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Wolf character. A she-wolf is that woman who lives by her own rules, not paying attention to the prevailing social stereotypes and patterns of behavior, to norms, rules, standards imposed from outside. Runner with the wolves

Exploring female archetypes based on ancient myths, legends and fairy tales, Clarissa Estes argues that a healthy woman in a good psychophysical state is like a she-wolf.

She Who Runs With Wolves may have been received in different ways. If it weren’t for the serious name of its author, who earned himself a place in the sun not at all with this book, but with the scientific works of Jung’s school, it would probably be quite possible to declare it some kind of strange notes - the arguments of Clarissa Estes are so unexpected and sharp.

Be that as it may, in Europe, fans of the theory of the female wolf declared this book the Women's Bible and under the cry "She-wolves of all countries, unite!" gather in associations "Wolves" or open websites "Wolves-wolves".

wild and pristine

"Running with the Wolves" Female archetype in myths and legends»

Women Who Run With the Wolves. Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype.

Translated into more than twenty-five languages, Clarissa Estes' book has been one of the first places in the world book ranking for several years.

This book about the female archetype is truly universal. Replace the concept of "primordial woman" with "primordial man" and you will see that the benefit that this book will bring to your soul has no gender.

Inside every woman lives a primordial, natural being, full of good instincts, compassionate creativity and eternal wisdom.

But this creature - the Wild Woman - is on the verge of extinction. The "civilizing" influence of society, unfortunately, suppresses everything "wild", that is, natural, in the child.

Clarissa Estes, who has been practicing and teaching Jungian psychoanalysis and researching the myths of different cultures for more than twenty years, shows how the primordial spirit of a woman can be revived through "psychoarchaeological excavations" in the area of the female unconscious.

The healthy, instinctive, clairvoyant, healing archetypal Wild Woman lives life to the full in ancient myths and

fairy tales. But it can reappear in the soul of every woman in the conditions of the modern world.

Runner with the wolves

Our correspondent in France met with the President of the popular European movement "Wolf Women"

My interlocutor, Nicole de Troyat, is a classically trained psychologist whose life took on meaning after, she said, she discovered her desire and strength to engage in psychoanalysis according to the method of Clarissa Estes. Concurrently, Nicole is the president of the Wolf Women Association.

- Madame Troyat, do you think that today in civilized countries female wolves are not yet listed in the Red Book?

— I understand your question. Of course, at first glance it seems that domestic lapdogs have better living conditions than wild wolves. Dogs are served food in a bowl, they are taken out for a walk in warm coats, they are bought warm blankets for sleeping.

But this is the whole point: without a struggle for one's own actualization, without conflicts, the vital forces leave. And this can be seen in the example of two or three generations.

Today's dogs give birth to such weak offspring that you need to look in advance for a good veterinarian who will observe your pet from childhood.

Returning from this comparison to women, I will quote Madame Estes, who in the book “Running with the Wolves” writes that decrepit women are not the best achievement of our civilization.

- But there is a simpler solution - fitness centers, skiing, swimming pool ...

“We are talking about the mental health of a woman in the first place. Of course, sports loads are important, but if at the same time a woman constantly feels internal discomfort, which she gets used to, does not notice until the first crisis ...

If the husband is cheating

- Are wolf women insured against crises?

- Of course not. But they react differently. For example, an ordinary woman, having learned that her husband is cheating on her, will throw a tantrum, try to intimidate her husband with threats or begin to blackmail him with children, become depressed, and bother all her friends with her complaints and tears.

Adultery is a very strong test, so any means are understandable from the point of view of the female victim.

And the she-wolf, who is focused on fidelity in a couple, will also, of course, experience pain. But she will not be stuck in depression for a long time - her natural forces, intuition, wisdom and healthy wolf egoism will keep her healthy, recover faster and help her make an objective decision.

In this situation, such a woman can act differently - how many she-wolves, so many decisions. But what unites wolf women is that she will first of all listen to herself.

If she wants to save the marriage, after a good beating, she will still leave the guilty wolf with her. If he already got it, no arguments will work here. A she-wolf has the strength and love to raise her cubs alone. Although other young wolves will try to penetrate into her cozy lair - after all, it is so cozy and reliable with a she-wolf.

- You told me that in your association there are women of different faiths, nationalities and skin colors. It turns out that the theory of the wolf woman managed to overcome religious and national prejudices?

- Because, discovering new opportunities in herself, the support of the very life force, a woman becomes more generous and tolerant. The she-wolf does not distinguish skin color, she selects comrades by smell - that is, according to the principle of compatibility.

A prostitute won't become a she-wolf

What about the professions of female wolves?

- Variety. Although it must be said that basically, of course, educated women, capable of introspection and active organization of their lives, become she-wolves.

I once interviewed a woman who was the leader of a prostitutes union in Paris. She was a kind, generous, courageous woman. In her charisma, she fits the description of a female wolf...

