The wolf is of ordinary importance to humans. Common wolf (gray). Pictured is a red wolf

The wolf (canis lupus), which is also called the gray wolf or the common wolf, is a predator, mammal, belongs to the canidae family. The wolf belongs to the genus of wolves, which also includes the coyote and jackal. In the canine family, the wolf is the largest animal.

Here are its dimensions: the length of the wolf is up to 150 cm, taking into account the tail - 2m, the height at the withers - 90 cm, body weight - as the mass of an adult, can be up to 90 kg.

According to the latest DNA studies of the wolf, it was found that the wolf is the ancestor of the dog. Probably a long time ago, wolves were domesticated and a breed of domestic wolf was bred - a dog.

The wolf was previously widespread throughout the world, especially in Eurasia and America. At present, as a result of the mass extermination of the wolf, and due to the spread of cities and villages, the habitat of the wolf has sharply decreased.

Moreover, in some regions now this predator does not occur at all. In other regions, it appears less and less often, because there are areas in which hunting for it is still not prohibited. They continue to exterminate it, since this predator nevertheless kills livestock, can attack a person, and besides, hunting a wolf is an old human pastime.

However, the wolf brings great benefits - it regulates the balance of the ecosystem, for example, in the taiga, in the steppes and mountains, in the tundra, the wolf helps nature to get rid of dying or sick animals, thereby making the gene pool of nature healthy.

In total, there are 32 subspecies of wolves in the world. In Russia, you can find common and tundra wolves.

Why is a wolf called a wolf

The word wolf, which in the Slavic peoples sounds almost the same, for example in Bulgarian the wolf will be "valk", in Serbian "vuk", in Belarusian - voyuk, and in Ukrainian "vovk".

It is believed that this word is closely related to the word "drag", "drag away", because when the wolf dragged away the living creatures, he dragged it in front of him. Hence the appearance of the word "wolf".

Wolf ancestors - evolution

The ancestor of the wolf is canis lepophagus, an ancient mammal that looks like a coyote. The ancestor of the wolf lived in North America.

When the ancient canines - the wolf's rivals - the borophages, died out, the ancestor wolf increased its body size. The wolf's skull has also increased. The found remains of a wolf tell us about this.

A wolf that looks like a real wolf was first discovered during the study of the early Pleistocene, which existed more than 1.8 million years ago.

For example, a wolf named canis priscolatrans was found, which looks like a real red wolf. This ancient wolf lived in Eurasia. Later, it evolved into the subspecies canis mosbachensis, which was already much more similar to the modern wolf.

This wolf was distributed throughout Europe and only 500 thousand years ago it evolved into a modern wolf.

When geneticists began to examine the wolf's DNA, they discovered that there are at least 4 family trees of the wolf. These are the African genealogical line of the wolf, the Himalayan, Indian and Tibetan lines.

The most ancient is the Himalayan genealogical line. That is, the Himalayan wolf is considered the most ancient species, but appeared about a million years ago, then the Indian wolf comes - this is a branch from the Himalayan line, the Tibetan wolf is already a descendant of the Indian wolf, it appeared only 150 thousand years ago. The Tibetan wolf line is otherwise called Holarctic, it is common in Europe and North America.

The extinct Japanese wolf is a descendant of the Himalayan wolf, earlier it was very large, but later natural changes that led to the disappearance of large ungulates, the Japanese wolf became smaller.

The Hokkaido wolf, however, which lives on the mainland and has the ability to hunt large prey, is much larger than its extinct Japanese counterpart.

The Japanese wolf, as well as the Japanese Hondo wolf or shaman, became extinct as a result of extermination by humans. The wolf was exterminated due to the disease of rabies, cases of which were described in literary sources and dated back to 1732. The very last wolf was exterminated in Japan in 1905. It was a miniature wolf, more like a fox than a wolf.

Now you can see only stuffed animals of this wolf in museums.

The appearance of a wolf

The wolf looks different in different parts of the world. The appearance of a wolf is highly dependent on prey and on the surrounding climate. If we consider the average representative of a wolf, then this animal at the withers is about 65 to 90 cm, weight from 30 to 90 kg.

The wolf reaches maturity at about 3 years old, gaining height and weight. In Siberia, a wolf up to 80 kg of weight can be found.

But hunters say that it is not at all uncommon to meet an animal weighing more than 90 kg.

The smallest wolf in the world is the Arabian wolf - canis arabs, it can weigh 10-15 kg.

If we consider the wolf population, then usually males are more than females by 20% both in height and weight. In appearance, the wolf resembles a large dog with pointed ears.

Wolves do not hibernate. In bad weather, they can curl up into a ball and allow snow to melt over them to provide additional insulation. They sleep in the open, as they do not need to be afraid of many predators. One member of the pack will remain alert and act as a guard to alert others to danger.

Gray wolf appearance

Height and weight

Typically, gray wolves measure 66 to 96 cm at the shoulder and 102 to 147 cm from head to base of their tail. The length of the tail ranges from 33 to 51 cm. The average weight of a wolf is from 27 to 45 kg, however, some wolves weighed from 18 to 80 kg. Female wolves (females) usually weigh 20% less than males.

Skin colors

Wolves are covered with skin of moderate length over most of the body. Their fur can range in color from pure black to pure white, with any shade or shade of gray, brown, cream, ocher (yellow gold), sienna (reddish brown), and brown in between.

In wolves that have light and dark patterned fur, the markings tend to be lighter on the ventral (belly) side of the body and transition to darker and thicker fur on the dorsal side.

The ears, forehead and top of the muzzle are usually made of short and sleek and lighter fur mixed with dark to medium tones, while the underside of the muzzle and neck are in lighter tones. The legs and feet also have short and light fur.

The tail is usually covered with long, thick, fluffy fur, the color scheme of which is similar to that of the rest of the wolf: dark above and light below. Light-colored wolves may even have a dark patch of fur covering a precaudal gland, also called a purple gland, at the top of the tail, about 10 cm from the base and tip.

Some wolves, especially wolves with dark coats, have phases where their skins become significantly lighter in certain seasons or as they age. The wolf begins life with a very dark color or even black skin, which can become lighter in summer and darken again in winter. The dark or black phase of the wolf's fur also tends to lighten with age and can turn light gray or even white as the wolf reaches its older years.

Wolves are usually born with dark or black fur, which lightens as they mature. It is unlikely that wolves are prone to albinism, as there are no living examples.

Gray wolf eyes

Wolves are usually born with dark blue eyes that lighten and then gradually fade into adult eye color over the next six to ten weeks. The eyes of a mature wolf are often amber brown or gold, but they also tend to have shades of brown, gray, yellow, and green.

It is interesting to note that puppies are born with blue eyes, while mature wolves do not retain blue eyes. Huskies often have blue eyes, and therefore people think that there must be blue-eyed wolves there too, but this is not the case.

If you see a wolf with blue eyes, then he or she is most likely a wolf hybrid, not a full-blooded wolf.

Gray wolf vision

The sight of a wolf is about the same as that of a person. However, some experts believe wolves can be nearsighted because their eyes lack a depression in the retina that provides focus, especially on distant objects.

Wolves have excellent peripheral vision and their eyes are optimized for motion detection. In addition, they have a very high ratio of rods (gray scale receptors) to cones (color receptors) in the retina. This abundance of sticks helps the wolf see at night. The night vision of the wolf is far superior to that of humans.

Although there has been little research on the color-seeing ability of wolves, it is believed that they may be partially color-blind. Wolves only have red and blue photoreceptors in their eyes, unlike humans, which have red, green, and blue photoreceptors. Tests on domestic dogs show that they cannot distinguish yellow from green or orange from red.

Tests on wolves, where red, blue, yellow and green dyes were applied to clean snow, show that wolves often show red and yellow spots. This may be because they associate these colors with blood and urine and have little interest in other colors.

However, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the color vision ability of wolves. Wolves can see all colors, but are only interested in those that can benefit them in some way.

Dogs have a third eyelid (nictitans) that extends through the eye and contains a gland that, along with glands in the ciliary body, acts to lubricate the eye. However, these lacrimal glands secrete oily substances, not watery tears: dogs are not capable of shedding wet tears of sadness like humans do, but that doesn't mean they don't cry.

Wolf ears

The ears of a wolf are triangular in shape and rounded at the top: they are much wider and shorter than the ears of a coyote or fox. Wolves tend to have shorter and darker fur on the back of the ear, with lighter, slightly longer fur along the inside. Wolves can fold their ears back to their heads, move them from side to side and forward independently of each other. This range of motion helps the Wolf to accurately determine the direction of the sound.

The habitat of the red wolf is Central, Central and South Asia, as well as the Malacca Peninsula. This predator can be seen on Sumatra and Java.

In Russia, you can expect a red wolf, but it is hardly possible to meet it, since this predator has not been met by anyone on the territory of Russia for 30 years. Perhaps its population has already disappeared in Russia and yet the red wolf is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

It is quite easy to recognize this predator - it has a fox appearance - short legs, a long body with a long tail, a small head and thick reddish-red long hair. It is possible that when you meet this wolf, you half think that you have met a fox.

The red wolf is a gregarious animal, scientists believe that there are only a few thousand of these unusual wolves left. This wolf hunts at any time of the day or night and always lives where there are many hoofed animals. Since the purpose of his hunt is mountain sheep, goats and deer.

The number of the red wolf has been reduced due to the fact that its habitat has been destroyed by humans, the number of wildly grazing ungulates has decreased, therefore the number of individuals of the red wolf has also decreased.

How a wolf differs from a dog

He has strong legs and taller ones, the paw is slightly larger and more elongated. The head has a wider forehead, compared to a dog's, its muzzle is wide and there is a lot of fur on the sides, which makes it look like a lion. The wolf has narrow-set eyes and an elongated muzzle. It is narrower and much more expressive than the dog's.

The wolf's muzzle is very expressive. So scientists have identified about 10 emotions that can be "read" on his face - anger, humility, tenderness, fear, threat, fear, anger, calmness and humility.

The wolf has a large and tall skull. The nose of a wolf protruding forward widens slightly at the bottom.

A separate speech will focus on the teeth of the wolf. Legends and fairy tales were written about them. The teeth of a wolf are its most important tool, which is also influenced by the way this predator hunts and lives. The upper jaw contains 20 teeth, of which only 6 incisors and 2 large canines.

There are 22 teeth on the lower jaw. The wolf grabs and holds its prey with its fangs. The fangs are very strong and can hold a large enough animal. For a wolf, his teeth are not only a great assistant in the hunt, but also a means of protection. If suddenly the wolf loses its teeth, then this will lead him to hunger and ultimately to death.

The wolf has a long tail. It is much longer and thicker than the dog's and droops downward. The wolf does not wag its tail like a dog. By the wolf's tail, as well as by the dog's tail, you can understand the wolf. If the tail is down and does not move, then the wolf is calm, if the wolf tugs its tail, he is unhappy.

The fur of the wolf is thick, hard. It has two layers - coarse hair and undercoat. The undercoat gives the wolf warmth in winter, and the hard fur protects this predator from dirt and water.

The wolf can shed. This usually happens when spring turns into summer. The body temperature of the wolf heats up and the fluff begins to flake off from the body. The wolf is simply hot. He starts rubbing against trees to get rid of winter fur as soon as possible.

Depending on the subspecies of the wolf, the fur color of the predator depends. For example, the forest wolf has gray-brown fur, the tundra one has an almost white fur coat, and the wolf that lives in the desert wears a grayish-red fur coat.

There are unusual wolves - pure white, red or even black. Small wolves or cubs have a uniform color of the coat - usually dark. Over time, their cover becomes lighter in several tones.

However, only the second layer of fur is different for wolves. The undercoat of a wolf is always gray.

The wolf also differs from the dog by the footprints that it leaves on the ground or snow.

The following differences will help you find out the tracks of the wolf:

in a wolf, the index and little fingers are more backward than the middle fingers.
the wolf keeps its paw collected - therefore, its footprint is more prominent,
the path of the wolf's footprints is always straighter than the dog's footprints and more heaped, which will reliably indicate that a wolf has passed here.

The size of a wolf's track is from 9.5 to 11 cm in length, in a she-wolf - from 8.5 to 10 cm in length.

Wolf prints, like all dogs, show four toes on each foot with claw marks present. Wolf tracks are strong, often 9.5 to 11 cm long. Wolf tracks are difficult to distinguish from those of large dogs. The main difference lies in the habitat.

Wolves live farther from human habitation than dogs. The stride of a wolf can be from 52 cm to 75 cm. Wolves can run from 45 to 60 km per hour.
In a wolf, the hair and bones of its prey can usually be mixed into the track. Some plant material such as grass or seeds may be present.

For many centuries, wolf eyes have been the subject of mysticism and are often painted by artists in their paintings.

Cubs are born with blue eyes, but after 2-4 months their eyes turn yellowish or even orange in color. Very rarely, a wolf's eyes remain blue even after the period of "childhood".

It is also very rare to find a wolf with green, brown or green-blue eyes.

How the wolf howls

It is believed that the wolf howls mainly at the moon on one note and no longer speaks. However, this is not at all the case. The voice of the wolf is quite diverse in frequency range. Its ability to change the frequency of the voice can only be compared with human.

Wolves can howl, howl, whimper, growl, yap, and bark. And at the same time, every howl, bark, etc. can have thousands of variations.

Even a wolf howl at the moon is the singer's aerobatics - the wolf starts from the lowest note and gradually brings his singing to a high note, but this note is not the last. We hear it last, since the human ear is not able to perceive all the frequencies that the wolf's throat can transmit.

The wolf can "talk" with its fellows from the pack and warn, for example, that people will appear now, call for an attack, or that there is prey somewhere.

Wolves howl at dawn and when the moon appears, and they howl collectively, at this moment, according to scientists, wolves show their belonging to the pack and feel an emotional uplift. This is comparable to how people get emotionally uplifted during choral singing.

However, wolves do not howl every day, perhaps the wolves' howl begins when they need the general support of the pack, the feeling of a friendly shoulder.

Wolves have a complex system of voice communication. They use yapping, whining, growling and body language to communicate with each other. The pose is used to indicate the position of the wolf in the pack. Submission to the dominant member of the pack is indicated by trembling staunch and whining. The submissive wolf will lick the dominant wolf's face. The wolf will growl, tilt back its ears, and lift the hair on its back to let the other wolf know to back off.

The howl of a wolf serves as a link between the entire pack. Wolves tend to make long screams instead of the loud screams that coyotes are famous for. During the hunt, the flock scatters and uses howl to keep in touch with each other.

People have learned to understand the language of the wolf for centuries, and now there are people who understand wolf negotiations.

How the wolf finds prey

The wolf has a very keen sense of smell. Its sense of smell is ten times stronger than that of a human, so a wolf can smell prey at a distance of 3 km from it.

The wolf distinguishes hundreds of millions of different smells and has a lot of information about the surrounding reality. In addition, the wolf sometimes marks its territory itself through urine, feces. The strongest wolf marks its territory during the rut.

Wolves and other animals, including bears and cougars, cover partially eaten meat with mud. Never go near one of these camouflaged carcasses, as the animal may not be far away. Bears and cougars will definitely protect these partially eaten carcasses. But wolf packs will or will not be - it is unknown, but it is better not to risk it.

The modern habitat of the wolf

Previously, the wolf lived everywhere in the world, however, due to the appearance of weapons in humans, the wolf's habitat has significantly decreased. Now the wolf can be found throughout the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In Russia, it is absent only on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

The wolf inhabits the tundra, forests, steppes, penetrates south to desert areas, in the mountains it can live above the forest belt (3000 - 4000 m).

Wolf Pack

The gray wolf is a social animal whose main social bonds are wolf families and their offspring.
On average, a flock consists of 5-11 animals (1-2 adults, 3-6 juveniles and 1-3 year olds), and sometimes two or three such families.
It happens that the number of wolves in a pack can reach 40.

Under ideal conditions, a wolf pair can produce puppies every year without parting for this up to 5 years. The reason for separation for wolves is the onset of puberty and competition for prey.

For wolves, the size of the hunting territory per wolf pack is of great importance. Sometimes wolves can move long distances - up to 400 km from the starting place, in search of food.

It is important for a wolf pack that the wolves inside it are not hostile towards each other. Therefore, the flock is the larger - the more food there is on the territory, and the less, the less food. Wolves can search for unoccupied territory for a long time in order to create a pack that has no enemies among other wolves.

The created wolf pack quite rarely takes other wolves into its fold, as a rule, it kills them. In rare cases, when a wolf pack accepts another wolf, this can only be due to its youth (up to 3 years), that is, such a wolf that a wolf couple can "adopt" without harm to themselves and their offspring.

Sometimes a lone wolf is accepted into a wolf pack, but only with the aim of replacing a deceased male wolf.

During times of abundance of ungulates, different packs of wolves can join together.
Wolves are very territorial animals, and, as a rule, occupy an area much larger than they need to survive. This is done so that random fluctuations in the number of prey do not interfere with the survival of the wolf pack.

In general, the territory depends not only on the number of prey, but also on the number of cubs. After all, wolves, reaching 6 months of age, have the same food needs as an adult wolf.

A wolf pack constantly moves around its territory in search of food and travels about 25 km per day. Basically, almost all the time they are in the center - the core of their territory. This is done in order to avoid accidental collision with another pack of wolves.

The core of the wolf pack territory is approximately 35-40 square kilometers, while the entire territory can be up to 60-70 square kilometers. A wolf pack can leave its territory only in an emergency, for example, when there is an acute shortage of food.

Wolves are great at defending their territory from other wolf packs, using special marks as warnings so that the territory of the wolf pack is not disturbed by another wolf pack. If suddenly this happens, then the wolf pack attacks the intruders, but first they try to scare them away with a howl.

Marking their territory, as we have already said, is done with the help of urination or defecation, sometimes wolves scratch the ground, then mark scratches. They leave a smell every 200 meters, and they usually deal with tags within 2-3 weeks.

Territorial battles of wolf packs are considered the main causes of mortality of wolves in natural conditions, without human intervention. Scientists believe that 15 to 65% of wolves die in this case.

Reproduction and development

Wolves, as a rule, are monogamous, pairs are usually created for life, until one of the wolves of the pair dies. After the death of one wolf in a pair, the pair usually quickly recovers with the help of the other wolf.

Males dominate the wolf pack, so unpaired females are rare. The age of first mating in gray wolves depends on the environment - if there is enough food, or when the population of wolves has decreased enough that the laws of population regulation come into force - already quite young wolves may be capable of breeding.

This is confirmed by the fact that in good conditions of reserves with sufficient food, wolves can create families as early as 9-10 months of age. However, in the wild, the standard age for breeding in wolves is 2 years.

Females can give birth to cubs every year. Unlike the coyote, the wolf never reaches reproductive aging. Estrus usually occurs in late winter. Wolves mate with old wolves 2-3 weeks earlier than with young ones. The reason for this is unknown.

During pregnancy, she-wolves remain in the center of the wolf pack's territory to protect the female from collisions with other wolves, which usually occur at the periphery of the pack's territory.
Pregnancy in a wolf lasts 62-67 days; cubs are usually born in the spring and summer.

Wolves have many more cubs per litter than other canine species. The average litter consists of 5-6 cubs, with increased fertility in areas where prey is abundant, although even a particularly large litter does not exceed 14-17 cubs.

Cubs are born blind and deaf and are covered with short, soft, grayish brown hair. The weight of a newborn cub is 300-500 grams. The cubs begin to see at 9-12 days. Milk canines appear 1 month after birth. After 3 weeks, the little wolf cub can leave the den, and already at the age of 1.5 months they are strong and flexible enough to be able to escape from danger.

The she-wolf does not leave the den for a minute, at least 3 weeks. And all the care of providing for both mothers and wolf cubs with food falls on the wolf-dad. As early as 3-4 weeks from birth, cubs can eat solid food.

Cubs grow very quickly - so their weight from the beginning of the birth of a cub increases 30 times in the first four months. Cubs begin to play at the age of 3 weeks. Games are mostly wrestling.

