Why are we drawn to wolves?
Is it because of their human-like gaze that pierces directly into you, or the abundantย moviesย andย TV showsย created on them, or is it because of the legends and folklore surrounding them blurring the difference between the unknown and the known?
Wolf is that unique animal that leaves a lot of people spellbound and struck with a mixture of emotions such as awe, inspiration, and intrigue.
This article includes a brief history of wolves, different kinds of wolves, wolf facts, and some myths to help you learn more about these beautiful animals.
History
Wolves have been quite popular in theย folklores, much more than any other animal. As you dig into the folklores about the wolves, the deeper you go, the more stories emerge with each culture viewing them differently, which also leads to the development of certain wolf facts that are not true, hence are myths.
From very early times, wolves were related to witchcraft and as a symbol of devil in European and Native American culture, whereas some stories depict it as a warrior and a loyal companion such as the story of Romulus and Remus, two children who wolves raised, and the tale of Odin who had two wolves as his companions.
Furthermore, due to their misunderstood and notorious reputation and as well as posing a threat to the livestock, it was one of the most hunted animals in Northern Europe, America, and Scotland.
Kinds of Wolves
There is a debate about the subspecies of the wolves. However, two categories are widely recognized in present times, namely, gray and red.
1. The Gray Wolf
The gray wolfโs scientific name is Canis Lupus. The gray wolf is the common wolf having several names according to the geographical regions they belong to.
North America is home to some subspecies of gray wolves, including Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos), Northwestern wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis), Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), Great Plain wolf (Canis lupus nubilus), and Eastern Timber wolf (Canis lupus lycaon).
Some of the other subspecies of Canis lupus include Tundra wolf, Arabian wolf, Steppe wolf, Himalayan wolf, Mongolian wolf, Eurasian wolf, Indian wolf, Japanese wolf, Texas wolf, and many more.
The gray wolf is native to North America and Eurasia.
2. The Red Wolf
Red wolves (Canis Rufus) are native to the southeastern US. It is the most endangered species in the dog family, which is much smaller in size than the gray wolf. It is about 4 feet long and weighs around 45-80 pounds, with black and red markings on its fur.
There is so much to learn from these fierce and intelligent animals. Without further waiting, letโs peek into some startling wolf facts!
Startling Wolf Facts
1. Howling is communication
The movies and books fancily display that wolves howl at the full moon. However, in real life, things are different. Although wolves are nocturnal animals, they are also awake in the daytime.
Their howl is an event that will not fail to send a shiver down your spine. Their howling is because they communicate different messages through their howl. Each howl is unique that helps them to identify each other. This is one of those wolf facts that surprises many people due to the long-held belief that wolves howl at the moon.
Why do wolves howl
1. To share their location
Wolves are walkers, and they roam in vast areas to look for food; hence, they easily get separated from the pack. In this case, howling serve as a reunion call for the pack to find the missing member, and a wolf may howl to share his location, just like human being let their loved ones know where they are through text messages and calls.
In the life of the wilderness, howling is the way to let others know where they are, which can be heard from as far away as 10 km.
2. To call their friends
The life of wolves centers around their pack; hence when a friend or an important pack member leaves and disappears, the pack howl to find the missing member of their family.
According to a study done by Wolf Science Centre on timber wolves, the howling was more when the member of the pack was an important one, such as the leader or a wolfโs best buddy.
3. To guard their territory
Wolves are territorial animals and have vast land under their territory; hence when they sense an intruder like a lone wolf or another pack, they show aggressive behavior and a defensive howl to warn the intruder to back away.
4. For an attack
Hunting is backed up by a strategic plan in which every wolf has their roles to play. These messages are communicated to the members through howling.
5. To find their mating partners
The mating season for wolves is late winter and early spring. During this season, howling by a single wolf indicates that they are ready for mating and are looking for a mate.
Do Wolves respond to howl initiated by a Human
Yes, if you can learn to howl, wolves will respond to your call. Now, this should be considered as one of the most amazing wolf facts youโve read so far!
2. Every wolf has a different role in the pack
When it comes to the wild, things are not as simple as they seem in novels and tv shows. Ever thought of family structure among the wolves? Wolves can surprise you with their intelligence and strategic actions!
Alpha pair
The pack is made up of usually blooded related members, which consist of Alpha pair who are the heads of the family and are the only pair that is allowed to mate. The Alpha male is the most dominant wolf in the family, and is the one who leads the hunt, makes decisions, and eats the largest portion of their hunt.
An Alpha is valued not because of physical strength but because he is the brains of the group and is the wisest. Recentย researchย shows that alpha is not characterized by dominance rather they are simply parents or heads of the group.
Beta
Beta wolves hold the second rank in the pack and are responsible for maintaining order and discipline among the low-ranking members of the group. If anything is to happen to the alpha male, the Beta is the best candidate to replace the alpha.
Delta and Omega
The wolf that falls below Beta is Delta, which is responsible for taking care of the wounded wolves and wolf pups, whereas Omega is the lowest ranking member of the wolf pack who eats after the rest of the pack, helps to protect the pack, and defend the boundaries along with others. They are also the peacemakers of the family and diffuse the tension by playing around and putting themselves between a fight.
3. Mates for life
Wolf pairs, especially the Alphas, are said to be very fond of each other. Among some other animals like Beavers and Albatross, wolves also mate for life. They display signs of affection by being physically close to one another, bumping each otherโs heads, sleeping together, and grooming one another.
Even after mating, they are quite loving and produce more babies in the future. However, if the alpha male dies, the alpha female has to choose another mate.
4. Wolf pups are born Deaf and Blind
After the early spring, the breeding pair gives birth to 4-6 cute wolf pups in a litter. These siblings are called littermates. When these pups are born, their ears and eyes are closed because they are not developed yet.
They cannot chew as well; therefore only suckle on their motherโs milk. They rely strongly on their mothers to explore around, and due to this vulnerable state, mothers are quite protective of their pups.
Moreover, they are born with dark blue eyes that later turn into burning amber. Their weight at birth is just one pound, which is just a weight of a loaf of bread!
5. Wolves are stronger than you might think
Although wolves belong to theย dog family, it doesnโt make them any less dangerous. Gray wolves are fierce when it comes to hunting. They often take down much bigger animals.
The extremely strong teeth of the wolves are their most powerful weapon against other animals that have helped them survive. A wolfโs bite force is around 400 pounds, which can even reach up to 1200 pounds which is stronger than that of the king of the jungle, a lion, whose bite force is around 650 pounds.
The average wolf has 42 teeth and, with just a single bite, can crush the bones of its prey with its razor-sharp teeth. Moreover, a gray wolf can be as tall as 4 to 6 feet, weighing around 130 pounds; therefore, wolves are the beasts that shouldnโt be underestimated!
This is probably one of the most underrated wolf facts that you will read around the internet.
6. Supersense of smell
A wolfโs sense of smell is its most highly developed sense with 280 million scent receptors. Even when they are small pups, they rely on their sense of smell to explore their world. According to International Wolf Center, their smelling sense is 100 times greater than humans.
This powerful sense helps them in certain ways, such as to smell their prey while hunting from as far away as 1.5 miles away and detect other packs around due to smelling their scent marking in their territories. They also urinate to mark their territories to ward off any other wolves outside the pack.
Their smelling abilities are so keen that just by sniffing, they can recognize who is around the area, if itโs male or female, how big their size is, what food contents are in their stomach, along with their personality!
7. Deep family bonds
The wolf pack is not simply a group of wolves staying together, but it is a group of parents, pups, uncles, and aunts, and sometimes a lone wolf is also welcomed into the pack. The pack not only ensures safety from other wolves, but the members are emotionally close to one another and help each other through difficult times.
When wolf pups are born, every wolf contributes to the pupsโ well-being by adopting the role of nannies, helping them explore the world, playing with them, inspecting the area for any danger, and bringing food for the alpha female after the pregnancy.