By taking on the role of protector of many women—prostitutes in this case—this woman developed a caring, active, and benevolent personality. And these traits are just on the list of qualities that characterize a wolf.

Can prostitutes become she-wolves?

- Not. These women tend to be too cornered. By serving with her body various men who pay her for it, a prostitute violates the sacred principle of she-wolves - to be self-willed in choosing a partner.

It also violates the principle of fidelity and self-love, as well as caring for one's health, which is dictated by biological intuition, which sends signals in defense of future offspring.

So, although prostitutes are worthy of the compassion of she-wolves (in no case should they be condemned - after all, nature does not know condemnation at all) - but they cannot become she-wolves.

- And the models?

- Why not? If in life they are as confident and self-sufficient as on the covers of magazines.

The path of a model for a wolf woman is acceptable, but dangerous. It is very easy to start treating yourself as a model.

There are now many articles on the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Various versions are put forward about its causes. As a psychoanalyst, I see this situation differently. She died because she saw no reason to live on. She ran out of vital reserves and the belief that something can be changed.

Of course, with all her wealth, she would like to change her life. This is a constant motive of all women - even those who say that they are happy.

If a woman has a visible segment of the path for change, she is balanced and purposeful - whether it be professional or personal life. If she has a complete confusion in her head and feelings, then she has lost her way and herself.

Of course, having worked as a child porn model for so many years, it is difficult to maintain love for yourself ... Such a tragic end for many women in this profession, but we will learn about the loudest names.

Sexy seductress or housewife?

How does society feel about wolves?

This is the requirements of modern society for women. Be beautiful and sexy or practical - and you will earn a place in the sun. It is beneficial for men to have both of these types of women on hand, which provides them with full service.

A she-wolf can be sexier than beauties with gel lips and breasts, but only if she herself wants to seduce and enjoy.

She will not pretend to be in love in order to win a man who is not interested in her - she has a sense of the value of her time and, of course, herself.

But on the other hand, I’ll tell you: a man with whom a she-wolf falls in love can be called lucky. He will come closer to understanding that heavenly state when the two halves were connected together, and he will never have the feeling that he is living life for nothing. The degree of actualization in such novels is incredibly high. People who have experienced an honest and strong feeling of love change so intensely internally that God probably has no other way.

We are not abandoned!

But not all the strongest feelings remain forever...

Yes, such is life. But on the other hand, no man will ever leave a she-wolf. This is a sign by which I determine for myself the degree of my inner she-wolf.

If some man leaves me, then I turn into a lapdog.

The she-wolf leaves on her own or the partners part by mutual agreement, so that later they always call each other at Christmas ...

How do wolves feel about plastic surgery?

“If the she-wolf wants something, then it is impossible to resist it. She's allowed to be arbitrary. Positively masterful, I note.

If she wants to change her appearance, she will change it for sure, you won’t work on her with any persuasion. If she is afraid of pain, then no Pamela Anderson is an example for her.

A she-wolf is that woman who lives by her own rules, not paying attention to the prevailing social stereotypes and patterns of behavior, to norms, rules, standards imposed from outside. She is a creator: she wants to create, she wants to create. Humor, but captures the essence of things. The she-wolf is self-sufficient, smart, independent, internally strong, free from prejudice, you can’t convince her, you can’t turn off the intended path. In relations with a man, she always rules, although from the outside it may not always seem so. This is a woman about whom men always say that she has a breed and become. The she-wolf is bright, spectacular, and it's not about appearance and clothes, it's about energy, self-confidence and well-thought-out positive transmitted from within. Such a woman always has "burning" eyes, in which "devils" are constantly jumping. Devil, witch, bitch - that's what men like to call me, and, believe me, this is not an insult. It is about such a woman that the powers that be say: “I love and hate her at the same time, but I can’t forget and get her out of my head.” The she-wolf lives on her own, the man does not occupy a central place in her life. Good decent girl? Ha! It's not about her. The appearance of an angel, the soul of the devil - that's what a she-wolf is! Fire and ice, love and hate, black and white, bad and good - everything is in it, it plays on contrasts, therefore it always remains elusive, unsaid, misunderstood. The she-wolf is constantly true to herself and her life principles and values. How to become a wolf woman? Difficult, but possible, you just have to really want to! It is necessary to change yourself, and first of all, change the settings in your head, “turn off” goodness in yourself, obsequiousness to everyone indiscriminately, self-sacrifice. It is necessary to understand that the she-wolf lives according to the principle: I live the way I want! And nothing else! A she-wolf can afford the most chic and classy thing in the world, which you will not exchange for anything else - to be herself, a real one. Not a clone, not a robot living like everyone else. And yourself, living the way you want, no matter what. The she-wolf is not alone, the she-wolf is just a loner in life (that is, a whole person), who has the right to choose: she chooses her own path in life, she chooses for herself the man she wants. Personally, it seems to me that it is worth the effort that a woman will spend on our "re-education", reincarnation and personal growth. I give you a tremendous opportunity to adopt some of the life principles of a she-wolf, having delved into the essence of which, you can go far. So, the main postulates of a female hunter: 1. "No one owes nothing to nobody". And the main thing here is to understand that you also don’t owe anything to anyone, primarily to manipulative men. 2. "If you want to do something well, do it yourself." This postulate concerns vital things for a woman. Everything else can be delegated and asked for help. But do the fundamental only yourself, do not shift this function to others, especially men, do not fall into dependence. 3. “I am who I am, not perfect, so what!” Embrace your own unique essence, love yourself sincerely. Why be someone you will never be. Enjoy yourself, and men will come into your life. And whoever doesn’t like it, let them nervously smoke on the sidelines. Never forget about the philosophy of "real I". 4. Self-sufficiency. 5. "I'm not good, I'm bad with a good stripe." The she-wolf herself knows how to behave, what to think and what to do. If it does not fit in with generally accepted norms, it does not bother her much. It is impossible for such a woman to label goodness and decency, because she has her own set of rules and laws. 6. Constant self-development and personal growth. 7. “In a relationship with a man, everything will be the way I want, or I won’t have any relationship with a specific man at all!”.

