Message about the gray wolf. Wolf in the wild

Wolves are one of the most famous and typical predators. Together with several closely related species - jackals, coyotes, wild dogs - they are part of the wolf family. There are only 2 species of true wolves in the world - gray and red. They can also include the coyote, which in essence is not much different from typical wolves. The appearance of these animals does not need detailed description. They have all the signs of real predators: a dense but slender body, relatively long legs, an elongated muzzle, armed with a set of sharp and large teeth.

Gray wolf (Canis lupus).

Wolves' claws are worn down by contact with the ground, so they are relatively dull. These signs indicate an active lifestyle and pronounced carnivory of these animals. The color and size of wolves vary greatly depending on the area where they live. Thus, northern populations are large in size and have light, almost white coat color; wolves temperate latitudes usually gray, sometimes among them there are completely black individuals; wolves from the southern regions are small, with red or brown hair.

Alaskan wolves are white in color.

The range of wolves covers vast areas Northern Hemisphere, but in some parts of the range ( Western Europe, British Isles) they are completely exterminated. These animals live in various landscapes - in the tundra, forests, mountains and steppes. Wolves lead a sedentary lifestyle, but can roam long distances in search of food. In general, these animals are characterized by great mobility: in search of food, wolves can walk almost a whole day without rest, covering up to 50-60 km at a time. It is especially worth noting the extreme endurance and vitality of wolves: a hungry wolf without food is able to remain fully active for up to 10 days; when wounded, it goes several kilometers away from hunters; surrounded by dogs, it fiercely defends itself to the last drop of blood; and when caught in a trap, it bites off its own paw to escape. from the pursuers. There are known cases when a wolf, having received a broken paw during a hunt, remained lying on the ground, he remained motionless for 17 days, after which, as if nothing had happened, he continued to search for prey. Such a will to live is amazing! But wolves also have secret weaknesses: oddly enough, these brave predators give in to the sight of a flapping rag. This feature formed the basis of the famous wolf hunt with flags. In this case, hunters, having discovered a pack of wolves, surround (“enclose”) it around the perimeter with a stretched rope with scraps of fabric. The wolves, seeing the matter fluttering, do not dare to jump behind the flags and the hunters shoot the animals at point-blank range.

Wolves are pack animals. Each pack consists of several wolf families - a parent pair and grown-up young animals - and numbers from 7 to 30 individuals.

Wolves in a pack are related to each other.

The life of a pack is very complex and is governed by internal “wolf” laws. The expression " wolf law"has become a household word to denote injustice and unprincipledness. But is this how wolves really live? Observations show that in reality the situation is exactly the opposite. All behavior of the pack is subject to strict discipline and a clear hierarchy. There is a dominant pair of wolves in the pack (the so-called alpha male and alpha female), their behavior regulates the lifestyle of other animals. The leader leads the pack on a hunt and takes part in it active participation, he is the first to begin dividing the spoils.

The wolf bared his teeth, protecting the elk carcass.

In large flocks, the leading pair also limits the reproduction of other pairs, preventing other animals from mating. The remaining members of the pack are divided into ranks from strong to weakest. Each animal is subordinate to its superior in rank and “suppresses” those below it. But this pressure is not accompanied by violence! Wolves have a very developed language of facial expressions and sounds: with the help of various grimaces, grins, growls, whines and howls, they signal each other about their condition. So, if the leader is “dissatisfied” with the behavior of a subordinate, all he has to do is bare his teeth or growl and his message will immediately be understood.

The male of the dominant pair, with a grin, declares his right to be the first to eat the prey. The male of the second rank demonstrates a submissive posture and averted gaze, thereby recognizing the right of the stronger and begging for his share.

Weak members of the pack also signal their needs to the leader: whining, they beg for their share of the prey; roll over onto their back, showing their unprotected belly to the stronger one. This gesture means “I obey you” and is never rejected. Clashes between animals are rare and almost always initiated by lower-ranking members of the pack! If a wolf, who is in the second and third roles, believes that it is his time to be a leader, he stops accepting the leader’s indicating signals and enters into a fight with him. In general, the degree of dominance of an animal can be easily determined by characteristic feature- tail position. In the leader it is always raised victoriously, in animals of the second rank it spreads horizontally, in those following them it is lowered, in the weakest it is tucked in. It would seem that such a hierarchy looks cruel, but in fact it protects members of the pack from unnecessary rivalry. Each wolf “knows” its place in the pack and, if it obeys the laws, is completely protected from the aggression of other animals. In addition, a gregarious lifestyle provides advantages in hunting, allowing them to kill large prey. Sometimes individuals can leave the flock. Lone wolves, as a rule, lose to animals in groups. It happens that a strong lone wolf meets a lonely female, thereby giving rise to his own pack.

Wolves make their lairs in holes, often dug by themselves; less often, they occupy the burrows of other animals. Wolves spend most of the day in the hole, leaving it only at dusk. They hunt mainly at night. Only one pair of wolves lives in each hole, and they gather in a pack using an unsurpassed means of communication - howl. Wolf howl This is not just a voice, it is literally a message in which certain signals are encrypted. Howling can be enticing mating season; he can be the caller when the leader gathers the flock for the hunt; can be reciprocal when members of the pack respond to the call; the howl can be death-defying in animals in agony and, finally, the howl can be simply entertainment. Yes, wolves often howl for no apparent reason, just for fun.