Although, unlike coyotes and young foxes, their bites are painless. Wrestling wolf cubs establish hierarchy in the family among toddlers. The fight can continue for 5-8 weeks. By autumn, the cubs are already old enough to accompany adults in their hunt for large prey.

Caring for the she-wolf

“Wolves are extremely intelligent creatures with great curiosity, the ability to learn quickly, and the full spectrum of emotions that humans only like to attribute to humans,” from Running With Wolves.

While most people, especially women, don't want to be associated with wolves, especially when it comes to intelligence and emotional intelligence, the reality is that these animals represent an important correlation with both our communication skills and our emotional connection. At least the relationship here is more positive than the monkey comparison, right?

In fact, we can learn a lot from the she-wolf in particular. She-wolves are excellent mothers who actually exhibit the same stages of preparation for motherhood as human mothers.

Stages of motherhood in she-wolves

The she-wolf represents a unique perspective on motherhood, especially as it relates to the human mother. These mothers exhibit superior mothering skills as they prepare and ultimately care for their young. Much like human mothers, the wolf mom begins to prepare for her cubs long before the puppies actually appear, as young wolves are called.

Once a she-wolf becomes pregnant, she goes through a phase of developing a relationship with her wolf. Most human moms-to-be also go through this stage. A wolf will spend a lot of time hugging, playing and hunting with her friend. It’s like she’s wasting that time "focusing" on her soul mate to prepare for the time when she’s focusing most of her attention on the children.

This phase is a natural continuation of the motherhood phase and usually lasts several weeks.

After this stage of courtship and play, the she-wolf begins to look for a den and equip it. The she-wolf looks for a suitable place for puppies or childbirth and then takes care of her puppies. The female wolf spends a lot of time looking for a place to make a den.

She can reuse the same marking site as other female wolves if she is part of a larger pack. Otherwise, she can find a suitable place and dig her own den. Inexperienced she-wolves can dig a shallow hole; however, a knowledgeable she-wolf will dig a deep large hole to adequately protect her children.

The female lays claim to this area for her and her puppies, not even allowing her companion to descend into the den. However, she can choose a suitable mate from among the other wolves in the pack. Over time, the whole pack will support and educate the puppies.

When the time is right, the she-wolf will enter her den to give birth to the puppies. Her innate knowledge of caring for her puppies will immediately be demonstrated in her ability to facilitate the birth process. When the puppies are born, the mother pulls off the umbilical cord and licks each puppy. After all the puppies are born, the she-wolf eats the placenta.

To help the puppies survive, the female wolf pays great attention to her cubs in the early days. The mother usually stays in the den with her puppies for several days immediately after birth to support their early development. She continues to lick and feed the brood and only leaves the puppies for a short time after a few days.

During these early days, the she-wolf protects and keeps her puppies in the den for at least three to four weeks before she releases them. Again, this protective tendency is very similar to what human mothers exhibit in the early days after birth.

The she-wolf also makes sure her puppies are adequately fed. Puppies usually breastfeed five to six times a day for three to five minutes each for the first few weeks. Between five and eight weeks after birth, the she-wolf begins the weaning process, during which the puppies are belched. The care and attention a she-wolf exhibits during feeding and weaning are important characteristics through which expectant wolves can gain insight into how to provide for their cubs.

An important characteristic of a she-wolf

As shown in these stages of wolf motherhood, these wolf mothers are inherently good mothers. A she-wolf is born with instincts to prepare, give birth, and then take care of her young. In doing so, she demonstrates important characteristics of motherhood.

The she-wolf is extremely intuitive when it comes to raising her puppies. She knows their needs and follows her instincts. The she-wolves also protect their cubs by keeping them in the den until the pups can survive sufficiently outside the den. The wolf is also extremely selfless, showing a willingness to stay in the den without food or water to keep her wolf cubs safe.

We can learn a lot from the she-wolf. Her intuitiveness towards motherhood, as well as the many good qualities she embodies, are definitely aspects from which we can learn. Knowing all this, it's not so bad to compare yourself to a wolf, is it?

The wolf and the hunt

Wolves usually hunt in packs, sometimes separately. The wolf will almost always eat up its prey completely. Wolves have more advantages when hunting in packs because they are intelligent animals, they know how to work together and are able to hunt animals that are much larger and stronger than a single wolf. Wolves are strict predators and often survive after hunting, they calculate their strength. Wolves don't kill for sport, only for survival.

Wolves feed on carrion, hunt and eat everything. Large animal prey for wolves is deer, elk, caribou, bison and musk ox. Small animals are beavers, hares, small rodents.

Wolves have a large stomach and can absorb 10 kg at a time. However, wolves can survive without food for 2 weeks, or even longer if food is scarce. Their digestion is very efficient, but 5 percent of wolf intestines are unable to digest. Any shards of bone that do not break down in some way can be found in the stomach of the wolf, wrapped in undigested hair that protects the intestines from injury.

The wolf cubs feed on adults who regurgitate fresh meat, or for the grown wolf cubs, wolves carry fresh pieces of meat to the den. Wolves play an important role in the lives of other animals. Because wolves eat sick or weak animals, and then they actually help herds of large ungulates to regain strength, relieving them of the burden of sick animals.

For example, there is a sick deer in a herd that eats food that can be used to feed a healthy young deer. Thus, eliminating a sick deer, the wolf not only reduces the possibility of infection from this deer of other deer, but also contributes to the appearance of more food for the rest of the herd.
Wolves live and hunt mostly in their own territory. The members of the pack will guard and defend their territory from the invading wolves. The size of the territory depends on the availability of mining. If the prey is in short supply, the size of the territory may be small, however, if the prey is abundant, the territory of the wolf can be much larger.
The hunt will begin with gathering the members of the pack, they greet each other with a howl. This howl will deter other wolf packs from entering that pack's territory. Wolves begin hunting by passing through the entire territory of the pack until they find their prey.

The wolf drives the prey in the opposite direction from the wind to avoid the opportunity for the animal to detect the wolf smell and escape. As soon as their prey realizes that they are being pursued and tries to escape, the chase begins. The wolves chase her and as soon as they catch up, they immediately bite, usually from the side.

Large animals try to avoid being bitten and turn to attack the wolf with their horns. The wolf is afraid of being wounded by the horns. Therefore, in this case, the animal is surrounded by other members of the wolf pack in order to attack from behind. At this time, the wolf standing in front, taking advantage of the backward rotation of the prey, seeks to bite it in the throat or in the face. Then the whole flock attacks the prey and kills it. The wolf immediately begins to eat its prey.

The wolf can hunt all day long until their hunt is successful. After all, this is a matter of the survival of the wolf.

Quick facts about the wolf

1. The average life span of a wolf in the wild is 10 years. Wolves live in packs, which usually consist of an alpha male wolf, its alpha female, and their offspring of various ages. Other wolves can also join the pack.
2. The wolf has no real natural predators; their biggest threat is other wolf packs in the surrounding area. The wolf is known to live up to 20 years in captivity.
3. Wolves are predatory animals and tend to hunt large animals, but wolves also hunt small animals. Wolves hunt together in packs and work together as a team to capture and kill large animals such as elk or deer. Wolves are opportunistic and will not waste their energy chasing a healthy deer 10 km when a wounded or sick deer is more available. The indigenous peoples of Alaska call the wolf the "Wild Shepherd."
4. Wolves have a layer of thick fur, which is particularly necessary for wolves that live in areas of the Arctic, where it can be very cold. It is during the winter months in these areas that the calories accumulated by the wolf are most critical. Large animals such as elk and deer suffer greatly from the cold and lack of food, and during this time they become slow, lethargic and therefore easier to catch.
5. Wolves are threatened with extinction today, as wolves in large numbers are destroyed by human hunting, poisoned or captured for their fur and to protect livestock. Wolves have also been severely affected by the loss of their habitat and have been pushed into smaller areas where food sources may not be plentiful enough to feed a hungry wolf pack.
6. Wolves tend to mate in late winter to early spring and cubs are born a couple of months later when the weather is warmer and prey is abundant. Cubs develop intensively the next part of the year in order to survive their first cold winter. The cubs stay with their mother in a wolf pack.
7. Wolves can freely interbreed with dogs, coyotes, jackals to produce fertile offspring. This is a case of incomplete speciation. There are physical, behavioral and ecological differences between these species, but they are completely genetically compatible. None of the animals in this group can breed with foxes, which are too genetically different from wolves.
8. Wolves are the largest canines.
9. The wolf does not run fast. The maximum speed of the wolf is approximately 45 km / h. Instead of running, they rely more on their hearing and sense of smell to locate prey.
10. Wolves have great stamina - they can run day and night until they reach their prey.
11. Wolves develop close relationships and fairly strong social bonds. The wolf often shows deep affection for its family and may even sacrifice itself to protect its family.
12. The wolf can be expelled from the pack or leave the pack of its own accord - then it becomes a lone wolf. Such a wolf rarely howls and tries to avoid contact with the pack.
13. The wolf is a beloved character in legends and fairy tales, it is a very intelligent animal and does little to match its terrible reputation in legends and fairy tales.
14. People still fear wolves and chase them more than any other predator. Several centuries ago, people even tortured the wolf and burned it at the stake. However, the wolf has a high intelligence and flair, which helped him escape from extinction.

The ultimate fate of the wolf depends on whether the man will allow the wolf to coexist next to him.

However, it is worth remembering that the wolf is the most important orderly of nature. And, having deprived her of a wolf, a person risks dying himself.

Many people experience a genuine horror of these dangerous predators. This is largely due to the stories told by the hunters. They often characterize wolves as intelligent and even cunning animals. However, not everyone knows that a wolf in nature very rarely attacks a person. These fierce predators prefer to stay away from people, they are used to living their own lives, the main meaning of which is hunting.

Wolves: types of wolves

It should be noted that the genus of wolves on Earth is one of the few in number. There are only seven types of it:

• Canis lupus (wolf);
• Canis aureus (common jackal);
• Canis latrans (coyote);
• Canis rufus (red wolf);
• Canis adustus (striped jackal);
• Canis mesomelas (black-backed jackal);
• Canis simensis (Ethiopian jackal).