The development of nature in the last millennia is closely interconnected with the development of human society. Climate change and human intervention in nature entail global changes in the lives of living beings. Therefore, the study of life in nature, the solution of the problems of survival of animals, timely assistance to them, is necessary.

Tyler Miller, in his program for universal environmental education, gave a number of principles that you need to know in order to save the Earth.

Nature is not only more complex than we think it is, it is much more complex than we can imagine.

Everything in nature is interconnected and we all live in it together.

We are a valuable species, but no more important than others; All living beings, including humans, have their own significance.

Every living thing has the right to life simply because it is alive; the existence of this right is independent of its usefulness to us.

It is unworthy of man to be the cause of the extinction of species existing in nature.

What do people know about wolves? That they are fierce and dangerous, treacherous and treacherous. That they must be destroyed. This is how those who know nothing about wolves think about wolves. In fact, wolves rarely attack humans. Like all predators, they hunt to feed themselves and live their lives trying to stay away from people.

The topic of my research project is "The Truth About Wolves". My interest in the life of wolves did not arise by chance. Love for the Ural nature often leads me and my grandfather, Alexander Viktorovich Safronov, to the forest. We walk, talk, observe the living world of the forest. I read a lot of stories, fairy tales and poems about wolves. In winter, I came across a number of articles in the newspaper Karpinsky Rabochiy about the extermination of wolves. On the territory of our district, wolves began to meet more often than before, cases of wolves entering the village of Kakvinskiye Pechi were recorded. And he began to wonder what kind of wolf really is? Is the wolf really that dangerous to humans? How to maintain balance in nature? I received answers to my questions from my grandfather, but decided to study the life of wolves more deeply. Learn the history of the origin of the genus of wolves, their habits, hunting features, mutual understanding in the pack. And the main question for me was: who is a wolf for a man friend or foe?

While working on the project, I turned to the city library, the school information center, where I worked with reference literature and the Internet. In my home library I found a number of stories about wolves. I learned interesting information about the habits of dogs from the biology teacher of our school Nizamova Faina Nikolaevna. I learned about the peculiarities of the life of wolves in captivity from an employee of the Yekaterinburg Zoo. In the city museum, I was able to closely examine a stuffed wolf, feel its fur, touch its teeth and feel its terrible gaze on me.

My grandfather has two dogs, Laikas by breed, Taiga and Dina. We often take them with us on walks in the forest. They are very similar to wolves. It was my dogs who helped me conduct some of the experiments for the project.

The history of the wolf family.

WOLVES, which are also called canine and canine, exist 40 mil. years. The wolf evolved from carnivorous predators that lived 100 million years ago. As a species, Canis lupus developed in Eurasia about 1 million years ago, and by the end of the Pleistocene it became the most common predator. In total, 35 species of canines live on the globe. The wolf genus combines wolves, coyotes, jackals, wild and domestic dogs - the largest representatives of the wolf family. In addition, all foxes, arctic foxes, and raccoon dogs belong to this family.

Once upon a time, wolves had no equal among large predators. So widely they were distributed and so cleverly obtained their livelihood. But wolves interfered with man in his hunt, harassed sheep herds and were even considered cannibals - and man exterminated them for many years.

In fairy tales and legends, the taiga forest was presented as a mysterious and dangerous place for careless travelers. Most of these dangers are fictional, but once upon a time people really had reason to be afraid of wolves in the forest. Even 400 years ago, there were many gray predators in the northern regions; cold taiga forests were their home.

There is not much reliable evidence of wolves attacking humans, but for domestic animals they really posed a great threat, especially when natural prey disappeared. Therefore, the wolves were ruthlessly destroyed. For example, in the British Isles, the last wolf was killed in 1770. True, there are still quite a few gray wolves left in Russia.