The calling howl of a wolf.

Each animal has its own unique timbre of voice, by which wolves determine the location and condition of the pack members. Wolves listen with pleasure to sounds similar to howls, and this feature was again used by humans. To hunt wolves, a decoy is often used - a special horn that resembles a wolf's voice. Wolves respond to the sound of a decoy and reveal their location in the forest. One day, a wolf pack even responded to the sound of... a steam locomotive!

The basis of food for wolves are medium-sized ungulates - roe deer, deer, fallow deer, mountain goats and rams, wild boars. IN winter period, unfavorable for ungulates, wolves can defeat larger animals - elk, bison, bison, musk ox. And vice versa, when there is no food, wolves catch smaller animals - hares, gophers, marmots, lemmings, voles. Sometimes wolves pick up dead fish, shellfish, and eat grass and berries. In the hunt, the wolf is helped by a keen sense of smell, good hearing, fast legs and the support of his brothers. Wolves starve out their prey, exhausting the victim with a long pursuit. When running, a wolf can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h; wolves' paws are wider than those of domestic dogs, which allows them to move quickly through deep snow.

In deep snow, wolves often move trail after trail.

During the hunt, members of the pack share responsibilities, some of the wolves drive the prey, others cut it down; if the victim has gone into the pit (taken up all-round defense), the wolves surround it with a tight ring and try to wear it down, alternately attacking from different sides. The wolf's bite is very deep; in small animals (sheep, for example), the wolf bites the throat in one go. A wolf can also carry the carcass of a small animal, but usually the victim is eaten immediately. Since the percentage of successful hunts is small, wolves try to eat in reserve. At one time, a wolf can absorb up to 10 kg of meat; the remaining pieces of carcass are hidden in secluded places.

The wolf carries prey to hide in a secluded place.

The wolf remembers their location and after a while comes back for more. In especially favorable cases, when there is a lot of prey and it is helpless (domestic animals in a pen), wolves can kill almost all the animals. For this they earned the hatred of the farmers. Although the wolf prefers to eat fresh meat, but in times of hunger it also willingly picks up carrion.

Wolves breed once a year mating games start in winter. Unlike dogs, wolves form permanent pairs for life; a change of partner can only occur if the previous one dies.

A couple in love plays catch-up.

The female gives birth in the spring, and there are 3-5 wolf cubs in the brood. Wolf cubs are born blind and spend the first weeks of life in a hole; from the age of one month they begin to crawl out of the hole, and from 1.5 months they begin to eat semi-digested meat, which is regurgitated by the male. Grown-up wolf cubs move further and further from their holes, and over time they begin to hunt small animals and wounded animals that their parents bring.

Wolf cubs take their first steps into the big world.

Females become fully mature by the age of two, and males by three. The life expectancy of wolves is 14-18 years. Wolves have few natural enemies. They can enter into conflicts with bears and lynxes over prey. Sometimes wolves die during hunting from injuries inflicted by elk, horses, and bison. The main enemy of wolves is hunger: both adult animals and young animals die from lack of food.

But the largest number of wolves were exterminated by humans. On the one hand, people were afraid of wolves because they were defenseless against the collective attack of predators. Primitive peoples still retain respect for the wolf (for example, the wolf is a totem animal among the Indians North America). On the other hand, the development of civilization has outlawed wolves. In almost all countries of Asia and Europe, wolves have a negative image. They act as negative heroes of fairy tales, legends and myths (cannibal wolves, werewolves, symbols of deceit). In fact, the lifestyle of wolves has nothing in common with these fictions; their only fault is that they are food competitors for humans and sometimes attack domestic animals (cases of wolf attacks on humans are rare). People used this pretext for the total extermination of wolves, and the methods of hunting wolves are striking in both diversity and inhumanity. They are hunted with dogs (hounds, huskies, greyhounds), birds of prey (golden eagles), using trap fishing, tracking (tracking by tracks), fishing with flags and decoys, and simply hunting with a gun. Those who lack the talent to use these methods shoot wolves from cars and helicopters, and use them to bait fighting dogs. As a result, wolves became rare in many parts of their range. In fact, their extermination is justified in rare cases when wolves are carriers of rabies (such animals represent real threat for people and livestock) or encroach on livestock in areas of herd animal husbandry. In other places, wolves perform the irreplaceable function of forest orderlies, destroying weak, old and sick animals. It has been observed that in reserves where wolves live, ungulate populations are healthier and more stable, and in those places where they are not present, deer and elk suffer either from disease or from starvation caused by overpopulation. Another threat is genetic interbreeding with feral dogs and coyotes. For this reason, the red wolf living in the southern United States is almost on the verge of extinction. Wolves are well tamed, but retain their dignity in captivity wild beast without stooping to the servility of a dog.

The wolf is a slender, proportionally built, powerful animal. He has a strong body with a sloping back - high withers and a lower, but strong and wide croup. The chest is large, deeply descended, the stomach is tucked, the neck is powerful and muscular. The legs are high and strong, the paws are relatively small, the toes are tightly clenched (“in a ball”).

