The wolf, whose scientific name is Canis lupus, is a carnivore belonging to the canidae family. As we already know, it is a wild animal that, it is believed, gave rise to today's domestic dogs. However, the behavior and infinity of characteristics of the latter can differ quite a bit from those of wolves.
Anatomy of the Wolf
As we have already mentioned, there are numerous subspecies or types of wolf, which can adopt different sizes and characteristics. However, the vast majority usually measure between 1 and 2 meters in length from snout to tail, weigh between 30 and 60 kilograms and have a height of approximately 80 centimeters from the ground to the withers of the animal.
Regarding the skeleton, muscles and other anatomical parts, it is true that the wolf is practically the same as the domestic dog, as we can see in this article on Differences between wolves and dogs, since it has a long vertebral column, 13 pairs of ribs, four walking legs and a set of teeth strong canines, among others. However, some differences must be highlighted, such as:
- Increased skull size.
- Normally oval ears.
- A more powerful musculature that allows him to reach great speeds.
- Larger teeth for tearing up large prey.
- Longer snouts.
- Forelimbs slightly longer than the hind limbs, thus speeding up their movement.
- Thick pads, since they support your weight on your fingers when moving (digitigrade).
To all this we must add other characteristics of the wolf that make it an amazing and intimidating animal, such as its peculiar gaze, where brown, yellowish or orange colors predominate.
Regarding its coat, it can be differentiated two layers: an internal soft touch whose function is to protect the animal from the ambient temperature and another harder external whose function is to protect you from other external factors such as rain. The latter adopts different colors depending on which subspecies of wolf it is and where it lives. In this way, there can be wolves with gray, white, black, brown, reddish fur or a set of these shades. In colder places, the amount of hair will be greater and in hotter places it will be found in less abundance, giving the carnivore a slimmer appearance.
Wolf Feeding
This is mainly a carnivorous animal, so in nature it is common to see it feeding on other smaller animals or even some with larger sizes. But like everything else, this is not always the case, because in habitats where prey is scarce they can also can eat some other vegetable They are not as voracious as other wild animals and a day they can consume between 1 and 3 kilograms of meat, depending on the size of the wolf and the needs of the pack. Among the usual foods we can highlight:
- Snakes and other reptiles.
- Rabbits.
- Rodents.
- Birds.
- Goats.
- Sheep.
- Pigs.
- Deer.
If you want to have more information about what wolves eat, you can read this other article on our site about Feeding the wolf.
Wolf Play
Within a wolf pack, which is usually made up of between 7 and 20 individuals, mating takes place only between the alpha male and the beta female once a year. After a gestation period of approximately 60 days, the young are born in litters of between 5 to 12 individuals, normally forming the herd.
The rest of the young males do not reproduce, except in cases where the alpha male cannot mate or in cases where they leave the herd to form their own, as occurs in other animal species wild. In the case of not abandoning and remaining in the herd, they will carry out protection and cooperation functions in the search for food.
If you want to learn more about this topic, don't hesitate to read the article on Reproduction of the wolf.
Wolf Personality
Although wolves appear to be cold and aggressive, it is true that they are very cunning and familiar animals that normally live in packs variable size. Like other wild species, such as the lion, there is a leader within the pack. In wolves, there is the case of the alpha male, which is usually the only one to reproduce with the beta female to form the pack with its own offspring. Beyond his privilege to mate, the alpha male also has great family instincts, as he cares for pups, participates in foraging for survival of the herd and protects all his own.
It should be highlight their intelligence, related to the large size of their brains and which they show when making hunting plans that they are very successful. Intellectual capacity is also demonstrated in the mode of communication between different individuals. Although there are several hypotheses about the howl of the wolf, one of the most important is the use of it to communicate. Thus, they can announce the arrival of danger, states or emotions, locations, etc.
All this together with his great socialization capacity has made it possible for the wolf to live with man years ago, thus giving rise to his domestication and the consequent appearance of the current domestic dog.
Despite all this, we must bear in mind that the wolf is a wild animal and, therefore, must be treated as such. We will not be able to know what their emotions, sensations and instincts are at a certain moment, so if we are ever close to this species in nature, it would be better not to disturb their space. The personality of animals is something that you can never get to know completely, since we can't put ourselves in their shoes. However, thanks to the studies carried out by ethologists, we can have more knowledge every day about the behavior of these wonderful living beings.
If you want to know more about wolves, discover Types of wolves and their characteristics.
Other Characteristics of Wolves
Now that you know some of the most important characteristics of wolves, these other facts may also interest you:
- They have a great sense of smell and hearing. They are the most developed organs, allowing them to search for their prey and communicate with each other. They also have good vision, allowing them to hunt successfully at night.
- They are very territorial and delimit their space by marking with urine, faeces or impregnating the ground with their scent. To do this, they have scent glands, among which those found at the base of their tails stand out.
- Their long tails allow them to maintain their body balance when moving around.
- Not all wolves live in packs, as there are cases where they can live alone. In these situations, hunting becomes more difficult and they have to make do with smaller prey.
- They get into fights if others outside their pack occupy their territories, which can cover hundreds of square kilometers.
- The life expectancy of wolves is usually around between 8 and 15 years. In the wild, it can be reduced due to human actions (hunting, deforestation, etc.) or the disappearance of its habitat.
- They adapt to practically any type of habitat, as we can see in this article on Where do wolves live? For this reason, we can find them practically in almost every place in the world where there is an abundance of food.