Like dogs, wolves are very intelligent and easy to train. In addition, each wolf has a special character: there are cautious, impudent or self-confident, they keep themselves freely and naturally in wolf society, and others are not seen or heard.

Wolves do not disdain pets either. It becomes clear why people have long waged a constant war with wolves. As a result, the wolf even had to be included in the Red Book! Now these magnificent animals are not found either in the British Isles, or in Western and Central Europe, or in Japan, or in most of the United States. Wolves have lived on Earth for over a million years. They descended from carnivorous predators that lived 100 million years ago, and about 20 million years ago dogs originated from the wolf.

Perhaps, in the conditions of Canada or the north of the USA, with an abundance of wild animals (deer, hares, rodents, etc.), wolves are not dangerous for domestic animals and humans, since nature provides complete nutrition for predators, and there is no need for them to take risks by attacking domestic animals or of people. In the conditions of Russia and other countries, where there is less easy prey for wolves, hungry wolves tear domestic animals and become dangerous to humans. About 30% of wolves living in central Russia are potentially capable of attacking a person. This once again confirms the need to fight wolves in Russia.

Wolf habitats.

The wolf is widely distributed. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula, in Italy, Poland, Scandinavia, Finland, almost throughout Russia, from a number of Arctic islands and the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the southern borders of the country (excluding Crimea) and up to the Pacific Ocean. In Asia, it inhabits the Korean Peninsula, partly China and the Hindustan Peninsula, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula. In North America, the wolf, once common across almost the entire continent, is now heavily extirpated. The wolf is currently absent from Japan and the British Isles. It is exterminated in France, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, throughout Central Europe.

The wolf is distinguished by great ecological plasticity. He lives in a wide variety of landscapes, but prefers open steppes, semi-deserts, tundra, forest-steppe, avoiding solid forests. The reason for this is the abundance of food, primarily the presence of wild and domestic ungulates, as well as the conditions for hunting them, especially in the hungry, winter time, when the depth of the snow cover has a decisive influence on the distribution and abundance of the predator. The fact is that in loose, deep snow in the forests, the wolf falls heavily and cannot catch up with the elk or deer. The situation changes only in spring, during strong crusts, which easily hold predators, but break under the weight of running ungulates. Wolf hunting in open spaces with little snow is incomparably more effective than in the taiga.

Characteristics of the common wolf.

The whole appearance of the wolf testifies to its power and excellent adaptability to tireless running, chasing and attacking its victims. In size, the hardened wolf is larger than the large shepherd dog. Body length is on average 105 - 160 cm, tail - 35 - 50 cm, height at the shoulders, 80 - 85 cm and up to 100 cm. Weight is usually 32 - 50 kg. The literature mentions wolves allegedly weighing more than 90 kg, but among the many hundreds of accurately weighed wolves from different parts of the world, there was not one heavier than 79 kg. The skull is massive, the zygomatic arches are widely spaced. The facial region is longer than the brain. In adults and old animals, crests are strongly developed, especially the sagittal one. The frontal part of the skull is convex with large cavities.

The teeth are large and strong. Fangs are powerful, slightly curved, relatively short. Predatory teeth are well defined. The cutting edge of the incisors with small additional protrusions. Teeth - 42. Of these, 4 sharp, crooked 5-centimeter fangs - two on top and bottom. With them, the wolf can bite through the dense skin of the victim.

The coloration and size of wolves are subject to strong individual and geographical variability. Only on the territory of Russia there are wolves of almost 8 - 9 subspecies, there are even more of them in North America. The largest animals live in the Far North, the smallest - in the south. The former are painted in very light colors, and in winter they turn almost completely white. Thick fur up to 8 centimeters long protects the wolf from frost. The layer of fur closest to the body is the undercoat, and the outer layer is formed by hard, long, black outer hairs at the ends. They repel water, and the undercoat does not get wet. In such a raincoat with fur lining, the wolf is not afraid of bad weather.

In nature, wolves live to a maximum of 15 - 20 years, but already at 10 - 12 years old they show signs of old age. If necessary, the wolf develops a speed of up to 55 - 60 km / h, is able to make transitions up to 60 - 80 km per night, and on average, travel more than 20 km per day (in the forest zone). A calmly walking or running wolf strikes with ease of movement. It seems to creep over the earth; without changing the gait, overcomes long distances without a hint of fatigue. If there are a pair or a group of wolves, then they go in single file, stepping strictly trail after trail, and only at a turn or at a resting place where the animals disperse can one determine their number. The paw prints on the ground are very distinct, which differs from the incomparably more vague traces of large dogs. The wolf has not only speed and tirelessness in movement, but also great strength. Without apparent difficulty, he can drag a sheep in his teeth, carrying it in front of him or throwing it on his back.

