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I've had quite a number of requests from people to give them information about wolves. Most of these have been from people needing information for a school project or similar (and to those whose requests I accidentally deleted, I'm very, very sorry). Since I tend to send them much the same thing each time (and type it out each time - I forget to save the message), I thought I'd create this page.

It also helps me to put a lot of the information I have on wolves into a form I can use and understand. I've taken most of my information from(mainly) three sources: WOLF by Maureen Greely, WOLVES by Leonard Le Rue III and the 1997 Wolves Calendar by Rita Groszmann.

If you need to know more, I would recommend you borrow or buy the two books mentioned above. They are well worth the read.

Wolves are intelligent, complex creatures much maligned by mankind over the centuries. With their endurance and strict pack structure giving them superior hunting ability, they seem to symbolise the best and worst of humanity.

I'm mostly going to cover the Gray Wolf here, but a lot of the information equally applies to other species of wolf.

Gray wolves are extremely sociable and highly intelligent animals. They typically live in packs of 5-10 related animals and function as a highly cooperative family unit.

In every pack there is an alpha male (sometimes a female). The alpha and his/her mate comprise the alpha pair. The alpha leads the pack in the hunt and makes important decisions concerning the welfare of the group. Just below the alpha pair is the beta wolf (the second ranking male), then the subordinates (wolves of both sexes). At the bottom of the hierarchy is the omega wolf. This wolf (male or female) is the scapegoat and can bear the brunt of the pack's frustrations and harrassment. It will usually be the last to feed, or may go without when food is scarce.

The wolves depend on pack stability and cooperation to successfully bring down large prey such as deer, moose and wapiti. When big game is scarce, large packs break down into smaller groups to hunt smaller prey.

As has already been mentioned, the pack relies on its rigid structure to successfully bring down large game. Their hunting techniques display great skill and exceptional intelligence. The alpha seemingly assigns pack members to start the initial chase of the prey and then has other pack members come into provide relief so the original team can rest briefly. This ensures that all the wolves will be available for the kill and not be exhausted by the time the prey has been depleted of its resources.

An alpha pair, once formed, usually stay together for life. Females come into season at the end of every winter; however only the alpha pair have the privelege of mating and breeding. The alpha wolves actively court each other, grooming and nuzzling each other with great affection. This courtship can go on for a few weeks. Subordinate males and females often compete for a higher place in the hierarchy at this time, causing tension among the pack. The mating couple often seek out privacy to get away from the rest of the pack.

After the alpha wolves' courtship and mating, the alpha female begins seeking out a den site. Often wolves will reuse their den from the previous year. The alpha female typically chooses a den on higher ground near a source of water. The den is usually completed three weeks before the pups are born. The gestation period for wolves is about sixty three days.

Pups are born in the spring. The female usually has a litter of 3 to 10 pups, which are born deaf and blind. They only weigh about one pound and are unable to regulate their own body temperatures until approximately 3 weeks of age. The female keeps them warm with her body and rarely leaves the den. The other pack members take care of the mother by bringing her food during this time. By the time the pups are 3-4 weeks of age they can hear and see quite well and they begin to emerge from the den. The rest of the pack joyfully greets them as they venture outside. They also begin eating solid food at this time.

All pack members have responsibility in rearing the young. After the bred female gives birth to her litter, she is ranked even higher than her alpha male partner. This remains so until the pups are old enough to travel with the pack during hunts, at which time the alpha male regains his dominance. When the pack goes off to hunt, one pack member, usually a one or two year old, or the mother, stay behind to guard and entertain the pups. Upon the pack’s return, the pups mob the adults, licking, biting and nudging at their mouths. This stimulates the adult to regurgitate partially-digested food for the pups to eat - which the pups do with great enthusiasm. The pups join the pack on hunts in the early fall, although they do not fully participate until they are one year old.

Wolves communicate in a variety of ways; vocally and with body language.

Wolves have very expressive faces and communicate through subtle gestures of the mouth, ears and eyes. As well, the position of the tail, even the bearing of the entire body, can communicate volumes.
It is easy to spot the alpha wolf because he carries his tail in a relaxed curve, holds his head up and walks with a bold stance. Subordinate wolves show their submission by lowering their heads and tails.

Wolves use a wide variety of sounds to cummunicate with each other ranging from whines and whimpers to snarls and growls. They are also known for their soulful, melodic howling. Each wolf chooses a different pitch to sing, and when the whole pack is howling they can sound like many times thier number. Even the puppies join in, eagerly trying to mimic the adults with their little puppy yips and yelps. Howling communicates many different things. It is used to communicate the whereabouts of a lone individual pack member, as a means of strenghtening group unity, and to reinforce the pack’s territorial boundaries. Wolves will often answer a human howl with howls from the entire pack.

The wolf's keenest senses are by far its sense of smell and its hearing. Vision comes in third, merely confirming what the wolf already knows through its nose and ears.

Scent plays a very important role in the life of the wolf, and it has several specialised glands, one around the anus and other on its back about 7.6 cm (3 inches) in front of the base of its tail. The scent from these glands is as individual as our fingerprints.

Wolves have been known to detect prey at distances up to 3 kilometers (1.75 miles).

Wolves can hear each other howling in the distance when a human might hear only silence.

Even though it ranks behind their sense of hearing and smell, wolves still have keen eyesight that can detect even the slightest movement in front of them. Since they are predators their eyes are on the front of their heads, giving them a little less than 180° vision (Their prey species can see over 300° of a circle).

There are two ends to this debate. One end maintains that the wolf is evil personified; that it is a ruthless, vicious killer. The other end maintains that the wolf is altruistic, that it kills the weak members of a herd for the benefit of the herd.

Both of these are human ideas. The wolf kills to survive. The easiest prey are the old and the weak. It does not kill for sport, nor does it kill to keep a herd healthy. It kills to survive.

The wolf is neither good nor evil, it is simply a wolf, being a wolf.

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• Facts
• Book Reviews
• Spirituality (Under Construction)