The wolf family includes arctic foxes, foxes, a maned wolf, and a raccoon dog.

Habitat

Scientists associate the origin of the wolf with carnivorous predators that lived on our planet a hundred million years ago, and about twenty million years ago, dogs originated from wolves. As a separate species, Canis lupus formed in Eurasia a million years ago, and at the end of the Pleistocene it had already become the most widespread predator.

Nowadays, the habitation of wolves is recorded in Europe, North America, Asia. They inhabit open and semi-open areas. In the north, the border of the predator's distribution is the coast of the Arctic Ocean. In Hindustan (in southern Asia), the wolf lives up to 16 degrees north latitude. Over the past two and a half centuries, the number of these formidable predators has significantly decreased. Protecting domestic animals, man exterminates them and drives them out of populated areas.

Already today, wolves have been completely destroyed in Japan, the British Isles, Holland, France, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and Central Europe. The species of wolves in Europe continue to disappear rapidly over the past decades.

The wolf is still quite common in the steppes and mountainous regions of Kazakhstan, in the tundra and forest-tundra. The characteristic of wolves, which is given in many special editions, suggests that the wolf is quite changeable in the range - it has many subspecies, differs in size, color, lifestyle in natural conditions.

Zoologists distinguish between several dozen subspecies of the wolf. The largest individuals live in the tundra, the smallest in the southern regions. The weight of an adult animal can range from 18 to 80 kg, their body length can reach 160 cm, the length of the tail is about sixty centimeters.

Wolf color

It largely depends on the habitat. The characteristics of the wolf living in the Arctic suggests that white individuals are often found there. In addition, in other regions there are other colors - black and white wolf, gray and white, cinnamon, brown, sometimes completely black fur.

Predators native to North America have three color phases. The first is a mixture of gray, black and a shade of cinnamon and brown. The second is black (a mixture of dark brown and black). The third phase is gray and brown.

Coat

These wild animals have an excellent fur coat. The wolf has thick fur (length up to eight centimeters). It has a thick undercoat. The outer layer is formed by long, hard, black-tipped guard hairs that repel water, and the undercoat does not get wet at all.

Wolf teeth

Wolves have the most powerful weapons. Species of wolves, regardless of their habitat, have 42 strong and sharp teeth. There are 4 curved five-centimeter canines in front - two on the bottom and two on the top. The predator easily bites them through the densest skin of its prey. And with carnivorous (molar) teeth, an adult wolf is capable of gnawing even an elk's thigh bone.

Limbs

Canine animals, including wolves, are finger-walking. In other words, they walk using their fingers. Only when the predator lies down does he touch the ground with his heels. The forelimbs of the wolf are very powerful, due to this, the load is evenly distributed and the animal does not fall into loose snow.

Each front paw of a wolf has five toes, but only four work. The paws have well-developed, bare crumbs, and the toes are collected in a dense and oval ball. They are completed by strong and slightly dull claws due to contact with the ground. The wolf uses them when digging the ground.

Wolves move by jogging, jumping or galloping. While walking, their speed is about six and a half kilometers per hour. They jog at speeds up to sixteen kilometers per hour. For a very long time, the wolf can run almost without stopping. There are cases when these dangerous predators covered a distance of up to one hundred kilometers in one night.

Smell and hearing

The characteristic of a wolf suggests that it is not ears or eyes that are hunting, but the nose is the first to help the wolf find prey. They catch the smell of even a very small animal, which is up to two kilometers away, down the wind. A keen sense of smell allows you to follow the trail of your victim.

True, predators are not deprived of fine hearing. When they hear the noise, they begin to wiggle their ears and unmistakably determine where the sound is coming from, often located several kilometers away.

Wolf Pack

The family of wolves, in some cases, has up to fifteen individuals, but more often there are eight animals in it. A flock is a family group of animals of different ages. Usually, it includes parents, newcomers (this year's brood) and peyarki (animals that have not reached puberty). Sometimes it also includes adult animals that do not take part in reproduction.

In years rich in food, up to 30 or more wolves can gather in packs. The offspring remain in the family for 10-14 months, and then leave it. Thus, a lone wolf appears. He goes in search of free territory, which he immediately marks, declaring his rights to it. As a rule, such an animal soon finds its mate and a new flock appears. Although there are cases when a lone wolf lives for a rather long time outside the pack.

The wolf family is a self-regulating mechanism. In cases where it is rather low, then its size is small, the separation of growing offspring occurs much faster. When ecological conditions are more favorable, the population density increases, therefore, the size of the flock increases, however, up to a certain limit. As a rule, its growth occurs due to non-secret lone wolves, which are assigned a subordinate position.

The pack is led by a pair of predators - a male wolf and his girlfriend, whom, by the way, he chooses for life. Thus, the pack has a core of wolves with a high social status and their subordinates. Pack leaders are distinguished by a very strong character, which allows them to maintain order in the family, to prevent clashes and fights, especially between young wolves.

Family hunting area

The flock survives due to the size of its hunting grounds, so the predators defend them desperately. The border of such territories can be from fifty to one and a half thousand square kilometers. Wolves mark their territory, and you will not envy a stranger who dares to violate its borders.

Sign language

As a rule, wolves express their feelings with body movements and facial expressions. The wolf tongue helps to rally the flock and act in an organized manner. For example, when the tail of an animal is raised high and its tip is slightly bent, this means that the predator is confident in himself. A friendly wolf keeps its tail down, but at the same time the tip is slightly raised up. A predator with its tail between its legs is either afraid of something, or thus communicates sympathy.

In addition, the position of the tail can tell about the status of the animal in the flock. The leader always raises him high, and his subordinates keep the tail down. Wagging its tail, the formidable predator invites its congeners to play.

Welcoming ceremony

Pack members show respect and dedication to their leader in a welcoming ceremony. Ears tucked in, crawling, with tightly smoothed hair, they cautiously approach the leader and his companion, lick them and carefully bite their muzzles.

Wolf diet

The basis of the diet of wolves is made up of large ungulates - noble animals and saigas, elks, goats and rams. In the absence of such food, the wolf hunts rodents, rabbits, in rare cases, eats carrion. In regions where there are no ungulates, wolves are not found or live in very small numbers. Predators are attracted by large concentrations of livestock. In the north, in areas with developed sheep and reindeer husbandry, the presence of wolves is common.

Wolves are quite widespread on the territory of Russia. The types of wolves that inhabit our country are well known. There are only six of them:

• forest Central Russian wolf;
• Gray;
• tundra;
• Siberian forest;
• Caucasian;
• Mongolian.

Grey Wolf

This representative of the wolf is considered the most common in the world. The description of the gray wolf can be found today in all reference books of zoologists. It stands out for its impressive size. The appearance of this predator is not devoid of nobility. Apparently, therefore, he more than once became the hero of writers writing about animals.

The gray wolf can be found in Europe, America and Asia. A knocked down, strong body with a wide massive chest, high muscular legs leave no doubt that this is a real predator in front of you. This wolf has a forehead, but at the same time graceful head with small ears and decorated with dark stripes that are located around almost white cheeks and very light spots above the eyes. The tail is not long, it is almost straight.

The fur is long (up to eight centimeters) and thick, with undercoat. The coat of animals living in the middle and southern regions is rough. Wolves from the northern regions have a soft and fluffy coat.

Russian wolf

This is a special subspecies of the gray wolf that lives in the north of Russia. The Russian wolf is one of five subspecies that live on the territory of our country. Canis lupus communis (Russian wolf) - this is what Western biologists call this animal. On average, the male weighs from 40 to 80 kilograms, the female from 30 to 55 kilograms.

Siberian wolf

It is no less a large animal than the Russian wolf. Many scientists believe that today this species has been isolated conditionally, since the taxonomy of Siberian predators has not yet been completed. These animals have several colors. Light gray is more common. Ochre shades are barely visible or completely absent. The fur is not very tall, but rather thick and soft. Most often found in the Far East, Kamchatka (except for the tundra), in Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia.

Steppe wolf

This animal is somewhat smaller than the representatives of the forest subspecies. He has coarser and thinner hair. On the back there is a color with a noticeable predominance of gray-rusty, and often brown hair. In this case, the sides remain light gray. Today this wolf can be found in the steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Urals, the Lower Volga region. The species is poorly studied. The system of characteristic features has not yet been developed. The number of these animals is small, especially in the western regions of the range.

Caucasian wolf

This animal belongs to medium-sized predators. The Caucasian wolf has a coarse and short guard hair, the undercoat is poorly developed. The color of this animal is much darker than that of the previously described species. This is due to the even distribution of black guard hairs over the hide.

In our country, it lives in the regions of the Main Caucasian ridge, including its wooded foothills.

Mongolian wolf

And this wolf is the smallest living on the territory of Russia. The weight of an adult animal is rarely more than forty kg. Its fur is dull, of a dirty gray shade, rough and tough. This species is common in the east and south-west of Transbaikalia, as well as in the Primorsky Territory.

Tundra wolf

Large and beautiful beast. You can see his photo below. The body length of males often exceeds 150 cm. Predators have long, soft and thick fur. Color - light tones. In our country, this wolf settles in the forest-tundra and tundra zones of the European part of Kamchatka and Siberia.

Central Russian (forest) wolf

A powerful predator that lives in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of Russia, it often inhabits Western Siberia. In the northern regions, it entered the forest-tundra. Although it is generally believed that the largest in Europe and Asia is a representative of this subspecies, it often exceeds it in size.

An adult animal can have a body length exceeding 160 cm, and its height reaches a meter. Of course, such parameters are typical for the largest individuals. On average, an adult male weighs 45 kg, a male (1 year and 8 months) - 35 kg, and a arrived (8 months) - 25 kg. She-wolves are 20% lighter.

The predator is distinguished by its classic, in gray tones with an admixture of ocher, color. The Central Russian wolf lives in the forests of Central Russia, often penetrates the west of Siberia. In the northern regions it enters the forest-tundra.

polar Wolf

This beautiful and powerful animal inhabits the Arctic. perfectly adapted to the harsh climate. Warm and dense wool protects it from frost and piercing winds.

