The gray wolf or grey wolf (Canis lupus) is a species of canid native to the wilderness and remote areas of North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. It is the largest member of its family, with males averaging 43–45 kg (95–99 lb), and females 36–38.5 kg (79–85 lb). It is similar in general appearance and proportions to a German shepherd, or sled dog, but has a larger head, narrower chest, longer legs, straighter tail and bigger paws. Its winter fur is long and bushy, and is usually mottled gray in color, though it can range from nearly pure white, red, or brown to black.
Within the genus Canis, the gray wolf represents a more specialised and progressive form than its smaller cousins (the coyote and golden jackal), as demonstrated by its morphological adaptations to hunting large prey, its more gregarious nature and its highly advanced expressive behavior. It is a social animal, travelling in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair, accompanied by the pair's adult offspring. The gray wolf is typically an apex predator throughout its range, with only humans and tigers posing a serious threat to it. It feeds primarily on large ungulates, though it will also eat smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage.
The gray wolf is one of the world's most well researched animals, with probably more books written about it than any other wildlife species. It has a long history of association with humans, having been despised and hunted in most agricultural communities due to its attacks on livestock, while conversely being respected by some Native American tribes. It is the sole ancestor of the dog, which was first domesticated in the Middle East. Although the fear of wolves is prevalent in many human societies, the majority of recorded attacks on people have been attributed to animals suffering from rabies. Non-rabid wolves have attacked and killed people, mainly children, but this is unusual, as wolves are relatively few, live away from people, and have been taught to fear humans by hunters and shepherds. Hunting and trapping has reduced the species' range to about one third, though its still relatively widespread range and stable population means that the species is not threatened at a global level, and is therefore classified by the IUCN as Least Concern.
Read more about Gray Wolf: Etymology, Range and Conservation, Diseases and Parasites
Other articles related to "gray wolf, wolf, gray":
... Hybridization between gray wolf and coyote has long been recognized both in the wild and in captivity ... from Mexican wolves, a critically endangered subspecies of the grey wolf once nearly driven to extinction in the wild, confirmed the presence of coyote markers in some of the wolves ... to mate with some of the male wolves of the remnant wild Mexican wolf populations ...
... Although he was once like his brother, Gray Wolf was captured during a battle and the darkness of his heart was exploited by Moo, turning him into a Baddie ... As a member of the Big Bad Four, Grey Wolf led a pack of mixed-breed Tigers and commanded armies of Baddies which patrolled the surrounding areas ... minions were defeated by his brother and the others, Gray Wolf fought his brother and was defeated when Tiger ran his baddie crest through with his horn ...
... nineteen days may be too long to wait to begin socializing a wolf pup ... Because wolf milk contains more arginine than can be found in puppy milk substitutes, an arginine supplement is needed when feeding pups below the weaning age ...
... Up until 2011, it was debated whether or not the gray wolf occurred in Africa ... Georg Ebers wrote of the wolf being among the sacred animals of Egypt, describing it as a "smaller variety" of wolf to those of Europe, and noting how the name Lykopolis, the Ancient Egyptian city dedicated ... Zoologist Ernst Schwarz classified North Africa's wolf-like canid as a subspecies of golden jackal, and was subsequently criticised for having overlooked its morphological ...
... The gray wolf or grey wolf (Canis lupus) is a species of canid native to the wilderness and remote areas of North America, Eurasia, and North Africa ... Its winter fur is long and bushy, and predominantly a mottled gray in colour, although nearly pure white, red, or brown to black also occur ... Within the genus Canis, the gray wolf represents a more specialised and progressive form than its smaller cousins (the coyote and golden jackal), as ...
Famous quotes containing the words wolf and/or gray:
“Pain is real when you get other people to believe in it. If no one believes in it but you, your pain is madness or hysteria.”
—Naomi Wolf (b. 1962)
“Love is the hardest thing in the world to write about. So simple. You’ve got to catch it through details, like the early morning sunlight hitting the gray tin of the rain spout in front of her house. The ringing of a telephone that sounds like Beethoven’s “Pastoral.” A letter scribbled on her office stationery that you carry around in your pocket because it smells of all the lilacs in Ohio.”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)