Wolves

There are a variety of different genus` of wolves. The main one (for the purpose of this article) we will discuss will be Canis Lupus - The Grey Wolf. Wolves have faced immeasurable pressures from humans since the 1960s and as a species they looked down the barrel of extinction, so to speak. They have since recovered from this and the genus Canis Lupus has thrived particularly well. In reference to this around 1995 the grey wolf was introduced to Yellowstone national park and his thrived and grown from a small pack into various interspersed packs with their own distinctive territories and hunting grounds. With this in mind Canis Lupus was being considered for introduction into The Highlands in Scotland to help with culling the now overflowing population of deer. As it stands they have decided to re-introduce the wild cat or lynx as an apex predator. It is considered that farming along with sustainability within the ecosystem is the limiting factor, this may yet change in the future.

The grey wolf is of-course a carnivore and has an average life span of 6 - 8 years. They can weigh anything from 18kg - 79kgs (the lighter are females and the heavier males). They have concurred most habitats from the freezing tundra to forests and plains. They have a top speed of around 45kmph at which they can maintain this for up to an hour. They cover vast distances daily whether for hunting or purely to explore their own territories.

They are extremely intelligent, territorial pack hunters and use this to their advantage to tackle prey much larger then themselves. They communicate through two main means, firstly their scent marking which is used to mark boundaries of territories to mating. The wolves sense of smell is far superior to that of our own, as much as 100 times greater, the second is through howling. To a human ear wolves howling may all sound the same but to them it can be an acute set of directions or relaying messages.

Wolves work under a strict hierarchical system - in that each member is placed with sex, age, size and experience. Every wolf knows his job in the hunt and this system allows that to work. The alpha pair (male and female) are often the only ones to mate, therefore passing on the strongest genes the wolf pack has to offer - survival of the fittest in action.

When male pups have learned and are grown they can become "lone" wolves and leave their pack to forge their own or stay and work their way up their own pack.

... Next article Hunting of Wolves