This type of wolf is distinguished by sharp eyesight and excellent scent, which help in hunting for the few living creatures that live in these harsh places. An insufficient amount of biological food and difficulties in obtaining food lead to the fact that the predator eats up the prey completely, leaving neither the bones nor the skin of its prey.

The average weight of an animal is from 60 to 80 kg, height is up to 80 centimeters. Amazingly, this animal, in the event of an unsuccessful hunt, is able to live without food for several weeks. True, then the wolf can eat up to ten kilograms of meat at one time. Wolves living in Russia are more aggressive than North American ones. Attacks on people have been recorded.

Appearance: Strongly knit body with broad chest rests on high, muscular legs with tightly closed toes. The forehead and at the same time graceful head of a wolf with medium-sized ears and a long gable is decorated with dark stripes around almost pure white cheeks and light spots above the eyes. The short tail hangs down almost straight.
The fur is thick and long (up to 8 cm); the undercoat is formed by coarse, long black at the ends of the guard hair, which repels water, which is why the undercoat of the wolf does not get wet. The hair of animals from the middle and southern regions is rough, from the northern ones it is rather fluffy and soft.
Wolves molt twice a year. Spring molt in the north occurs in the second half of April and lasts until June. Thinning of winter fur begins from the nape and sides, at the same time the hairline falls off on the rump. Gradually, the hair change spreads to the ridge and back of the body. Autumn molt in the north covers the period from late August to late October, sometimes to mid-November.

Life span: Wolves can live 12-16 years; many of them die of hunger, others die from a variety of diseases to which they are susceptible just like dogs.

Eating behavior: On average, wolves eat 4.5 kg of meat per day, and in case of successful prey they can eat up to 9 kg. A wolf needs at least 1.5 kg of feed per day, and about 2.3 kg for successful reproduction. The ideas about the extreme gluttony of the wolf are exaggerated and are explained by the fact that predators, having gotten this or that large animal and fed up, take away and hide the remnants of the meat, so that it seems that the prey is eaten at one time. Wolves are hardy animals and can do without food for two weeks or more.

Behavior

In most cases, the wolf is limited to the den, much less often (mainly in open areas - steppe, tundra, etc.) settles in holes, adapting old burrows of marmots, foxes, badgers, polar foxes. For a den, it usually uses natural shelters - depressions under the roots of an inverted tree, among a windbreak, a crevice of rocks or a ravine slope, etc. small forest on the outskirts of it, etc. With a lack of convenient places, especially in the steppe regions, but sometimes even in the forest zone, the den is set up in the remains of hay or straw. The den is used with great consistency from year to year, and only the total extermination of the brood leads to the disappearance of wolves from this point for a number of years. The permanent den serves only for the period of raising the young, and during the rest of the year, wolves lead a more or less wandering life. However, in the middle zone, migrations do not go beyond the hunting area and only in the tundra and steppes have a wider character.
The wolf has a well-developed sense of smell and hearing, helping to easily find prey. In the wind, he catches the smell of even the smallest animal located 1-2 kilometers from him. Hearing a noise, the wolf moves its ears and determines where the sound is coming from.
Wolves can be found at different times of the day, but they are most active at night and at dusk. Most often, wolves move at a walk or trot, less often at a gallop, and in some cases, at a short distance, go to the quarry. The chain of tracks is straightforward, and each individual print is clear in outline.
A pack of wolves moves in single file, like a track in a track, and only at turns and places of stops can one find out the number of animals. Thanks to strong muscular paws, the wolf can run at a trot at a speed of 9 km / h for a long time, and in pursuit of a deer and elk it accelerates to 60 km / h.
Wolves have a well-developed sign language (facial expressions, position and movements of the tail, head, ears, body, etc.), which unites the flock and helps it to act at the same time. Obligatory in packs and a welcoming ceremony, when the members of the pack express their respect to the leader - they crawl towards him with their ears flattened and hair smoothed, lick and carefully bite his face.

Hunting behavior: Wolves are highly developed predators. They have great physical strength, endurance and agility. When wolves hunt in packs, they distribute responsibilities among themselves: part of the pack drives the prey, and the other sits in ambush. Wolves' hunting methods are extremely diverse and depend both on the terrain conditions, the type of prey, and on the experience of a particular individual or pack. So in winter, wolves often drive ungulates to an ice crust or a frozen body of water, where it is easier for them to catch up and overpower even a strong prey. Some flocks drive their prey into natural dead ends: blockages of trees, placers of stones, ravines, etc. Like foxes, wolves can "mouse", hunting for small rodents and insectivores. A characteristic feature of the feeding behavior of wolves, like many other predators, is storing food. It has long been known that a wolf never hunts near its nest; this can explain the observation when young roe deer and cubs played together in the same clearing.
Depending on the results of the hunt, the night trek is 25-40 km, but if necessary, it can be much longer. As indicated, in the middle zone of the country, even in the autumn-winter period, migrations and go beyond the permanent hunting area of ​​a given pair or family. In the tundra and in the Asian steppes and deserts, wolf migrations occupy much larger areas and often acquire the character of distant migrations following herds of reindeer, roe deer, etc. In the mountains, regular seasonal movements of wolves from one vegetation belt to another are observed. So, for example, in the Caucasus, wolves in summer and autumn stay mainly in the alpine and subalpine zones, and in the winter they migrate down to fir and beech forests, where there is less snow and the main wintering grounds for ungulates are concentrated. In addition to regular seasonal movements, there are cases of sudden appearance of large numbers of wolves in some areas.

In the course of DNA research, it was discovered that there are about four genealogical lines of the wolf. African, which arose in the late Pleistocene, is considered the most ancient. All other lines belong to the Indian subcontinent. In the course of major geological and climatic changes, the Himalayan wolf line appeared. The Indian separated from it about 400,000 years ago. The Tibetan wolf, an inhabitant of Kashmir, is the latest line. Its other name is the Holarctic hoard.

The great Siberian wolf in the Pleistocene lived in Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The Sangar Strait in the Holocene divided Hokkaido and Honshu, which caused climate change. They led to the extinction of large ungulates in this area. Lack of sufficient food has led to insular dwarfism in the Japanese wolf.

Hokkaido, thanks to the constant availability of food and genetic interchange with large Siberian wolves, was significantly larger than the Hondo Japanese wolf.

Due to the disappearance of large prey, the dire wolf became extinct about 8,000 years ago. This process was accelerated by the competition for the remaining food with the emerging common wolf.

In which regions does the wolf live?

Currently, the habitat of wolves has decreased significantly. This is due to their uncontrolled extermination in the past. Most of the predators are located on the territory:

• Russia;
• Belarus;
• Ukraine;
• the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula;
• Afghanistan;
• Georgia;
• China;
• Korea;
• Iran;
• Hindustan;
• Iraq;
• Azerbaijan;
• Scandinavia;
• The Baltic States;
• The Balkans;
• Italy;
• Poland;
• Spain;
• Portugal.

From Mexico to Alaska, animals are common in North America. In Russia, they live everywhere, except for the taiga, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. In Japan, predators are completely extinct.

Wolves are able to live in different areas, but they give preference to places with a weak forest. They often live close to a person. In the taiga, they accompany him and settle in the territory cleared by people from the forest.

In the mountains, predators live up to alpine meadows, where areas are slightly rugged.

The wolf is a territorial animal. In the cold season, the flocks live sedentary. The boundaries of the territory in which they live are marked with odorous marks. In winter, the area occupied by predators is up to 44 km. However, as spring approaches, the flock breaks up in pairs. The most powerful representatives remain on their territory, and the loners lead a nomadic life. Wolves often accompany herds of livestock and deer.

For breeding, animals arrange dens. Most often they are natural shelters - thickets of bushes, depressions in the rocks. In some cases, wolves occupy the burrows of other animals - badgers, polar foxes, marmots. It is extremely rare to dig them yourself. The she-wolf is most attached to the den during the period of litter rearing. The male does not use it. Puppies grow in well-hidden places: on hills, in ravines, near the shores of lakes covered with dense reeds, in dense bushes. Wolves never hunt near their den. After the puppies are strong enough for long journeys, the animals leave their shelter. For rest, they look for new, but well-protected places every time. The cubs outwardly resemble dog puppies, have a brown coat.

How long does a wolf live?

Since wolves belong to the canine family, they live about the same as dogs. But the way of life of wolves in the wild is very harsh and wolves die from disease, injury or lack of food before their due date. In the wild, on average, wolves live 10-15 years. But with good care and proper nutrition, they can live up to 20 years.

What does a wolf eat?

The wolf is a predator that hunts down its prey. The main types of animals that he feeds on:

• antelopes;
• roe deer;
• moose;
• wild boars;
• deer.

Lone wolves catch mouse-like rodents, ground squirrels and hares. In the summer, waterfowl, grouse representatives, and domestic geese become prey. In rare cases, the wolf attacks sleeping bears, raccoon dogs, foxes. Predators often attack injured or weakened animals.

Wolves often return to the remains of the animals they have caught. Also, in times of famine, predators do not disdain carrion: carcasses thrown onto the coastline, seals, corpses of livestock.

In addition to meat, animals eat melons, watermelons, mushrooms, fruits, berries. More often than not, this is not caused by hunger, but by thirst. Wolves need frequent, abundant drinks, which are sometimes difficult to find.

Cannibalism is a common phenomenon in the flock. Sick, wounded animals are often eaten by stronger relatives.

Wolves are most active at night. They communicate by means of voice signals. The range of sound waves that a wolf is capable of emitting is many times greater than the capabilities of most animals. The only exceptions are bats and humans. Animals are capable of barking, squealing, yapping, growling, grunting, whimpering, howling. Absolutely every sound emitted by an animal has a wide range of variations.

Experts note that wolves react to sounds given by their relatives deliberately. Thanks to the sounds, the flock transmits various messages to its members, indicating the location of the game. At first, wolves listen to the information received from their relatives, and then throw their heads back and howl in a vibrating voice. At first, their voice is low, and then goes to high notes, caught by the human ear.

Only the leader of the pack can signal an attack. This sound resembles the growl of an angry dog.