Jim and Jamie Dutcher, wolf conservationists and authors ofย โThe Wisdom of Wolves: Lessons from the Sawtooth Pack,โ is an account of their observations that add more to the wolf facts we know.
It states that living with wolves taught them that the bonds within their family were much deeper than they had expected, and also observed that some of the themes were quite important in wolf society such as compassion, family, kindness, working together, respect for elders, friendship, and curiosity.
8. The largest member of the dog family
Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are descendants of wolves; hence, both of them are part of a bigger family called Canidae. Along with dogs and wolves, the Canidae family also consists of coyotes, foxes, and jackals.
Although many theories have been developed about how wolves evolved into human best friends, dogs were the first domesticated animals. According to Evolutionary biologist Greger Larson, their origins still pose a mystery because there are various inbred species of dogs that have hazed their genetic heritage.
Although it is believed by many that wolves are feral dogs, this is one of the many incorrect wolf facts. Recent research shows that both of them are subspecies ofย โCanis lupus.โ
9. Regulate ecosystem
The presence of wolves on earth is not only fascinating for humans but also vital for the ecosystem. Keeping this in mind, letโs move on to the last fact on our list of startling wolf facts.
Wolves contribute and improve the ecosystem in the following ways:
- Controlling prey population: The hunting sessions by wolves keep the prey population like elks and deer in check.
- Thriving of plants and animals: As the prey population balances, it also leads to the thriving of various plants and animals to grow as they should, which otherwise would have led to declining in deciduous trees, leading to declining of beavers, aspen, and songbirds.
- Strengthening other species: Wolves mostly prey on vulnerable deer and elks, allowing breeding more healthy deer and elks, resulting in a more healthy population.
- Food for other animals: When wolves are done eating, their leftovers are consumed by scavengers such as crows, eagles, vultures, and grizzlies.
Wolf Facts Vs Myths
This section of the article will help you understand the difference between wolf facts and myths while educating you more about certain lesser-known wolf facts.
One of the long-held myths is that wolves kill for thrill. However, the reality is that they kill for survival.
Another myth states that wolves are dangerous for humans. However, the incidents of wolf attacks are extremely rare.
Another wolf myth states that wolves kill a large number of cattle and sheep, but US Fish and Wildlife show that wolves killed 1 in every 7,193.
These are some of the wolf facts that everyone should know to avoid any misconceptions about these beautiful animals.
Besides the wolf facts mentioned in our list, wolves are also known for other interesting behaviors.
For instance, they can eat up to 8 kg of meat in just a single sitting, and they can walk around 20 km in one day! Some of the other more popular wolf facts are that black wolves are color variant species of gray wolves which are considered to be quite rare in the wolf world.
Out of many interesting wolf facts, another one is that is although wolves are larger than most dogs, some dogs like Mastiff and St. Bernard are much bigger than a wolf.
One of the saddest wolf facts is that there are fewer than 7000 wolves in America, and they need more protection than it is believed.
There are also various nonfiction accounts written on wolf facts and wolf behavior. Some of them are first-hand accounts written by researchers and people who are interested in their lives. These books offer amazing wolf facts, great insights, and observations.
Few of these books are โYellowstone Wolvesโ edited by Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, and Daniel R MacNulty, โOf Wolves and Menโ by Barry Lopez, 1978, (includes some old wolf facts as compared to new literature), and โAmong Wolves: Gordon Haberโs Insights into Alaskaโs Most Misunderstood Animal by Gordon Haber and Marybeth Holleman.
Wolves are magnificent creatures, and there is so much more to learn about these animals that have been subject to hunting in the early times, which has considerably reduced gray wolf populations.
Since then, many Acts have been passed that have restored their numbers. One such action taken was to restore the wolves in Yellowstone National Park, which includes at least 123 wolves in 9 packs.
Have you ever witnessed a wolf? If yes, how was your experience? Also, tell us if you know more startling wolf facts that you have read around. Drop your answers in the comment section. We would love to learn more wolf facts that we have missed out on!
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
Top Comments