The head is large, heavy with strong jaws, long but not sharp muzzle and wide forehead. The eyes are set quite wide and small. The brow ridges are strongly developed, so the eyes seem to sit deep and seem to be slightly squinted and even slightly slanted. The ears are relatively small, triangular in shape with a sharp apex, directed forward and set wide apart - because of this, the wolf's head looks especially “foreheaded”. Usually the animal carries it slightly lowered - not higher than the level of the back and looks somewhat stooped, with high withers. Only a wary wolf raises its head high.

The tail is quite large, fluffy, descending to the hock. It seems to be broken at the base and hangs straight down for a standing and calmly walking animal. Only when jumping quickly does the wolf lift it somewhat and carry it “as it takes off,” but not above the level of its back. In a living animal, the tail has little mobility and seems very heavy (in hunting language it is very aptly called “log”). In a certain mental state (joyful excitement, affection), the wolf wags its tail, although not quite like a dog. In fear, he puts his tail between his legs like a dog. The claws are black. The eye is yellow. Nipples 5 pairs.

Winter fur is very thick and fluffy with fine underfur and a long, rather coarse spine. The tail is very densely covered with long hair; at the root they are much shorter than along the rest of the length. In the south, the fur is rarer and coarser, in the middle zone it is thick and lush, but rather coarse, in the north it is longer, thicker, more luxurious and softer.

The longest hair is located along the back, mainly in the front and on the neck. At the withers there is usually an area especially long hair, along the top of the neck, elongated hair forms a kind of mane. The front of the head, including the forehead, is dressed short hair, on the rest they are longer. On the cheeks, the hair is elongated and forms “fringes” - small sideburns. The legs up to the elbows and slightly above the heel joint are covered with short and elastic, tightly lying hair. The ears are covered with short hair and protrude strongly from the fur. Summer fur in all latitudes is much rarer and shorter than winter, coarse and hard.

The color is single-phase, of the same type in different parts of the country and varies relatively little geographically. Individual variability is quite large, but concerns particularities, and the general tone of color and distribution of colors are constant. There is a seasonal difference in color, but it is not sharp and varies in different parts of the range. In some areas, due to fading, the winter color changes somewhat (sometimes significantly) (lightens). Among our wolves there are melanists, albinos and chromists, but they are very rare. Sometimes their appearance may depend on hybridization with a domestic dog. The wolf of southeastern North America has a two-phase coloration - normal and black.

There are no gender differences in color. The color of an adult Central Russian wolf in summer fur consists of a mixture of ocher and rusty-ocher tones with light gray. Throughout the skin, especially on the upper back, there is some admixture of black, depending on the black ends of the guard hairs. The muzzle is pale buffy-gray to approximately eye level, the circumference of the lips and the lower parts of the cheeks are white. The space between the eyes, forehead, crown, back of the head and the area under the eyes and between the eyes and ears are gray, with only a slight reddish tinge. There are small ocher-rusty fields (rings) around the eyes. The backs of the ears are rusty-ocher with an admixture of black-brown, their inner parts are covered with dirty white hair. The chin and throat are pure white. The neck is buffy, somewhat shaded with black (dark ends of the hair) along the upper side.

Along the ridge, dark (black) long guard hairs create a well-defined black pattern in the form of a stripe, especially bright and wide in the front of the back. There is a fairly large amount of hair with black tips on the shoulder blades, partly along the top of the chest and sides in the back of the body. A dark coating in the form of a pronounced “saddle cloth”, however, does not form. The color of the sides of the body and the outer parts of the paws is pale, dirty-buffy, the inner sides of the paws are white. The belly and groin area are white with an ocher tinge. On the front side of the front legs there is usually a sharply defined and clearly visible longitudinal stripe.

The color of the tail matches the color of the sides of the body - light dirty buffy. Along the dorsal side, especially in the main third of it, there is a strong admixture of dark (black, black-brown) hair, the tip of the tail is often black. Hair length in the middle part of the back is 60-70 mm.

Winter fur generally retains the same basic tones and the same arrangement of differently colored areas. However, the general coloring, due to the fact that the light underfur protrudes more, is generally lighter, the admixture of black stands out brighter against this background, something like a small saddle is indicated, the ocher tones appear weaker and the smoky gray is more developed. If in some individuals the buffy tone is clear and developed quite intensively, then in others it is weak, and the animal looks very light and gray. The height of the guard hairs of the withers usually does not exceed 90 mm, but can reach 110-130.

Age-related variability in the nature of the fur and color in the first year is well expressed. The cubs in the first outfit are dressed in thick, short (20-30 mm in the middle of the back), very soft “puffy” fur of a dark brown or grayish-brown color. This coloring is fairly evenly distributed throughout the body. The eye circumference and inner surface of the body are slightly lighter, the muzzle and lips, on the contrary, are darker. On the belly the hair is dirty gray with brownish, on the chest between the front legs there is a lighter field. The color of the tail, covered with short hair, matches the color of the body. There is never a white tip on the tail. The claws are light.