You can hear the howling of wolves at dusk or dawn, but not every day. First, the leader howls strongly, and then the rest of the pack. The howl most often ends with a joint screeching bark. Songs of wolves are a sign of the social life of wolves. They have an emotional background and enhance animal cohesion. In addition, the howl allows you to find lost members of the pack and communicate with representatives of other groups.

Wolves have a very strong sense of smell. The sense of smell allows predators to locate prey at a great distance. Wolves can distinguish about 199 million odors. Through their sense of smell, animals receive most of the information. In the life of predators, tags, sniffing of partners, transmission and reception of information through smell play an important role. Sources of information from wolves are feces, urine and saliva. Feces indicate that the animal belongs to a particular species, about its sex. The number of tags increases significantly during the rut and the formation of new pairs. In this case, the males leave their mark on top of the female's mark. This behavior strengthens couples and enhances sexual activity.

Experts concluded that in 89% of cases, wolves detect their prey by smell, and not by hearing.

In the course of evolution, wolves have developed a number of physiological characteristics that allow them to travel long distances in search of food. Animals can easily run a path of several kilometers at a speed of about 9 km / h. During the chase, it increases to 66. At the same time, the dogs are able to make jumps up to 4 meters without stopping the run.

Physiological characteristics:

• sloping back;
• streamlined chest region;
• strong legs;
• webbing between the toes helps reduce surface stress. Thanks to this, the wolf can quickly move on the snowy ground.
• When moving, predators rely solely on the fingers, and not on the entire foot. This method of movement makes it possible to balance the mass.
• The hind legs are shorter than the front ones. They lack the fifth extra toe on the metatarsal side.
• Blunt claws and bristly hair prevent falling from slippery surfaces.
• Special blood vessels keep the paws warm from the cold.
• There are scent glands between the toes. When moving, the predator leaves traces of the smell. They provide an opportunity to navigate the terrain and inform the pack members about the movement of the leader.
• The low thermal conductivity of fur allows the animal to live even in harsh climates.

When a pack attacks a victim, wolves simultaneously slaughter several animals. At the same time, they tear their throat or rip their belly. First of all, predators eat the most valuable in the carcass, and leave the remains in reserve.

The wolf is a highly developed creature. He uses special tactics when hunting. While hunting livestock, they wait in ambush for it. Some of the predators wait in the bushes, and the rest of the flock drives the prey there. When chasing large ungulates, for example, an elk, they starve it out. Several wolves run after the victim, the rest of the pack mince from behind. When the predators participating in the pursuit get tired, they are replaced by their full of strength relatives.

The relationships in the pack are altruistic. Each animal completely subordinates its interests to common needs. Otherwise, the predator community would not have survived. Not only physical data, but also psychological characteristics affect the rank of the animal. This is due to the fact that the leader must take over the organization of the hunt, share the food he has obtained among his relatives. Older wolves are responsible for younger ones. Juveniles unquestioningly obey the requirements of their older relatives.

There are seven ranks in the flock. Community members are governed without force. A clear organization, distribution of roles, complete freedom of choice to be or not to be in the pack - all this makes the wolf family a highly organized, well-coordinated mechanism. The social status of wolves is related to the age and sex of the animals. However, these indicators serve only to fulfill the set goals. After catching prey, wolves will never hunt again as long as they have food.

Division in the flock:

• The leading role is played by the leader. He bears full responsibility for the rest of the relatives. Its main tasks are a clear distribution of roles in the family, organization of actions, protection, choice of habitat, and management of hunting. The leader has the right to start eating first, but this rule may be violated by him. In some cases, the adult animal shares prey with the puppies. This situation is common when food is scarce. Puppies are the future of the pack and the leader must take care of them.

The flock never disputes the right to the first piece of food. A weakened leader will not be able to ensure the safety of his kindred.

The leader has no right to protection. In times of danger, only he decides how to act, the flock always listens to him.

• Warriors are the backbone of the pack. They provide food and the safety of their kind. With an external threat, only warriors enter the battle. This rank can be occupied by wolves of both sexes. However, the female with the puppies never takes part in the protection and foraging.

An older warrior can replace the leader if he dies or for some reason cannot lead the pack. He, along with the main wolf, organizes protection and hunting.

• An adult female with experience in raising cubs is a mother. Its main function is to take care of the pack's puppies. A females who have become obsequious do not automatically take this rank. When attacking a flock, it is the mother who takes all weak relatives to a safe place, while the warriors repel the attack.

The older female never competes with the main warrior, however, if necessary, she takes the place of the leader. With the death of the head of the flock, the most worthy animal begins to play its role. At the same time, there are no fights to identify the best contender for the status of the leader.

During the feeding and raising of puppies, all mothers of the pack are under special care.

Reproduction takes a special place in the life of animals. Once a year, the flock is divided into pairs to reproduce offspring. All members of the pack can reproduce. The main condition for this is the awareness of their role in the pack. Those wolves who did not get a pair help their relatives to raise young animals and hunt. Couples are always created for life. If one of the pair dies, then the surviving wolf never looks for a partner again.

• The guardian is the animal that controls the wolf cubs. There are two sub-ranks. Pestun is a young wolf who is not able to become a warrior at the present time due to age or young animals from a previous litter. These animals are completely subordinate to the mother, carry out her orders. This is how they learn to handle the cubs. The caregiver is the first step in learning to acquire the skills necessary for life.
• Uncle is a male with no family. Helps to raise juveniles.
• The signalman is the eyes of the pack. It is he who notifies her of the impending threat. The information received is analyzed by more experienced wolves. Only after that a decision is made on further actions.
• The puppy assumes no responsibility. Its main task is complete obedience. Adult animals show special care and attention to him.
• A disabled person is an elderly individual who has the right to protection and food. Wolves always take care of their old relatives.

Breeding wolves

Once formed, a couple is never separated. If one of the partners dies, then the second never looks for a new one. Wolves always live in large families of up to 42 individuals.

A clear hierarchy is visible in the flock. The community is led by alpha animals, followed by adult family members, lone wolves. The lowest rank is puppies. The pack often welcomes other wolves. When puppies reach the age of three, they leave their family and look for a mate outside of it. Animals from the same litter never mate.

The mating season is the most stressful time. It falls most often in the winter and spring months. The dominant couple defends themselves from the encroachments of other animals. Free females are surrounded by males. The struggle for their attention begins. Fights often end in death.

As soon as the pair is formed, they begin to search for the den. All necessary preparations are made before the onset of heat. This time helps the couple get closer.

The she-wolf bears offspring for about 64 days. Usually 3-12 puppies are born. They are born blind. It takes only two weeks for their eyes to open. After a while, the parents, along with the rest of the pack, feed the puppies with their own belch from recently swallowed meat. When the young grows up, the already caught prey goes to their food. At the end of summer, puppies are already beginning to try themselves in the hunt. At this time, the flock is joined by pereyarki - last year's droppings, driven away for the breeding season. In this form, the family lives until the new estrus of the she-wolves. Then the perennials can already participate in reproduction. In the first year of life, more than half of the litter perishes.

Females reach sexual maturity at two years old, males at three. The average lifespan of predators is 16 years. The first signs of aging appear at the age of 11.

The offspring of wolves appears only in the warm season. This allows you to get enough food for the puppies. This is how wolves differ from dogs that are in heat twice a year.

People considered wolves to be dangerous animals. Therefore, they were mercilessly exterminated. However, predators play an important role in the ecosystem. They destroy sick weakened animals, thereby preventing an epidemic.

How much does the wolf weigh?

Wolves are the largest canines. Their size and weight varies greatly in the species composition of these predators. In length, depending on the species, the wolf can be less than a meter, and it can reach two. And the weight ranges from 20 kg to 100.

Types of wolves

Experts count seven distinct types of predators. In addition, the gray wolf has about seventeen species.

Arctic

It is the rarest subspecies of the common gray wolf. Habitat - Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska. The predator has preserved its natural habitat thanks to the rare appearance of humans in a harsh area covered with eternal snows.

The polar wolf is a large animal with a powerful constitution. Males reach a size at the withers up to 99 cm. Weight can reach 98 kg. Sexual dimorphism is observed in predators. Females are about 16 percent smaller than males.

Predators have thick light fur with a slight reddish tinge. The tail is fluffy, the legs are long, the ears are short erect.

Animals are perfectly adapted to the long absence of the sun during the polar night. In search of prey, they travel considerable distances across the snow-covered plains. An adult wolf can eat eleven kilograms of meat at a time. Not a trace remains of what was caught during the hunt. Even bones are used as food. Predators never chew meat, but swallow it in pieces.

Like other wolves, the polar one is only able to survive in a pack. Most often, a group consists of 12 individuals. It is headed by a male and a female. The rest of the community members are puppies from past litters and recently born ones. In some cases, the pack accepts a lone wolf, but at the same time he obeys the leaders.

Only the alpha female puppies in the group. When young from other she-wolves appear, they are immediately killed. This severity is due to the extremely difficult living conditions in which it is difficult to feed a large number of wolf cubs.

The survival of animals depends entirely on the size of the hunting grounds. Therefore, wolves defend their borders. With the onset of winter cold weather, a group of predators migrate to the south, where it is easier to get food for themselves. Most often they follow the reindeer.

The polar wolf feeds on absolutely everything that it can find. In summer, his diet includes beetles, frogs, birds, lichens, fruits and berries. In winter, predators eat mainly the meat of hares, lemmings, musk oxen, and deer.

The polar wolf pursues its prey using ambushes and changing racers. The best hunting time is spring. In warm weather, the crust thaws, it becomes difficult for deer to move in such conditions and the predator easily catches up with them.

Healthy and strong herbivores are never in danger. The flock attacks only deer or sick animals. Having attacked the herd, predators break it. Thus, they isolate the chosen victim and kill. When the herd manages to regroup and surround its offspring with a dense ring, the wolves have to retreat. Wolves manage to achieve a positive result only in 11% of their attacks.

Female predators reach sexual maturity by three years of age. In males, this period begins at two. Some time before giving birth, the she-wolf begins to prepare the den. Predators cannot dig a hole in the ice, so caves or depressions in the rocks serve as a place for the appearance of puppies.

Pregnancy lasts 74 days. There are no more than three cubs in the litter. The appearance of more puppies is extremely rare. The puppies born are blind and helpless. Their weight does not exceed four hundred grams. For a month, they do not leave the den. Only when they are fully strengthened do they begin to leave it. All this time the female feeds them with milk.

Caring for the offspring lies not only with the she-wolf, but also with the entire flock. When the mother leaves the den to hunt, the young look after the puppies. Even with scarce food supplies, adult wolves always feed babies. Thus, it is possible to maintain the size of the population. Due to the harsh climate, wolves are not threatened by the danger posed by humans. There are no hunters in the Arctic.

Upon reaching puberty, young animals leave the flock and try to create their own. They look for unoccupied territory and mark its boundaries.

The polar wolf is listed in the Red Book. Hunting him is prohibited.

Ruffed

It bears its name because of the long fur that covers its neck and shoulders. The coat in this area resembles a horse's mane. Aguarachay is found in Northern Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil. However, its main habitat is South America.

The guara has red hair, large ears, elongated muzzle. Outwardly, the wolf looks light and lean. The weight of the animal does not exceed 24 kg.

Aguarachai have the longest legs among other representatives of wolves. Such a structure of the limbs enables the predator to find prey in the tall grass. The wolf hunts alone. It feeds on reptiles, birds, pacu, agouti, plants, fruits. Often attacks sheep and poultry when gathered in groups.

Guars live in pairs. They rarely contact their relatives. There are up to three cubs in the litter. They have black fur. The female gives birth to puppies in winter.

The species is listed in the Red Book. Today there is no threat of extinction. However, the animal is still very rare.

Japanese

In the international classification, there are two subspecies of these animals:

• Hokkaido or Ezo. These predators lived on the island of Hokkaido. Outwardly they resembled an ordinary wolf.
• Honshu or Hondo.

The Meiji government has assigned a reward to anyone who brings the head of a predator. This marked the beginning of the complete destruction of the subspecies. In 1889, the Japanese wolf disappeared completely.

Lyry

Scientific research has shown that wolves do not live in South America. Beginning in 2009, an attempt was made to spread the legend about the supposedly existing subspecies of predators. It is currently impossible to confirm or deny the information received. Therefore, the Lyrical Wolf remains more of a fiction.

Newfoundland

The species became officially extinct in 1911. There was a predator on the eastern shores of Canada. The color was light with a dark stripe along the spine. It ate rodents and caribou.

Because of its thick fur, it was constantly hunted. In addition, since 1900, there was a shortage of food, which led to a sharp decline in the number of caribou. All these factors have led to the complete extinction of the Newfoundland wolf.

Ethiopian

The phenotype of this predator is similar to that of the fox. The species is on the verge of extinction. Because of the amazingly beautiful fur, the animal is constantly hunted.

Mackensens

The most common type of wolf in North America. Animals can weigh up to 79 kg. Height at withers - 89 cm. It feeds on deer, wapiti, musk oxen and elk, bison.

The Alaskan wolf was relocated to Yellowstone Park. There he adapted perfectly. Its number has increased by 1290 individuals. Some of the predators eventually left the protected areas and settled in the border zone. They are hunted in these places.

An amazing animal is found in the mountains of Asia. It is extremely difficult to say exactly who it is by mere appearance. His body is folded like that of a jackal, wolf behavior, and his beautiful fur resembles a fox.

The red or mountain wolf is an intelligent and beautiful predator. The weight of the animal reaches 22 kg, the body length does not exceed a meter. The color is bright, the tail is long and hangs down almost to the ground, the fur is fluffy and thick. The muzzle is short, the ears are large, rounded, set high.

Depending on the habitat, the red or mountain wolf has a different coat color. However, in most cases it is reddish. In the cold season, the fur becomes thick, dense and soft. By summer, the coat coarsens and becomes darker. Cubs are brown at birth.

There are 10 subspecies of predators. Differing among themselves in the size of the body, color and density of fur.

The red or mountain wolf lives in various areas. However, its numbers are insignificant. Experts cannot say for sure whether he currently lives in Russia. Mostly the red or mountain wolf lives in Asia.

The predator lives in gorges and rocks, where snow constantly lies. On plains and forests, it appears only in search of food or when moving from one territory to another. It is extremely rare for an animal to attack livestock.

Predators hunt in a flock. Its size does not exceed 13 individuals. At the same time, there is no clear leader in it. They get their own food most often during daylight hours. The red or mountain wolf feeds on deer, antelopes, lizards and rodents. A large flock is capable of killing a bull and a leopard. If there is a shortage of food, the red or mountain wolf does not hesitate to take carrion.

Despite the fact that the predator's diet mainly includes meat, he does not neglect plant foods. Mountain rhubarb is always present in the den with newborn puppies. Experts believe that it is fed to young animals by belching the inflorescences of the plant treated with gastric juice.

The red or mountain wolf attacks the victim from behind. It never captures the throat of prey, unlike other canids.

The animal has a secretive nature. It always hides from people. The lair is arranged in well-protected places. Burrows never dig. Swim and jump well. They have sensitive hearing.

Due to its secretive lifestyle, the biology of the predator is not fully understood. Experts can only say with confidence that a red or mountain wolf mates with one female. The male is engaged in raising puppies. In captivity, the predator mates in winter. Pregnancy lasts 59 days. There are no more than 9 puppies in the litter.

In a warm climate, young animals are born throughout the year. The born puppy is outwardly similar to an ordinary wolf or German shepherd. Only after 13 days his eyes open. After half a year, the puppy begins to weigh like an adult. Puberty occurs at two years of age.

Ginger

Outwardly, a red wolf resembles a gray one. However, it is slightly smaller in size, its body is slender, its coat is shorter, its ears and legs are longer. The body reaches a size of 129 cm, height up to 79, weight no more than 39 kg. The color of the red wolf is not monochromatic. The muzzle and legs are reddish, the back is black.

Predators live in prairies, wetlands and mountainous areas. Flocks consist of animals of different ages. There is no aggression in groups at all.

The red wolf eats not only meat, but also plant foods. The prey of the predator is most often rabbits, raccoons, rodents. Deer are extremely rare. Animals often eat carrion and berries. The red wolf sometimes falls prey to lynx and alligators.

The breeding season lasts from January to March. She-wolves bring up to 7 puppies. Cases have been described when the female gave birth to 11 cubs. The animals settle their lair under fallen trees or along the banks of water bodies. In half a year, puppies become independent. The wolf lives in captivity for about 13 years, in natural conditions - 4 years.

The red wolf is the rarest canine. It is listed in the Red Book.

Marsupial

The last representatives of the subspecies lived in Tasmania until 1936. A marsupial wolf had a body length of about a meter, a tail of 49 cm. Males at an age could reach two meters in length.

The predator's skull resembled a dog's, but the tail was thin at the end and thick at the base, the bent hind limbs spoke of its marsupial nature. The coat was coarse, short, very thick. The back had a brownish tint. There were stripes of darker color on it. The belly was light, the muzzle gray. The ears are erect, short, rounded.

The marsupial wolf had a kind of pouch on the stomach, formed by a skin fold that opened back.

Initially, the animal lived on grassy plains and in sparse forests. However, with the arrival of man, his habitat changed. He moved to the mountains, where he made his lair in caves and under fallen trees. The marsupial wolf was a nocturnal predator, but sometimes it went out to bask in the sun. The predator hunted alone, rarely in pairs.

The marsupial wolf ate lizards, birds, echidnas. After human settlement in Australia, the animal began to attack livestock. The marsupial wolf often ate animals caught in traps. The predator left the caught and half-eaten game and never returned to it. The marsupial wolf had a shrill, guttural, dull, coughing bark.

Thylacin is a marsupial animal. The she-wolves had a pouch formed by a fold of skin on their belly. Cubs were fed and carried in it. After three months, the puppies began to leave the bag, but returned to it until they were nine months old.

The marsupial wolf did not breed under artificial conditions and lived up to 9 years.

Forest

The phenotype of wolves changes depending on the habitat. The colder the climate, the more massive and large animals that live in these conditions. On average, the proportions of the gray wolf are as follows:

• weight 33-63 kg;
• body length 104-161 cm;
• height at the withers 67-87 cm.

These indicators make the common wolf the largest in the family.

Yearling animals weigh 19-31 kg. In the third year of life, 34-46 kg. The wolf reaches its peak of development by three years. In Alaska, animals reach a weight of 76 kg, in temperate latitudes, the figure varies between 51-61 kg.

Outwardly, the wolf looks like a sharp-eared large dog. His legs are high and powerful. The paw, in contrast to the dog's, is more elongated. The wolf's footprint is up to 13 cm long and 7 in width. The paw print is more prominent than in dogs. It can be easily distinguished by its two middle fingers extended forward. The track of the tracks resembles a straight line.

Description of the appearance of the wolf:

• broad-headed head;
• on the sides of the elongated wide muzzle are "sideburns";
• high, heavy, large skull;
• widening to the bottom, wide nasal openings;
• the thick long tail is always down. By his movement and position, one can judge the mood of the wolf and the position in the pack.
• The structure of the jaw speaks of the animal's lifestyle. Carnivorous teeth, which include the lower first molars and the upper fourth premolars, participate in the division of the caught game. Fangs help the wolf to drag and hold the prey. With the loss of teeth, the animal is doomed to death.
• The fur is long, thick, and consists of two layers. Thanks to him, the wolf looks much larger than it actually is. The guard hair, which forms the first coat, protects the animal from dirt and water. The undercoat, the second layer, is a waterproof down that helps keep you warm. Moulting occurs closer to summer. During this period, the fluff exfoliates in small lumps. To speed up the process, animals rub their skins against various objects: tree trunks, stones.
• A wolf puppy has a dark, monochromatic coat, which brightens after a while. Fur color can have mixed shades in representatives of the same population. The undercoat of wolves is always gray, only the color of the guard hair is different.

Many people think that the color of the coat serves as a camouflage. However, experts say that the color of the fur increases the individual characteristics of each individual.

• The eyes of animals up to 17 weeks of age are blue, then they acquire an orange tint. It is extremely rare that the color of the eyes in adult wolves remains blue.

• Thanks to long-term scientific experiments, a hybrid of a wolf and a dog was bred. Such breeds as the Sarlosa and the Czechoslovakian wolf are considered recognized throughout the world.
• During the Middle Ages, the predator was considered a servant of the dark forces. Many legends, traditions and fairy tales were composed using his image. The most popular is the werewolf or werewolf.
• Wolves almost never attack humans. If this happens, then the animal is most likely sick with rabies.
• Many coats of arms of the European nobility were decorated with the image of a wolf. High-ranking officials believed that their family originated thanks to werewolves.
• For the battle to be successful, the Vikings put on the skins of predators, and also drank their blood before it began.
• Wolf land. This is what Ireland was called in the 17th century because of the numerous packs of wolves that lived on its lands.
• Under favorable weather conditions, the predator is able to hear sound on the plain at a distance of 17 km.
• The wolf is extremely difficult to tame. The dream of having a predator in your home who will guard the territory is not realizable. Wolves are afraid of people, so they will hide from strangers, and not defend their territory.
• "Lupus" in translation means "red wolf". Doctors in the past believed that this autoimmune disease occurs after being bitten by a predator.
• The animal swims well. It is able to cover a distance of 14 km thanks to small membranes located between the toes.
• Hitler was very fond of wolves. He gave many of his military headquarters codenames associated with the name of the predator.
• The dire wolf is a prehistoric animal whose main prey was mammoths.
• The crow is often called the "wolfbird". This name was given to him due to his habit of following a predator. The bird eats up the remains of the caught prey, and also uses the dogs as protection.
• The Aztecs pierced the chest of a dying man with a sharp wolf bone. It was believed that death could be prevented in this way.
• Predator liver powder was used in medieval Europe for childbirth.
• Eating wolf meat can turn into a vampire. This is exactly what the Greeks thought.
• The Cherokee have never hunted this predator. They believed that the weapon that killed the animal would "deteriorate." They were also afraid of revenge from the fellows of the deceased wolf.
• The predator has a well-developed facial expression. He uses her to communicate with congeners.
• "Great God" is the translation of the word wolf from Japanese.

In India, primitive pit traps with sharpened sticks at the bottom are used to catch a predator.

What do people know about wolves? What qualities of a wolf first come to mind when it comes to these animals? Surely you think that they are dangerous and cruel, insidious and treacherous. However, those who know almost nothing about the life of these animals think so. In this article we will try to tell you a little more about them. Perhaps some interesting fact about wolves will make you change your attitude towards them.

Genus Lupus (wolves)

This genus unites wolves, jackals, coyotes, dogs. These are the largest representatives of the wolf. All arctic foxes, foxes, maned wolves and

Each wolf is endowed with its own character - there are individuals who are cautious, self-confident and daring, some of them behave in the society of their fellow tribesmen at ease and freely, while others prefer to keep in the shadow of their more active relatives.

Wolves live in the plains of the northern hemisphere, as well as in the mountains and forests. Unfortunately, in some countries they have been completely exterminated. And in Antarctica, white wolves are on the verge of extinction. They are listed in the International Red Book. Hunting for these animals is prohibited.

These predators live in various landscapes - in forests, tundra, mountains and steppes. Mostly they are sedentary animals, but at the same time, in search of food, they wander over very long distances. As biologists say, in the wild, they occupy their own niche. In their habitats, wolves are usually the largest group of predators that prey on large mammals.

External characteristics

A male wolf usually weighs about fifty kilograms, a she-wolf is five kilograms lighter. The height at the withers of an adult is 75 cm, and the body length can be up to two meters. This is, of course, averaged data.

Wolves have a thick and coarse coat with an undercoat. The color can be different. There are gray, black, red, red, white wolves.

Lifestyle

Wolves are animals that prefer to live in families. Any pack of wolves has its own "charter" in which each has its own role. Aggressive and strong young people are in charge, and those who need a strong hand obey them.

A wolf pack, in which animals are related by kinship, are led by a wolf and a she-wolf. The rest of its members, mainly their offspring (from completely unintelligent puppies to 3-year-old adolescents), obey them. Sometimes strangers are nailed to the flock, for some reason they left their flock. Usually, up to 15 animals live in such a family.

Endurance and vitality of wolves

These qualities of a wolf deserve special attention. A hungry predator without food can remain active for up to ten days. The wounded animal leaves the hunters for several kilometers. Surrounded by hunting dogs, it fiercely defends itself until its last breath. And a wolf, caught in a trap, bites off its paw to hide from its pursuers.

There is a known case when a wolf, having broken a paw during a hunt, lay motionless on the ground for 17 days, after which it got up and continued searching for prey. The will to live of wolves is amazing.

But they have small weaknesses that experienced hunters know about. Surprisingly, these brave predators are lost at the sight of a rag that flutters in front of their face. This feature served to appear with flags. Hunters, having found a wolf pack, surround it around the perimeter with a rope with rags of any fabric hung on it. The wolves, seeing the fluttering flags, do not dare to jump for them, and the hunters shoot at the animals point-blank.

And one more fact. The wolf in the forest never attacks people first. He avoids a person, prefers to stay away from him.

Wolf's lair

The wolf burrow is quite simple. As a rule, it has one entrance. In the forest-steppe regions of Siberia, they are about four meters deep, and the entrance diameter is about 50 cm.

In Transbaikalia, researchers observed how wolves dig burrows in tarbagany in autumn, and wolf broods were found in them in spring. One of these burrows was more than five meters long, forty centimeters wide and twenty-five centimeters high. The nest inside the burrow was half filled with dry grass bedding. It contained tarbagan skins.

In the Far North, these predators build burrows along the banks of streams and rivers. In these areas, the soil is well-drained, there is no permafrost, so it is easy to dig a hole.

Many burrows can be found near the summer reindeer pastures. As a rule, wolves roam behind the herds of these animals. Before the appearance of the puppies, they move forward, closer to their burrows, where the deer also come, but somewhat later.

Wolf howl

Each hole is inhabited by one pair of wolves, and they gather in a pack using the means of communication available to them - howling. This is not just the voice of a predator, it is an encrypted message with specific signals. Howl is attracting (especially during the mating season), calling. It can be heard when the leader calls the pack to hunt. Howl can be in response when members of the pack respond to the call of the leader. It can be dying and, finally, entertainment. Oddly enough, wolves often howl for no apparent reason, probably because their wolf soul asks for it.

The social order of the pack

The strongest wolf becomes the leader of the pack. His faithful friend - a she-wolf helps him to manage. For pack members to obey, leaders must have strong character. All decisions that relate to the life of the family, the wolf and the she-wolf make together. In a flock, where the leader keeps order, males never fight among themselves. But outsiders who have violated the border of possession are usually severely punished. The wolf pack goes hunting only on its own, limited territory. The owners guard and mark her very jealously. This is a warning to neighbors to stay away from the land.

Sometimes, in large packs of one wolf, for some unknown reason, all of its brethren are poisoned. Sometimes it becomes difficult for a rejected animal to live in a family, and he leaves it. He becomes a wandering loner. True, he has a chance to create his own flock if he meets the same lonely she-wolf. If these animals want to rule the flock, they must completely subordinate all its members to their will and make them obey the laws of the family.

How does the leader manage?

A pack of wolves unconditionally accepts the supremacy of the leader. He dominates the males, and his girlfriend keeps order among the she-wolves. The leader does not get tired of reminding his subordinates who is the master in the pack - he growls at them, bites, even knocks them down, doing this in front of the whole family.

As a rule, one intent and stern gaze of the leader or his she-wolf is enough to subdue those at whom he is aimed. Grinning, and rather ingratiatingly, the wolves fall to the ground, and then, if they succeed, stealthily leave the place of punishment. Sometimes they lie on their backs, as if to say: "We agree that you are in charge."

An interesting fact about wolves - the position of a predator in a pack can be judged by the way it holds its tail. At the leader, he is always raised high. For ordinary "subjects" it is omitted. And those individuals that are at the lowest level in the flock, tuck their tail.

Family members show their love and respect for the leader and his girlfriend in a welcoming ceremony. With ears flattened, crawling and with smoothed hair, they creep up to them, lick and carefully bite their muzzles.

Wild wolves are loyal animals

Probably not everyone knows that wolves are one of the most loyal animals. These powerful predators are very attached to their packmates. They express their emotions and feelings with body movements and facial expressions. Thanks to the "wolf tongue" the flock rallies, acts at the same time. They express their tenderness and sympathy by licking each other, while they rub their muzzles.

Why does a wolf need a tail?

Not everyone knows that a wolf's tail is a kind of indicator that expresses his feelings. If it is raised high, and the tip is slightly curved, then this means that the wolf is quite confident in its abilities. A friendly-minded animal lowers its tail, but its very tip is raised up. A wolf with its tail between its legs is either afraid of something, or reports its obedience.

Wolf family man

Only experts know this interesting fact about wolves. These dangerous predators have the strongest emotional attachment. They are monogamous - they choose their mate once and for life.

I must say that a wolf is an ideal family man. He does not make scandals, does not betray his wolf, does not disagree with her, does not start a young "mistress" on the side, brings all the spoils to the family.

Wild wolves are very fond of their young. The cubs are taken care of not only by their parents, but also by the whole flock.

The relation of the ancients to the wolf

This beast is sometimes called mythical. In ancient times, he was revered and respected for his courage, endurance, ingenuity. Many warlike tribes perceived him as their ancestor. During the heyday of patriarchy, he was compared to the groom, the bride kidnapper.

For our ancestors, the wolf was like an intermediary between gods and people. He was considered a talisman against evil. When the wolf became a faithful companion of George the Victorious, he began to be perceived as a solar deity.

Apollo, the ancient Greek god of light, was sometimes called Apollo the Wolf. The ferocious predator was a sacred animal of the god Upuaut in ancient Egypt.

In the myths of the Scandinavian peoples, wolves are called "Odin's dogs." Romulus and Remus, who founded Great Rome, were suckled by a she-wolf sent by Mars.