Hunting and feeding wolves

The wolf is a typical predator that obtains food on its own, actively searching for and pursuing prey. Everywhere, ungulates form the basis of the diet of wolves: in the tundra - wild and domestic reindeer; in the forest zone - moose, deer, roe deer, wild boars, domestic sheep, cows, horses; in the steppes and deserts - antelopes, domestic animals. Along with large animals, small animals play an important role in the diet of wolves - hares, ground squirrels, mouse-like rodents, especially during the years of their mass reproduction. In the warm season, wolves catch a lot of voles, lemmings and other animals, and on this food they fatten well for the winter and even get fat. In summer, wolves do not miss the opportunity to eat laying eggs, chicks sitting on nests or feeding on the ground of black grouse, waterfowl and other birds. In the area of accumulation of molting geese and ducks, wolves also often catch them with great dexterity. Often, predators also prey on domestic geese. The prey of wolves sometimes become foxes, raccoon dogs, corsacs, as well as domestic dogs, for which wolves hunt on purpose, boldly kidnapping them on the village streets, right from the yard and almost in front of the hunters. Occasionally, hungry wolves dare to attack bears sleeping in a den.

Wolves can be called opportunists - they eat everything that can be caught, and everyone who is weaker than them. Hungry wolves also eat carrion, tearing meat from bones like a vulture - a terrible picture that contributed to the spread of sinister legends about them. If the wolf does not want to be content with only what gets in his way, he will always choose the largest animal so that the efforts made will bring as much food as possible. A lone wolf will be happy with a small deer or a sheep, and a pack and a larger beast is quite tough. Wolves can pursue the prey, drive it into an ambush or a dead end, performing complex maneuvers, foresee the trajectory of the victim's movement, etc. Wolves are excellent at navigating the terrain. Many packs constantly, from year to year, use the same parts of the territory to drive the victim into a dead end. Such dead ends can be blockages of trees, placers of stones or a dead end in the truest sense of the word - a sheer cliff or a deep gully in a ravine. Getting into a dead end, ungulates begin to rush about, trying to break out of it. In rubble or heaps of stones, they often break their limbs and then become easy prey for wolves. In many cases, while several wolves drive the victim, others are waiting for her, not allowing her to get out of the impasse. Ice on mountain rivers, thin ice powdered with the first snow, and snow puffs become such dead ends for reindeer in winter. Wolves often drive saigas into dried-up lakes, where in autumn and spring the bottom softened by water turns into difficult-to-pass mud, and ungulates move with great difficulty.

So-called sediments become a kind of dead end for mountain animals (rams, goats, musk deer, red deer). These are hard-to-reach areas of rocks where ungulates wait out the danger. Having driven the victim to the sludge, wolves can wait for days until the animal, tired of standing still, becomes their prey. In winter, wolves often drive ungulates to the crust. The relative load on the track in wolves is 2-3 times less than in most ungulates. Therefore, the victims of wolves, running away along the crust, get tired very quickly, falling into deep snow, and often in the process they injure their legs on the sharp edges of the frozen snow. Often, wolves drive their prey onto other members of the pack hiding in ambush. This is how they hunt saigas. Some wait, hiding in the dunes, while others slowly drive the antelope to them. When hunting goats and rams, wolves can use narrowing in the rocks. Some hide behind rocks, while others drive ungulates to an ambush. Prolonged active pursuit of prey is not typical for wolves. As a rule, this is a short jerk for several tens, less often - several hundred meters. Often they can move behind the herd without betraying their presence and waiting for the right moment for decisive action. Such passive pursuit can last for many days.

Often, wolves lie in wait for the victim at watering places, crossings, places of rest or grazing. In these cases, silently crept up and unexpectedly sharply appeared several wolves cause panic among ungulates, which makes it easier for predators to intercept and hold randomly fleeing animals. The victims of wolves are often newborns and young ungulates in places of their concentration. Among domestic ungulates, sheep and reindeer suffer most from wolves. In sheep-breeding, especially mountainous, areas, the wolf is the most common predator to date. But often wolves attack horses. Having sowed panic in the herd with an unexpected appearance, they grab the victim by the muzzle, groin, until the exhausted animal stops and becomes their prey. In addition to ungulates, many other animals can become prey of the wolf, especially in summer, when parents feed puppies, and the pack breaks up and predators live alone or in small groups. At this time, wolves eat insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and various mammals, on which they also worked out skillful hunting techniques. More often than others, hares become victims of wolves.

The wolves that inhabit the coast of the Caspian Sea often come out onto the ice, where they look for seals in the hummocks. In the mountains they hunt marmots. Using uneven terrain, predators, sprawled on the ground, wait for a long time until the marmots move far from the hole. Having outlined the victim, they cut off her path to escape with a short swift throw, intercepting her on the way to shelter. Sometimes wolves hide near holes, waiting for a long time for marmots to come to the surface. Like foxes, wolves can "mouse", hunting for small rodents and insectivores. After waiting for, for example, a vole to appear on the surface, the wolf in a jump presses it down with its paw and eats it.