This juvenile outfit soon begins to change and at the end of summer the wolf cub, which has not yet reached the size of adults (at least twice as small), has light grayish-ocher dirty-colored, coarse and sparse fur. The reddish tones are not developed, there are no or few black awns. This coloring is distributed fairly evenly over the body and light or, conversely, dark fields do not stand out. The claws turn black.

From this second outfit, the hair of which grows strongly by autumn, the young (“profitable”) wolf moves into the first winter outfit. It corresponds to the winter fur of adult animals, but is distinguished by a more uniform grayish-dirty-ochre color with less development of black and red. The coloration of wolves by the second year (“pereyarkov”), both in summer and especially in winter, does not differ from the coloration of older animals.

The wolf's skull is characterized by massiveness and overall large dimensions. This is the most large form families. The facial parts, due to the strong development of the teeth, are relatively long and massive, the brain part of the skull is relatively small and slightly swollen, much shorter than the facial part, the brain cavity is relatively small. The nasal bones are long - their posterior ends reach the level of the eye sockets. In front, each bone is cut in an arcuate manner so that no common protrusion is formed along the line of contact of both bones in front. Along the entire length of the line of contact of the nasal bones with each other there is a longitudinal depression (groove).

The premaxilla give a large projection upward and posteriorly, but it does not reach the frontal bones. The posterior edges of the nasal and maxillary bones lie approximately at the same level. The zygomatic arches are massive and widely spaced, especially in the posterior part. The supraorbital processes are large and massive and protrude strongly to the sides. The front part of the front is quite high, in the middle and posterior parts of the nasal bones the profile is somewhat concave, the forehead rises steeply and is highest in the region of the supraorbital processes.

The frontal area is wide, slightly concave in the middle and convex at the edges. Behind the supraorbital protrusions the skull is compressed. The sagittal ridge is well defined; in front it bifurcates, limiting the frontal area from the sides and passing into the edge of the posterior part of the supraorbital protrusions. The occipital crest is strongly developed and hangs over the occipital region of the skull. The auditory bones of the drum are moderate in size, thick-walled, their anterior-internal parts are not directed towards each other, but diverge to the sides; in this part along them on the main occipital bone there are small elongated ridges or swellings.

The dentition is very powerful, the carnassial teeth are massive, the fangs are strong - relatively low, but with a wide base.

The age-related variability of the skull is very large and goes mainly in the direction of development of the ridges, a relative increase in the facial part, an increase in the convexity of the frontal region and increased postorbital compression of the braincase.

The skull of a wolf cub, which still has milk teeth, is characterized by the following signs: the facial part of the skull is very short and much shorter than the brain; the width of the skull in the area of the carnassial teeth is large; the zygomatic arches are set very narrowly and weak; the cerebral part of the skull is relatively large and swollen; no ridges; the contour of the brain region is rounded (there is no protrusion in the upper part of the back of the head); there is no narrowing behind the eye sockets; supraorbital processes are not expressed; the frontal region rises slightly, and there is no ledge in this part of the skull; auditory tympani relatively large and more rounded; the coronoid processes of the lower jaw are sharply bent back; the angular processes are small.

The skull of a young wolf immediately after the change of teeth (in the first autumn of life) has the appearance of the skull of an adult animal, but differs from it in the following features: the nasal region is somewhat shorter, the width of the skull in the area of the carnassial teeth is somewhat larger, the zygomatic width is smaller, the brain section of the skull is relatively slightly longer , there are no ridges and only in the occipital region the posterior part of the sagittal ridge is indicated, the supraorbital processes are small, short and weakly pointed, the narrowing behind the supraorbital processes is smaller, the auditory bones of the tympanum are relatively larger.

The skull of a very old animal, compared to the skull of an adult, is characterized by a relatively even more elongated facial part, massive, very widely spaced zygomatic arches, high, very strongly developed ridges, a wider forehead and a greater distance between the ends of the supraorbital processes, and a sharp compression of the braincase behind the supraorbital processes.

Sex differences in the skull are expressed only in slightly smaller average sizes of the skulls of females. Age-related changes their skulls are expressed in the same way as those of males.

The intestinal length of adult Central Russian wolves (2 specimens) is 460-575 cm, arriving at the age of about 7-8 months. 390-420 cm (3 copies); the ratio to body length for the former is 4.13 and 4.62, for the latter 3.64 and 3.86. The relative weight of the heart (Hessian index) varies from 7.32 to 13.07, and in young people it is apparently less than in old ones. The length of the intestine (without the cecum) and the corresponding index of two adult males from the Far North (tundra of the Arkhangelsk region, Taimyr) are 698 cm and 1: 5.3 and 490 cm and 1: 4.0. Their heart weight is 800 g and 16.4% (?) and 437 g and 9.34%. The diploid number of chromosomes is 78, the main number is 80.

The size of wolves is subject to geographic variability. The body length of an adult wolf varies between 105 and 160 cm, the tail length is between 29 and 50 cm (usually from 40 to 50), the length of the hind foot is about 220-250 mm, the ear height is about 110-190 mm. Shoulder height 80-85 cm, possibly up to 100 cm.

The weight of adult Central Russian wolves usually ranges between 32 and 50 kg. Females are usually not as massive as males, and are slightly smaller in size and significantly smaller in weight than males. The average weight of females is about 80-85% of the average weight of males.

