Common Name: Gray Wolf, Timber Wolf (subspecies: Eastern Timber Wolf, Mexican Gray Wolf)

Scientific Name: Canis lupus, (subspecies: Canis lupus lycaon, Canis lupus baileyi)

Current Status: endangered throughout U.S. except in Minnesota where threatened, and Alaska, not listed. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are considering to delist gray wolves from the endangered species list in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Population: There were about 6500 to 9500 gray wolves living in the United States as of 1998.

Habitat: The many different subspecies of the gray wolf live in environments ranging from the arctic tundra, to forests, to praries, but never to deserts or the highest mountains.

Range: States in the US: Alaska, Idaho, Montana (Yellowstone National Park), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan (upper peninsula and Isle Royale), Wyoming International Countries: Canada, Mexico, regions of Asia and eastern Europe, sparsely in western Europe and Scandinavia

Historic Range: once common throughout North America, Europe, and Asia

Description: An average adult female wolf living in Minnesota may weigh from 60 to 80 pounds, while the average adult male wolf may weigh from 70 to 100 pounds. In addition, they may stand up to 32 inches at the shoulder, and measure about 6-6½ feet from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. During the winter, they usually weigh 15-20 pounds heavier than they do in the summer. Coat colors vary from a pure white, which is most common up North, to mottled gray, brown, and/or black.

Diet: deer, moose, caribou, elk, bison, beavers, rabbits, mice

Behavior: During a snow storm, they often lie down behind a fallen tree or brush pile, seeking protection from the wind. Then by curling up in a ball and tucking its nose under its tail, each can easily survive temperatures well below zero.

Reproduction: The breeding season can vary from January in low latitudes to April in high latitudes(arctic).

History: In the Western Great Lakes region of the US: Up until the 1960's, wolves were thought to be a threat to livestock and game populations. Because of this belief, state bounty systems were set up, poisoning encouraged, and aerial hunting made somewhat a sport. Finally, in 1957, Wisconsin passed a bill protecting wolves, as did Michigan in 1965. These actions might've been too late because by the early 1960's wolves had disappeared from Michigan (except Isle Royale), Wisconsin, and most of Minnesota. The gray wolf was one of the first species placed on the original federal endangered species list in 1967. It received full protection from the Endangered Species Act of 1973, in August of 1974.

Threats:

Conservation:

Recovery Plan: