The howl of a gray wolf isn't only a mysterious sound in the wilderness. Howling sends other wolves a message. It might mean "I'm here, where are you?" or "Stay away from my territory." Wolves live in groups called packs. The wolves' communication skills are very important to the pack's survival. Wolves work together to hunt, raise their young, and protect their territory. Wolves communicate with more than howls: They whimper and whine, growl and bark, yelp and snarl. Wolves have an excellent sense of smell, and they use scents produced by their bodies to communicate, too. One source of scent is urine, which they use to mark territory so strange wolves know they're intruding, and to tell other wolves in their own pack where they are. Another way wolves communicate is through body language. If a wolf feels confident, it will approach another wolf with its head and tail held high and ears perked up. If you saw a wolf slinking toward another with its body lowered, its tail between its legs, and its ears flattened, you'd know it was approaching a dominant animal.When a wolf wants to play, it prances about happily and bows—lowering the front of its body while its rump stays up in the air with its tail wagging. A wolf's body language may remind you of another animal: a pet dog. Wolves and dogs are closely related, and the ways they communicate are similar.
A wolf pack is generally made up of an adult male and female pair (a mother and a father) and their young. Sometimes unrelated wolves join a pack, but the parents are usually the leaders. They tend to be the strongest and smartest wolves in the group. Young wolves stay in their parents' pack for at least two or three years before some of them take off to join other packs or to start their own.
Wolf pups play a lot as they're growing. They leap and pounce, chase and wrestle, play hide-and-seek and tag—a lot like you do! While they're having fun, they're also practicing skills they'll need when they're adults. By playing, they learn how to communicate and get along with each other. Their games provide practice for hunting techniques.
FAST FACTS
Gray wolves are members of the dog family, which also includes dogs, foxes, jackals, and coyotes. They are the largest of all wild dogs. Their weight usually ranges between 60 and 135 pounds (27 and 60 kilograms).
The gray wolf is one of three species of wolf; the two others are the red wolf of the southeastern United States and the maned wolf of South America.
Gray wolves mainly hunt large, hoofed animals including moose, white-tailed deer, mule deer, caribou, elk, bison, and mountain goats. Wolves also sometimes eat hares, beavers, and birds.When a gray wolf pup is born, it only weighs about one pound, the same as about four sticks of butter.
The scientific name of the gray wolf is Canis lupus.
A gray wolf usually lives for six to eight years.The "big bad wolf" reputation of wolves is undeserved. Wolves almost never attack humans. In North America, no human has ever been killed by a healthy wolf.
A wolf often eats about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of food at one meal. That's about the same amount of food as 80 hamburgers!
Want a Gray Wolf e-card? Tell me your e-mail and I'll send you a "Gray Wolves hunt in Packs" E-card!
Pictures:
A wolf pack is generally made up of an adult male and female pair (a mother and a father) and their young. Sometimes unrelated wolves join a pack, but the parents are usually the leaders. They tend to be the strongest and smartest wolves in the group. Young wolves stay in their parents' pack for at least two or three years before some of them take off to join other packs or to start their own.
Wolf pups play a lot as they're growing. They leap and pounce, chase and wrestle, play hide-and-seek and tag—a lot like you do! While they're having fun, they're also practicing skills they'll need when they're adults. By playing, they learn how to communicate and get along with each other. Their games provide practice for hunting techniques.
FAST FACTS
Gray wolves are members of the dog family, which also includes dogs, foxes, jackals, and coyotes. They are the largest of all wild dogs. Their weight usually ranges between 60 and 135 pounds (27 and 60 kilograms).
The gray wolf is one of three species of wolf; the two others are the red wolf of the southeastern United States and the maned wolf of South America.
Gray wolves mainly hunt large, hoofed animals including moose, white-tailed deer, mule deer, caribou, elk, bison, and mountain goats. Wolves also sometimes eat hares, beavers, and birds.When a gray wolf pup is born, it only weighs about one pound, the same as about four sticks of butter.
The scientific name of the gray wolf is Canis lupus.
A gray wolf usually lives for six to eight years.The "big bad wolf" reputation of wolves is undeserved. Wolves almost never attack humans. In North America, no human has ever been killed by a healthy wolf.
A wolf often eats about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of food at one meal. That's about the same amount of food as 80 hamburgers!
Want a Gray Wolf e-card? Tell me your e-mail and I'll send you a "Gray Wolves hunt in Packs" E-card!
Pictures:
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| The e-card. |
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| Clearly, this wolf is saying "Get outta town, buster." |
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| Only one description.. CUTE!! |
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| "Let's hang out!" |
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