A flock can easily drive and overwhelm an elk weighing half a ton (and this despite the fact that one wolf weighs ten times less). This requires strength, determination and coherence of action. At the same time, predators show amazing tirelessness, merciless perseverance, and sooner or later they achieve their goal. Sometimes they drive the red deer into the rocks, “to suck”, and, having surrounded, wait for it, tired, to try to break through and run away. Finally, wolves skillfully drive roe deer and deer onto the slippery bare ice of taiga rivers or cut them in deep, loose snow or on the crust. However, under other conditions, predators cannot catch up with a healthy deer and, after a short chase, stop hunting.

The main hunting tool of the wolf is its nose, which catches the slightest smell of prey. Having smelled the smell, the whole flock turns their heads in the right direction and freezes in order to remember it well. The wolves wag their tails as if anticipating a future feast, and their next actions depend on the type of terrain. There is nowhere to hide in open space, and the wolves immediately attack; in the forest, they sneak up on the leeward side, moving one after another and hoping to catch the victim by surprise. This manner of hunting allows you to get an elk or other lone animal, although they are likely to smell the enemy and put up resistance. A large stag can take a fighting stance and beat the wolves away with hoof strikes, which will have to retreat and look for a weaker victim. If the victim starts to run away, the wolves will take the chase, but will give it up if they lose in speed - it makes no sense for them to unnecessarily expend forces that will come in handy more than once.

Healthy and strong ungulates, by and large, have nothing to fear from wolves, so the pack is always on the lookout for young, old or sick animals that are easier to catch. This is clearly seen when a wolf pack attacks a herd of reindeer or musk oxen; wolves rush at young individuals, and the weakest of them become easy prey. Thus, a herd that is constantly attacked by wolves will be healthier than a well-guarded one. Having attacked the herd, the wolves try to create panic in it in order to drive away the future victim and easily fill it up. If the herd manages to regroup and adult animals surround the kids with a wall of hard hooves and formidable horns, the wolves will leave, slurping unsalted, but they will still follow the movements of weak or sick individuals seen in the herd from afar. Wolves are also capable of cannibalism. Many cases are known when they tore and ate weakened animals, wounded by hunters or badly injured in an internecine fight during the rut. Unlike some other predatory animals, wolves often return to the half-eaten remains of their own prey, especially during the hungry season. They do not disdain the corpses of livestock, and on the sea coasts - the carcasses of seals and other sea animals thrown by the waves. In the steppes and deserts, the usual food of wolves is all kinds of reptiles, beetles and locusts (in the years of mass breeding). Wolves, especially in the southern regions, also eat some plant foods - various berries, lily of the valley fruits, wild and garden fruits (carrion), even mushrooms. In the steppes, they often raid watermelons and melons, satisfying not so much hunger as thirst, because they need a regular, plentiful watering place.

By hunting with the whole pack, wolves increase their chances of success. This "team approach" is manifested in the following. Two or three wolves hide in ambush, and the whole pack attacks the herd and drives it to the catchers; they jump out of the "secret", a panic begins in the herd, a frightened deer shied away; one wolf overtakes him, then another, the deer fights back with might and main, but, in the end, falls. The leader satisfies hunger first, eating the best pieces and smearing himself with the blood of the victim; other wolves huddle at a distance, waiting for their turn and share; if the meat remains, the wolves will bury it in the ground or simply leave it, and they themselves will wash themselves in the nearest stream, sleep and come for more. If females feeding their brood are waiting for them in the den, the wolves will bring them meat - raw in their teeth or half-digested in their stomachs.

The wolf is known for its gluttony. Indeed, if he is hungry, he is able to eat up to 10 kg of meat. However, under normal conditions, the daily norm of an adult animal is only about 2 kg, he simply takes away the rest of the meat and hides it in reserve, eating it later, which is not always taken into account and contributes to exaggerated ideas about the voracity of the wolf.

On the other hand, this beast has an amazing ability to starve without losing vitality. In the Yamal tundra, a wounded wolf lay without changing its place and without hunting, that is, being hungry, for 17 days. He was very thin, but fully recovered from his wounds and ran like a healthy man.

The wolf is a family man.

Wolves are social animals: they live in families. Every flock has its own "table of ranks", and in it everyone has their own place. Strong and aggressive wolves rule, and those who need a firm hand obey them. A wolf pack - a group of animals related by kinship and mutual sympathy - is led by a wolf and a she-wolf. The rest of its members are their children (from tiny puppies to 2-3 year old teenagers). Usually in a wolf family there are 6 - 7, and sometimes 15 animals. The strongest wolf in the pack becomes the leader. A girlfriend, a she-wolf, helps him to rule. For others to obey, leaders must have strong character. All decisions concerning the life of the pack are made by this couple. In a pack where the leader keeps order, wolves usually do not fight among themselves. However, skirmishes are common with strangers or lone wolves that have violated the border of possessions. Each wolf pack hunts only in its own territory. The owners strictly guard and mark it, warning the neighbors that they should stay away. Any uninvited guest will be punished. In large packs, it often happens that a wolf is poisoned by all his relatives. Sometimes the outcast becomes completely unbearable, and he is forced to leave the pack.

