest Wyoming; and a third in New Mexico and Arizona.

Special Features

• Wolves can attain speeds as high as 45 m.p.h. for short distances and can cover up to 37 miles in one day.
• Wolves support a wide variety of other animals. Ravens, foxes, wolverines, vultures and even bears feed on the carcasses of animals killed by wolves. In some areas, bald eagles routinely feed on the carcasses of animals killed by wolves during the winter. Wolves help regulate the balance between ungulates (hoofed animals) and their food supply, making room for smaller plant-eaters such as beavers and small rodents. They often go after sick, young, or old animals.
• An adult wolf can eat 20 pounds of meat at once. That's like eating 80 "Quarter Pounders" at one time! If some of the meat remains wolves will cache it by tearing off large chunks and dropping the meat down holes they have dug in the dirt or snow, to be eaten later
• An acute sense of smell for investigation. Some scientists believe that a wolf's sense of smell is 100 times better than ours!

Social Structure & Behavior

Wolves are social; wolf groups, or packs, usually consist of a set of parents (alpha pair), their offspring, and other non-breeding adults.

Wolves are noted for their distinctive howl, which they use as a form of communication. Biologists have identified a few of the reasons wolves howl: before and after a hunt, to sound an alarm, and to locate other members of the pack when separated. It's long distance communication that can be heard by other wolves 6 - 10 miles away (although we may not hear it for more than a mile). Wolves may howl to rally the pack together before a hunt, to locate pack members or to locate a mate. They howl perhaps as a way to "mark' territory, when the moon is full and when it is not).

Body language communicates as much or more than vocalizations. An adult gray wolf exhibiting a submissive grin with ears laid back, and lowered head position indicates submission to a higher ranking adult. Gray wolf showing dominance with body language may position their body over a lower ranking pack member.

Breeding & care of young:

Wolves begin mating when they are 2 to 3 years old, sometimes establishing lifelong mates. Dens are often used year after year, but wolves may also dig new dens or use some other type of shelter, such as a cave. An average of five pups are born in early spring and are cared for by the entire pack. They depend on their mother's milk for the first month, then they are gradually weaned and fed regurgitated meat brought by other pack members. By 7 to 8 months of age, when they are almost fully grown, the pups begin traveling with the adults. After 1 or 2 years of age, a young wolf leaves and tries to find a mate and form its own pack.