Gray Wolf

Status: Endangered in all lower 48 states except Minnesota, where it is threatened.

Description: Largest member of the canine family and an ancestor of the dog. Typical color is tan, or a grizzled gray and black; although some wolves are all-black or all-white.

Size: Height: 26-32 inches at the shoulder. Weight: 55-115 pounds. Females are usually slightly smaller.

Habitat: Forests, tundra, deserts, plains and mountains.

Range: North America (Minnesota and Canada); small areas in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Food Source: Large, hoofed mammals such as deer and elk, and occasionally smaller animals (beaver or rabbit). Wolves kill animals that are the easiest to capture--young, old, diseased or deformed ones--but will kill healthy adult animals if the opportunity arises.

Behavior: Wolves live in packs, which are complex social structures that include the breeding adult pair (the alpha male and female) and their offspring. Size of the pack varies with the size of available prey. Packs that feed on deer may average only 3-6 animals, while those preying on moose can be as large as 15. A hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals within the pack help it to function as a unit. Wolves communicate with fellow pack-mates and other wolf packs by scent marking, vocalizations, facial and body postures. Also use barks, whimpers, growls and howls to express themselves.

Howling: Howling is an important and effective way to send long distant messages to other wolves. It serves to find individuals that get separated from the rest of the pack; define territory, defend a fresh kill, and assemble the pack. Pups begin to howl at one month old.

Reproduction: Wolves mate in February or March. Females give birth two months later to a litter of pups. An average litter is four to seven pups. Litter size and pup mortality depend on food supply, weather and the health of the mother.

Survival Threats: Human encroachment into wolf territory. Wolves need open land and an abundant supply of prey to survive. The illegal killing of wolves is a serious problem, especially for small populations. Almost one-quarter of the wolves in Minnesota are illegally killed each year.

Legal Protection: CITES, Appendix I (populations of Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan); Appendix II (all other populations). Endangered Species Act