Information about the weight of wolves available in literature, especially old, hunting and popular literature, can be exaggerated. This is explained by the fact that they are mostly based on determining the weight of especially large animals “by eye”. IN lately in some areas, mainly in the middle zone of the European part of the Union, accurate data on weighing fairly large series of animals appeared. These figures make us cautious about many old data on the average weight of wolves from different parts of the range.

However, in some places there are sometimes huge wolves. Such animals, however, are very rare. For Central Russia indicated in general form Weight Limit wolf 69-79 kg.

Some more accurate cases carried out recently are as follows. For the Saratov region a wolf weighing 62.4 kg is indicated, for the forest belt of the European part of the country 69 kg, for the Moscow region a male weighing 76 kg is known - this is the largest of the 250 animals killed by the famous wolf hunter V. M. Hartuleri. For Ukraine, an animal weighing 92 (Lugansk region) and 96 kg (Chernigov region) is indicated; for Altai - a male weighing 72 kg. In the Zoological Museum of Moscow University there is a stuffed Central Russian wolf, weighing about 80 kg.

Many people frankly dislike and fear wolves. They consider them aggressive animals. For many, this image is formed in childhood. Everyone knows what a wolf looks like, but few people know its real habits and way of life. Few people can answer the question of how many years a wolf lives.

Appearance

Among domestic animals, the wolf looks like a dog with pointed ears. The body length can reach 160 cm, and the height of the wolf at the withers is 95 centimeters.

The average weight ranges around 60 kilograms, although heavier animals have been officially registered. The largest wolves can weigh up to 80 kilograms inclusive. The size of this predator depends on the latitude of its habitat: the further north the latitude, the larger the predator.

The muzzle is more forehead-shaped than that of a dog and is bordered by whiskers. The chest is narrow and the back is wide. Long, strong paws cannot be called massive. There are small membranes between the toes. The predator has a long thick tail, reaching more than half a meter in length. A distinctive feature of this tail is that it is always down.

The fur, consisting of long guard hairs and a thick, waterproof undercoat, has very low thermal conductivity, which allows the predator to withstand the most unfavorable conditions.

The color of the coat depends on the surrounding landscape. Basically, the color of the animal is a combination of white, gray, brown and black. Of course, the color of the coat directly depends on the species to which the predator belongs.

Varieties

Although more than 35 subspecies have been identified in the wolf family, let’s consider the most notable of them:

White- has a peaceful character and beauty. He prefers to hide from his enemies, including people. Lives in the tundra and Arctic.
Black- very similar to a dog, with which people often confuse him. The predator's habitat is Alaska and North America.
Red- resembles a short-tailed fox. In size it is inferior to its “gray” relatives. He loves rocky mountains and gorges, where he lives.
Stepnoy- has small dimensions. Lives in the steppes. It is noteworthy that they use fox holes for living. Hunts marmots, hares and partridges.

Ordinary or gray look not mentioned here, since the main story will be about him.

Habitats

Currently, this predator can be found in some European countries: Poland, Spain, Portugal and Italy, as well as in the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Baltic States and the Balkans. It lives in Asian countries such as Korea, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. The Middle East is inhabited by them only in the north. In North America it lives everywhere north of Mexico. This predator does not live in South America.

In Russia, the animal can be found everywhere, with the exception of some islands.

Each species has its own habitat preferences. Wild wolves live in the tundra, semi-desert, steppe, forest-steppe, from the foot of the mountains to the heights alpine meadows. Not afraid to settle near human habitation.

Having found out where wolves live, we will move on to studying their lifestyle and habits.

Lifestyle and habits

This predator mainly obtains food by hunting. As a hunter he is well equipped. At a speed of 10 km/h he can run for a very long time without getting tired. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 65 km/h. Small membranes between its toes help it move quickly in the snow.

Possessing a very developed sense of smell, the predator is able to sense prey at a distance of more than a kilometer. Vision and hearing are well developed, but the sense of smell is weaker.

These predators prefer to live in packs. The pack is led by an alpha male wolf and an alpha female. Each individual in the flock performs a specific social role. The target of a pack's hunt is always a large animal.

In the summer the flock breaks up, because during this period they can feed themselves individually.

There are wild wolves that prefer to live separately from the pack. They hunt from ambush.

When hunting in a pack, several individuals can play the role of beaters who lead the game to an ambush. However, in general, predators, taking turns replacing each other, force the prey to expend energy faster. By scaring the herd, they accurately identify weakened or sick animals, which they continue to hunt.

Predatory wolves use a prolonged howl to unite the pack and scare away strangers. Like other large predators, they actively mark their territory.

Nutrition

The main objects of hunting for wolves are large ungulates: elk, deer, antelope. They can also slaughter livestock: sheep, cows and horses. If there are few large animals, then wolves can also hunt smaller animals: from mice to foxes. In summer, it often feeds on frogs, lizards and even large insects.

When there is a shortage of food, he easily switches to plant foods. The wolf is an animal that never disdains carrion.

They can hide supplies of food, which they will definitely return to.

Reproduction

The right to reproduce in a flock belongs only to a pair of leaders.

The newly formed pair leaves the flock to breed. It is worth noting that wolves are monogamous.

