![]() ![]() The prehistoric Dire wolves (canis dirus) lived about two million years ago. ![]() Using “alpha” terminology falsely suggests a rigidly forced permanent social structure. Modern research shows that labeling a wolf “alpha” or “omega” is misleading because “alpha” wolves are simply parent wolves. Wolves would not make good guard dogs because they are afraid of humans and would hide from visitors rather than bark at them. Nope, Wolves don’t howl more at full moon. Wolves can easily cover 40-50 kilometers in a day as they constantly move around their territory. Their jaws also open farther than those of a dog. The jaws themselves are massive, bearing 42 teeth specialized for stabbing, shearing, and crunching bones. This is about twice the jaw pressure of a German shepherd dog. They are capable of a jaw pressure of up to 105 kilograms per square centimeter (1,500 pounds per square inch). The wolf’s jaw force is sufficient to break open and crush bones with only a few bites. At several occasions they have been seen swimming out to islands in lakes, and even across large rapid rivers during winter. Wolves have an outstanding sense of smell with about 200 million scent cells compared with humans that have only about 5 million. Wolves are the largest members of the Canidae family, which includes domestic dog, dingo, coyote, African hunting dog, several kinds of jackals and several types of foxes. Their eyes turn yellow by the time they are eight months old. Some wolves are killed by other wolves in territorial fights.Ī wolf pup’s eyes are blue at birth. Wolves are also killed by cars and trains. The most common cause of death for wolves is by humans, both during organized hunts and illegal hunts. In Sweden wolves mainly prey on moose, wild boar, roe deer and fallow deer but also Beavers, Hares, Badgers and Rodents.Ĭertain individuals may occasionally take Sheep and Reindeer but these are often soon killed in protective hunting. Wolves are carnivore and they prey on whatever is available and easiest to catch. They do not use the den during the rest of the year. This den can be a hole dug out in sand or just some rocks with cavities. What is a wolf den?ĭuring the first weeks after the pups are born they are kept inside or close to a den in which the pups have the chance to hide if danger occurs. The pups weigh 400 grams at birth and in late autumn they have already grown to about 35 kg’s. The pups are born 63 days after the mating. A litter may consist of 1-10 pups. The mating season occurs by mid-February. The pups are born at the end of April or beginning of May. Access to food and surrounding territories are some of the factors determining the size of the territory. In rare cases the home territory can reach up to 2 000 square kilometers, but they can also be as small as 400 square kilometers. A normal home territory measures 800 – 1 000 square kilometers which equals more than 140,000 football/soccer pitches. ![]() The size of a Wolf territory may vary considerably. Fights between family members and trespassing wolves are not uncommon. They actively defend their territory against trespassing wolves. The territory is marked out by urine, droppings, scratches and sound calls. What is a wolf territory?Ī wolf pair keeps a distinct home territory where they typically stay for as long as they remain an intact couple. However it is more commonly just 3-6 pups of the year and the pair which adds up to just 5-8 individuals. How many wolves are there in a pack?Ī wolf litter may consist of up to 10 pups, and if a couple of pups from last year stay around a wolf family may consist of up to 14 family members (2 adults + 2 elder pups +10 pups). These elder pups may act as baby sits and remain close to the pups of the younger generation. Some pups may stay for more than one year. Most of the pups disperse (leave) the family after twelve months, before becoming sexually mature. A family group typically consist of two parents and their pups. Wolves live in family groups, sometimes called packs. ![]()
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