Why is an unsociable person called a lone wolf? Because he resembles a wolf that has left the pack and lives on its own. As time passes, changes occur in the flock. Applicants for the role of leader remain in the pack and wait in the wings. Other wolves, having matured, leave to wander alone. But they can also create their own flock if they are lucky enough to meet a lone she-wolf. If the wolf and she-wolf want to rule the pack, they must subjugate all the rest of its members to their will and force them to unquestioningly comply with their laws. The leader dominates the males of the pack, and his girlfriend maintains order among the wolves. The leaders constantly remind their "subordinates" who is the boss in the pack: they growl at them, bite, drive and even knock them down, preferring to do this in front of the whole pack. One stern, intent look from the leader or his mate is enough to subdue those he targets. Smiling ingratiatingly, the wolves fall to the ground, and then, if possible, sneak away. Sometimes they lie on their backs, as if to say: we know who is in charge here. The way a wolf holds its tail speaks of its position in the pack. Among the leaders, it is raised high, among the "subjects" it is lowered, and those who stand at the lowest degree in the wolf family tuck their tail. Members of the pack show love and respect to the leader in a welcoming ceremony. Crawling, with flattened ears and smoothed hair, they approach the leader or his girlfriend, lick and gently bite his muzzle.

Rutting occurs on average in February, puppies are born in April. In late spring, wolves change their habits. They no longer wander, but roam in search of prey only near the lair, where they are going to acquire offspring. Usually, the den is picked up and equipped by a female pregnant from the leader (most likely, this couple will not part until the end of their lives). Usually there are 5-6 puppies in a family of wolves. Cases have been noted when a lot of them are born - 10-13 and even up to 17. But such cases are rare and half of the brood in numerous families does not survive. Wolf cubs are born blind, helpless.

From that moment on, the she-wolf does not leave the lair for three weeks; the father of the family brings the booty. The rest of the pack stays nearby and also feeds the she-wolf and her litter until the cubs grow up. When the she-wolf begins to go hunting herself, the flock looks after the kids. If the family is in any danger, then the she-wolf carries her cubs in her mouth one by one to another, more secluded place.

The cubs' eyes open on the 9-12th day. At the end of the second week, they usually begin to respond to sounds, and after three weeks they first emerge from the nest and around the same time they begin to taste meat. Wolf cubs are born completely helpless. The mother helps them to toilet by licking under the tail. Puppies are not able to get up at this time on their feet and move by crawling. They are constantly in physical contact with their mother or with each other. Puppies sleep most of the time.

Dramatic changes in their behavior occur at the beginning of the third week. By this time, they already see and hear, stand on their feet and begin to walk, even trying to play with each other, hitting each other with their paws and biting. Wolf cubs begin active games at the age of a little less than a month, when they jump back and forth, fall on their front paws and bite each other on the muzzle. The she-wolf, although a caring mother, does not show aggression towards people who are close to her children. There are cases when hunters took the entire brood from the den, put the helpless puppies in a bag and carried them away, and at that time the she-wolf watched uneasily at a distance and then accompanied the hunters to the village for several kilometers without making any attempts to attack. In the early days, the she-wolf is constantly with the puppies. The wolf feeds her. He brings food in the stomach and regurgitates it to the female. Gradually, the she-wolf leaves the puppies alone, often and for a long time away in search of food.

According to the observations of researchers, the female can leave the cubs for 6.5 - 68 hours, that is, she can be absent for almost three days. The duration of the absence of the female strongly depends on the abundance of food in the vicinity of the den. The more accessible it is, the less time the she-wolf leaves the puppies. Usually, when the female leaves the den, the cubs are left alone, gathering in a heap to keep warm. The wolf is rarely with them in the den. But if the puppies crawl up to the father, he does not drive them away, warming them with the warmth of his body. Wolves make their lairs in sheltered, well-protected places. They can be canopies in the rocks, deep cracks, niches, gullies in ravines. Often, wolves use burrows of other animals as dens: foxes, arctic foxes, badgers, marmots. Wolves expand other people's burrows and very rarely dig their own, choosing SOFT, usually sandy soil for this, as well as family days on which the cubs spend their first months of life, meet two requirements:

The presence of shelters from dense vegetation;

A good overview of the area, allowing you to detect danger.

In contrast, a number of cases are known when wolf cubs were found in completely unexpected places: in old stacks of straw left in the field; in piles of firewood and snow shields near the road; on a grain field 300 m from the village; in a hemp plant 10 meters from the estate. It is characteristic that wolves never hunt near their homes, but at a distance of 7-10 km and further, which, of course, also contributes to the safety of broods. After the wolf cubs grow up, the animals stop using their permanent den, and settle down to rest in various, but reliable places.