A she-wolf's pregnancy lasts 60-65 days. Then 3-13 blind wolf cubs are born. The cubs mature in 12-13 days. Wolf cubs always have blue eyes.

While the female is entirely occupied with the cubs, the entire flock brings her food. At first, the wolf cubs feed only on their mother's milk. They are then transferred to meat, which is regurgitated by adults.

Towards the end of summer, young wolves begin to be trained to hunt.

The female becomes sexually mature at the age of 2 years, and the male at the age of 3 years.

Wolves in wildlife can live up to 15 years. However, most often 4-6 years is how long wolves live. In captivity, the life expectancy of a wolf can be a record - up to 21 years.

Despite the collective loving care of the cubs, 60-80% die before reaching the age of one year.

Wolf Hunt

Previously, there was a misconception that this predator is a pest of both agriculture and hunting. As a result of year-round hunting, the population has been greatly reduced, and some species have been completely exterminated. By and large, people are the only enemies of the wolf.

Now people, having become more literate in this matter, understand that wolves in nature are orderlies. Now considerable efforts are being made to increase the numbers of these animals.

Wolf cubs willingly play with humans. But as pet they are still not suitable, because as they grow older they begin to show more and more the habits of wolves.

Only wolf fur is valuable as a hunting object. Meat is not eaten.

Video

You will learn little-known facts about wolves from our video.

The wolf, perhaps, is not just a predatory animal from the canine family found in our forests, but also a whole archetypal image, very familiar to us from a very early age, at least from children's fairy tales and cartoons, where he, as a rule, personifies a negative, evil character who wants to feast on Little Red Riding Hood, the three little pigs, or some other fairy-tale creature. In fact, from ancient times, people’s attitude towards the wolf was ambiguous; it was either revered (at the same time feared) or demonized; we see an echo of this demonization in many children’s fairy tales. The very name of this beast “wolf” is not without reason consonant in many languages, the English “wolf”, the “Bulgarian” vylk, the Serbian “vuk”, our Ukrainian “vok” perhaps comes from the Old Slavonic word “vylk” meaning to carry, drag away, the fact is , that when dragging away prey, the wolf dragged it in front of him, hence its name.

Wolf Ancestors

According to the theory of evolution, the ancestor of the wolf was Canis lepophagus, an ancient mammal resembling a coyote and living in North America. Over time, the wolf's ancestor increased its size, including the size of its skull. Most ancient representative of the wolf family, already similar to the modern wolf, was found during the study of an early pleistocyte that existed 1.8 million years ago. Although he was only similar to the modern wolf, which was somewhat later - from a million to 150 thousand years ago.

In general, zoologists have discovered as many as four family trees of wolves: African, Himalayan, Indian and Tibetan lines. The Himalayan line is the oldest of them, which means that the Himalayan wolf is the most venerable representative of the wolf order, its appearance took place about a million years ago. The Tibetan wolf is conditionally the “youngest”, since it appeared “only” 150 thousand years ago.

Wolf - description, structure, characteristics. What does a wolf look like?

All wolves are notorious predators, there are no options here, and they are quite large predators, the largest being the gray and polar wolves: their height reaches 85 cm, body length - 150-160 cm, this does not include the tail, weight - 85-90 kg . Moreover, the harsher the habitat, the larger the animal; it is not for nothing that the largest representatives of the wolf family live in the Siberian taiga.

The smallest wolves are Arabian, their maximum height does not exceed 66 cm, and average weight is only 10 kg. Also, in general, in all wolves, females are slightly smaller in size than males.

Outwardly, wolves look like dogs, which is not surprising, because they are their distant relatives.

The wolf's mouth has 42 teeth, including four fangs, which serve the owner to tear prey into pieces, grind bones, and the fangs are excellent for dragging the victim.

Interesting fact: all wolves are born gob-eyed, but by the third month their eyes turn orange or golden yellow. Although there are wolves who remain blue-eyed.

Wolf fur is thick and double-layered; it perfectly protects them from the cold in the cold conditions of the tundra or taiga, and also has waterproof down.

Coat colors can be different colors, depending on the type of wolf and its habitat, there are a variety of variations of gray, white, brown and black. Red wolves are also found. Often their color helps them blend in with their surroundings.

You may know the proverb “the wolf’s legs feed him”; it also has scientific and zoological basis, since his legs really feed him, and for this reason they are well developed, allowing him to move considerable distances in search of food. Wolves usually trot at an average speed of 10 km per hour, but the speed of a wolf chasing prey can reach 65 km per hour.

A wolf's vision is not the best strong quality, is not very developed, moreover, he does not distinguish colors, but this deficiency is more than compensated by excellent hearing and especially charm - he can smell prey 3 km away, in general, his nose distinguishes millions of shades of smell.

Also one more characteristic feature wolves are their famous howl, which actually has a practical meaning for them - wolves do not just fight against the moon (as was previously thought), but in this simple way they inform the members of the pack of their location, and at the same time drive away strangers.

How is a wolf different from a dog?

A wolf differs from a dog, first of all, in more powerful paws, an elongated muzzle, set eyes and, of course, sharper teeth with sharp fangs.

How long do wolves live?

