Wolf Facts

The wolf is a member of the dog family. It has a tarnished reputation as various stories and movies have depicted it as a cruel and mean beast. There is one legend I know of, which broke the norm; it is the one about Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers who were the sons of the God Mars. Legend has it, that when the brothers were abandoned on the banks of the River Tiber, they were rescued by a she-wolf who kept them alive on her own milk till a shepherd found the brothers and took them home. This legend surely depicts the wolf in a different picture!

Here are some captivating wolf facts for you to read:

• A wolf is considered the largest member of the wild canine family.
• A wolf has rounded ears.
• A wolf has a broad, heavy muzzle.
• A wolf is able to live up to 13 years in the wild with the average age being 6 to 8 years.
• An adult male wolf is ninety-five to a hundred pounds in weight, while a female weighs around fifty pounds less.
• The average travel speed of a wolf is 5 miles per hour.
• The wolf has a sprinting speed of 25 to 35 miles per hour while covering short distances.
• The wolf can grip and hang onto struggling prey with the help of its canine teeth, which interlock.
• The wolf uses its back teeth or carnassial molars, to crush bones and shear meat.
• A wolf cub is unable to see or hear at birth and weighs approximately one pound.
• The color of the wolf’s fur ranges from tan and brown to pure white, gray or black.
• Guards and undercoat are the two types of fur that a wolf has.
• The average size of a wolf’s litter is 4 to 6 cubs, which depends on the fitness of the female.
• February and March make up the breeding season.
• The gestation period lasts for 63 days.
• A baby wolf is known as a pup.
• The young pups are cared for by all the members of a pack.
• Wolves use harmony and integration to communicate with each other.
• To protect their territory, wolves will attack other wolf intruders.
• The wolf is so designed that it can catch and kill large animals.
• The wolf is always on the lookout for an chance to catch the most defenseless animal.
• The wolf usually eats mouse, elk, deer, bison and beaver. In difficult circumstances they are able to survive on voles and mice too.
• A wolf is at risk of skull injury from a prey that kicks.
• The sense of smell that a wolf is blessed with is 100 times greater than that of a human.
• The wolf uses its tail to keep its face warm in winter.
• A wolf howls to indicate its location, to define its territorial boundaries, to greet one another as well as to call it's pack together.
• Wolves have front feet that are larger than their back.
• A wolf howls, barks, yaps, whines and growls.
• A wolf pack can have 2 to 30 members.
• In some instances, a pack’s home range might overlap the territory of another pack.
• Wolves are animals that hunt at any time of the day or night.
• Two levels of hierarchy are maintained in a wolf pack, one is for the females and the other one for males.
• The North American Wolf can weigh between 40 to 175 pounds.
• The North American Wolf varies from 4’6" to 6’6" in length.
• Unfortunately the wolf is threatened by loss of habitat, which is taking places due to development, destruction and encroachment by humans.