Gray Wolf Research Paper

A young deer has strayed away from her herd and is innocently grazing on grass. Ten yards away, a hungry wolf pack slowly stalks toward the fawn after trailing her for days. The deer senses what's happening and darts away, but it's too late, the fawn is as good as dead. The snowy terrain works to the wolf's’ advantage, with their huge paws acting like snowshoes. The wolves advance as their strongest member leads the chase. The pups watch from the sidelines as the deer quickly tires out. The head wolf quickly latches on to the fawn’s nose and brings her to the ground. The deer thrashes as more wolves come and attack her. Not long after, the fawn gives up her fight and the wolves feast.

The Canis lupus, otherwise known as the Gray Wolf, is known for their ferocity and majesty. Although they are called gray wolves, these domestic dog ancestors range in color from, grey, brown, a mix, all white, to all black. Gray wolves are the largest type of canines. Their size ranges from at shoulder length 60-90 cm, and 1.5 m in length from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail. Gray wolves vary in weight ranging from 25-60 kg as full grown adults! So usually, a gray wolves’ size and
weight increase the further north they go and decrease the more south. Long legs- make it easy to run the deep snow, calloused but flexible paws, and gigantic molars used for crushing prey, these guys are born hunters.

Gray wolves usually eat ungulates, or large hoofed mammals, such as elk, deer, moose and caribou, as well as beaver, rabbits and other small prey.
And when food becomes scarce, wolves will scavenge and often eat animals that have died due to other causes. Wolves usually hunt in packs but they usually do not attack right away when the prey is still at its strongest. Wolves aren't able to kill their victims quickly; so they continue chasing the animal until it dies of shock or muscle damage. It isn't rare for a wolf to get injured by flailing hooves of thrashing antlers. A well placed kick could break a wolf’s jaw making it unable to eat. They find it much more convenient to chase from a distance until the prey tires out. Each hunt is masterfully planned and is a coordinated group
effort.

To survive the harsh and bitter terrain of a snowy tundra, a wolf has to acquire certain adaptations. A thick, woolly, coat is essential to keep them from freezing to death. The gray wolf's large paws have fleshy pads and claws for traction and can spread to act like snowshoes. Wolves have a sense of hearing twenty times sharper than a human's and have a sense of smell a hundred times keener. A wolf's jaws can deliver a crushing pressure of over 500 pounds per square inch! If a human had that jaw power, we could easily bite through steel! Another adaptation is the great stamina. They can quickly cover a distance of more than 18 miles at just a quick trot. They have a top speed of about 40 miles per hour.

Wolves have one of the most complex social structure in the entire animal kingdom. Each wolf pack has its own hierarchy. It consists of one main breeding pair, the Alpha male and Alpha female, a lower group of members consisting of unmated wolves, a group of outcasts, and a group of immature wolves trying to rise up the ranks. A wolf pack has about 5-15 members. Some young wolves may leave the safety of their pack to look for empty territory and find a mate. Wolves mate for life and will go at certain extent to find their perfect match. Most of the time they'll mate with one of the members of their pack. If a wolf finds a mate outside their pack, the wolf will leave their pack and join or make a new wolf pack with their newfound mate. But, leaving a pack can be difficult because each pack is treated like a family.

Wolves are natural born hunters. These carnivores are not only deadly, but smart too. They are able to use all of their adaptations to their advantage and, their social structure is extremely complex. They practice teamwork and these majestic creatures are well deserving of our admiration.