The lifespan of a wolf ranges from 8 to 16 years. In captivity, it can reach up to 20 years; the fact is that in the wild, old wolves, unable to hunt with the same prowess, die faster than, say, in a zoo, where they are guaranteed to be fed.

Where do wolves live?

Unfortunately, in our time, the wolf's habitat has noticeably decreased; in past times, wolves lived throughout the territory of Eurasia and North America, where humans lived. For example, historical chronicles indicate that during the Hundred Years' War between England and France there was such great devastation and desolation that wolves even appeared on the streets of Paris. Now, of course, you are unlikely to be able to meet a wolf not only in the vicinity of Paris but also in other cities; they remained only in small quantity in wild places, including our Carpathians, in the Siberian taiga.

Wolves are social animals that live in packs, which always have a pair of leaders: a male and a female. The remaining members of the pack: the offspring of the leaders, their relatives or lone wolves who have joined are subject to a strict hierarchy. A pack of wolves has its own area of territory, amounting to up to 300 square kilometers, which they mark with special odorous marks that serve as a warning to stranger wolves.

What does a wolf eat?

Wolves are excellent hunters, and they hunt equally successfully both in a pack and alone. Their prey in the forest is many herbivores: moose, deer, roe deer, saigas, antelopes, hares, and gophers. At the same time, wolves are a kind of useful orderlies of the forest, because old, weak, sick animals first come to them for dinner, thus natural selection occurs. An interesting feature of the wolf is its practical habit of hiding excess meat in reserve.

Types of wolves, photos and names

Let us describe the most interesting species of wolves in our opinion.

He is the Himalayan wolf, as we mentioned above, is the oldest of the wolf order, as he appeared a million years ago. Outwardly, it combines the features of a wolf and a jackal. It is 76-110 cm in length, weight is 17-21 kg. Has a short, pointed snout and big ears. The color is red. Also distinctive feature It differs from other wolves in having fewer teeth. The red wolf lives in Asia: from Altai mountains to the Tien Shan, but most of them live in the Himalayan mountains, southern Iran, India and Pakistan. As a rule, it feeds on various small animals. It is on the verge of extinction.

A unique representative of the wolf kingdom, its other name is guar or aguarachay, which translates as “short-tailed golden dog.” It has long hair on the back of the neck, which forms a thick mane. Outwardly very similar to a fox. The length of its body is approximately 125-130 cm, weight – 20 kg. Lives exclusively on the plains, feeding on rodents, rabbits, and armadillos. Habitat of the maned wolf - South America: Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay.

He is also a North American timber wolf, lives in North America, especially in Canada - from Ontario to Quebec. Interestingly, it does not have its own classification; some scientists consider it a hybrid of a gray wolf with a red wolf or coyote. Its height reaches 80 cm, body weight – 40 kg.

common wolf

He is also the gray wolf - the same type of wolf that is widely known, starting with children's fairy tales. It is one of the largest representatives of the wolf kingdom and, moreover, one of the most formidable predators in our temperate latitudes. The habitat of the gray wolf is wide - the territory of Eurasia and North America; everywhere in the dense and wild forests you can meet this formidable predator.

It is a hybrid of a gray wolf and a coyote. Red wolves are smaller than their gray relatives, but larger than coyotes, their size reaches 79 cm, weight - 40 kg. It is also distinguished by greater slenderness, more elongated ears, but shorter fur. They especially like to hunt hares and other small rodents, but they can also attack larger prey. The red wolf lives in the eastern United States, in Texas, Louisiana, and is one of the most rare species wolves on the ground. Now, unfortunately, it is on the verge of extinction.

Living in the tundra, this species of wolf is the least studied. Outwardly similar to its closest relative, the polar wolf, but not so large, its average weight is only 42-49 kg. Like their polar relatives, they have a white coat color, which helps them blend perfectly with the white snowy landscape of the tundra itself.

It is also one of the largest representatives of the wolf family, living in the extreme northern regions of our planet. It has a white color and the weight of the polar wolf can reach 95 kg. Loves to feast on both small and larger Arctic musk ox. During the famous lemming migrations polar wolves They can also migrate along with their favorite food.

Wolves breeding

Female wolves become sexually mature in the second year of life, males in the third, mating season for wolves usually occurs from January to April. There are frequent fights for a female between competing males, as well as mutual courtship and flirting of both males and females.

During mating, “loving” wolves leave the pack, retire, setting up a den in a secluded place. A she-wolf's pregnancy lasts 62-65 days and from 3 to 13 cubs are born at a time. True, not all of them survive; the weaker wolf cubs die.

Little wolf cubs feed on milk and burps from their mother, and after just six months of life they become able to take part in hunting.

Enemies of wolves

The wolf has practically no natural enemies in nature, except that sometimes the wolf can suffer from even more large predator temperate latitudes - but only if they do not share the spoils. And so the main enemy of the wolf (as well as many other animals) is, of course, man, whose destructive activities have brought many species of wolves to the brink of extinction.

In the Middle Ages, wolves were often endowed with demonic powers; fear of them even led to the appearance of such a character as the werewolf, a man who turns into a wolf on a full moon.
Some European coats of arms contain an image of a wolf, meaning that the distant ancestor of this family was a bit of a werewolf.
To raise morale and rage in battle, the Vikings, and especially their elite warriors- berserkers not only ate special “magic” foods, but also drank wolf blood and wore the skins of these animals.
Wolves often crossed with dogs, and thus several dog breeds were developed, such as the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog and the Saarloos Wolfdog.

Wolves, video

And in conclusion, we invite you to watch an interesting film about wolves from the National Geographic channel - “The Rise of the Black Wolf.”

Wolf (lat. Canis lupus) is a predatory mammal from the Canidae family. Along with coyotes (Canis latrans) and common jackals (Canis aureus), as well as some other species and subspecies, gray or common wolves are included in the genus Wolves (Canis).

Description of the gray wolf

According to genetic and genetic drift studies, wolves are the direct ancestors of domestic dogs, which are generally considered a subspecies of the wolf. Currently, Canis lupus is the largest modern representative of its family.

Appearance

The size and body weight of a wolf are characterized by pronounced geographical variability and directly depend on climatic conditions, some external factors. Average height The height of the animal at the withers varies from 66 to 86 cm, with a body length ranging from 105-160 cm and a weight of 32-62 kg. A profit or one-year-old wolf weighs no more than 20-30 kg, and the weight of two- and three-year-old wolves is no more than 35-45 kg. The wolf becomes seasoned at age three years when the minimum body weight reaches 50-55 kg.

In appearance, wolves are similar to large, pointed-eared dogs with high and strong limbs, large and more elongated paws. The two middle fingers of such a predator are characterized by a noticeable projection forward, due to which the footprint acquires a very unique relief. Wolves have a broad-browed head with a relatively wide and fairly elongated, massive muzzle, which is characterized by increased expressiveness, which allows one to distinguish more than a dozen facial expressions of a predator. The skull is high, massive and large, with a wide nasal opening, widening at the bottom.

This is interesting! Significant differences wolf trail from the dog's are represented by a greater backwardness of the lateral toes, as well as by keeping the paw “in a lump” and a more straight “path” left by the animal.

The tail part is “log-shaped”, thick, always lowered down. An important characteristic of a wild predator is the structure of its teeth. The upper jaw of a wolf is equipped with six incisors, a pair of canines, eight premolars and four molars, and the lower jaw has a couple more molars. With the help of fangs, the predator not only holds well, but also drags prey, so the loss of teeth causes hunger and a rather painful death of the wolf.

Double-layer wolf fur is sufficiently long and thick.. Coarse guard hairs have water- and dirt-repellent properties, and the undercoat is necessary to retain heat. Different subspecies differ in color, corresponding to environment. Forest predators have a grayish-brown color, tundra ones are light, almost white, and desert individuals are gray-reddish. Wolf cubs have a uniform dark color, which becomes lighter as the animal grows older. Within the same population, the coat color of different individuals can also have noticeable differences.

Character and lifestyle

Wolves are primarily active at night, accompanying their presence with a loud and prolonged howl, which serves as a means of communication even over very long distances. When hunting for prey, a wolf, as a rule, does not make unnecessary sounds and tries to move as silently as possible.

This is interesting! The habitats of the gray wolf are very diverse, which is due to the affinity of such a predatory mammal to almost any landscape .

The predatory mammal has very well-developed hearing.. Such an animal's vision and sense of smell are somewhat less developed. Thanks to a well-developed higher nervous activity, strength, speed and agility, the wolf's chances of survival are very high. The predator is capable of running at speeds of up to 60 km/h and covering a distance of 75-80 km in one night.

How long do wolves live?

The general life expectancy of a gray wolf in natural conditions in most cases depends on human activities. Average duration The life of such a predator in nature is fifteen years or a little more.

Range, habitats

Wolves are found in most areas of Europe and Asia, as well as in North America, where they have chosen the taiga, coniferous forest zones, icy tundra and even deserts. Currently northern border habitat is represented by the coast of the Northern Arctic Ocean, and the southern one – Asia.

As a result of active human activity The number of places where the predator is distributed has significantly decreased over the past few centuries. People often exterminate wolf packs and displace them from their inhabited places, so such a predatory mammal no longer inhabits Japan, the British Isles, France and Holland, Belgium and Denmark, as well as Switzerland.

This is interesting! The gray wolf is a territorial animal, occupying from 50 km 2 to 1.5 thousand km 2, and the area of the family territory directly depends on the landscape features in the predator’s habitat.

The distribution zone of wolves is determined by a sufficient amount of prey, regardless of the time of year. With the onset of winter, the predator tries to avoid places with a lot of snow and continuous forest. Largest quantity individuals are observed in the tundra and forest-tundra, forest-steppe and alpine zones, as well as steppes. In some cases, wild predators settle in close proximity to human habitation, and taiga zones are currently characterized by the spread of wolves following the deforestation of the taiga, which is quite actively carried out by people.

Gray wolf diet

Wolves feed almost exclusively on food of animal origin, but in the southern regions predators often eat wild fruits and berries. The main diet consists of domestic and wild ungulates, hares and small rodents, as well as birds and carrion. Tundra wolves prefer calves and females, geese, lemmings, etc. The prey of predators inhabiting mountainous areas is often rams and tarbagans, as well as hares. They can also become food for the wolf.