It is difficult to approach the lair of wolves unnoticed. As a rule, animals detect a person and manage to hide before a person detects them. Growing wolf cubs can frolic in an absolutely open, well-viewed place, but such a playground is necessarily adjacent to either dense thickets, or a pile of stones and labyrinths of passages in rocks and ravines. In these shelters, wolf cubs, and even adult wolves, instantly “dissolve”, without betraying their presence in any way.

Territory of wolves, dwelling.

The size of the family territory is highly dependent on the landscape and varies over a very wide range. The largest family plots are in open landscapes of the tundra, steppe or semi-desert, where they reach 1000 - 1250 km2. In the forest zone they are smaller - 200 - 250 km2. Wolves mark their territory with urine, feces, or by leaving scratches on paths, fallen trees, and stand-alone stumps. Litter of wolves, drying, acquires a white color and is visible at a great distance in an open place. It seems that wolves sometimes specifically choose the most visible places to leave their droppings. Once in Altai, the droppings of a large wolf were found on the seat of a mower, which towered a meter and a half above the ground. The mower itself stood for many days in the middle of a spacious clearing, very noticeable from the road, along which wolves regularly walked, gathering in places where the deer roared.

Wandering over such a vast territory, the pack, of course, will not be able to retain exclusive rights to it, but the forest wolves, whose possessions are smaller, tend to see only their land in them. The wolf marks his possessions with his own scent.

Where there are many wolves, the concentration of marks is especially high on the periphery of the family territory, that is, along its borders, due to the imposition of marks by wolves inhabiting neighboring areas. There are many marks in the centers of flock activity within family areas, where droppings, pimples and scrapes are often found. Such centers of pack activity are permanent trails, lairs and family days. They can be removed from the borders of the territory for several kilometers. Condensation of traces of the vital activity of wolves in the centers of their activity gives the territory a characteristic appearance. Numerous traces of the vital activity of wolves in the family area, their uneven distribution, probably serve as landmarks for members of the pack, leaving for many kilometers in search of food and returning again to the center of the family territory.

The lone wolf moves carefully, avoiding territories occupied by other packs and not disturbing their peace: meeting with numerically superior opponents may be the last adventure of his life. Never touching their own, the pack will ruthlessly deal with the stranger. In search of prey, wolves wander to farms, where they find themselves close to humans and risk losing their lives. In autumn and winter, a flock roams a certain territory; in the forest, where there is enough game, these limits are small - no more than 100 square meters. KM, and where it is necessary to look for prey, the area of \u200b\u200b"own" lands increases ten or more times. Polar wolves, hunting reindeer, follow their herds throughout the tundra year after year; it happens that with a herd of deer there is a wolf pack. Once, zoologists traced the movement of one pack across Alaska: in a month and a half, wolves traveled 1,100 km across an area of 13,000 square meters. km!

Communication of wolves.

Wolves do not always hunt, growl and are ferocious. The first thing a wolf will do when its stomach is full is curl up and take a good nap. Waking up, frolic with pleasure. If he wants to play, he will invite relatives to join him. Crouching low on his front paws to the ground, he will approach them and, wagging his tail, will say: “Please!” No answer? Then, in order to attract attention, he will begin to jump from side to side, just like a dog.

Well-developed higher nervous activity is combined in wolves with strength, agility, speed of running and other physical characteristics that greatly increase the chances of this predator in the struggle for existence.

The facial expressions of a wolf are much more expressive than those of a domestic dog. It is complemented by the setting of the ears and the coloring of the muzzle, a "mask" that obediently follows the changes in the facial muscles. When a wolf is frightened, its head seems to "reduce" in size: the ears are pressed and laid back, the muzzle is extended, the corners of the mouth are narrowed and drawn back. The depressed expression of the "facial" is accompanied by the avoidance of a direct look. On the contrary, in a self-confident wolf, the head looks larger and rounder, the ears are raised and directed forward, the corners of the mouth are extended. The confident expression of the "face" is emphasized by rounded eyes fixed on the partner. The aggression of a wolf, ready or preparing for an attack, is expressed by a grinning muzzle, with a demonstration of teeth in an open mouth, hair rearing up on the muzzle. Deep parallel folds of skin behind the nose above the upper jaw give special expressiveness to the "face". The tip of the nose turned up at the same time creates an extreme expression of the beast ready to attack. The setting of the ears at the same time strongly depends on how much fear is mixed with aggressiveness. The expression of aggressiveness, mixed with fear, is accompanied by varying degrees of pressing the ears to the head.

The absence of fear, aggressiveness and self-confidence are expressed by ears set straight or even pointing forward. The tail is a good indicator of the wolf's feelings and intentions. Animals raise it at different angles, swing it with different amplitude and frequency, clearly demonstrating it or hiding it between their legs. A self-confident or aggressive wolf keeps the tail high at the level, and sometimes even higher than the level of the back. When threatening, wolves often raise their tail almost vertically, tensely holding it almost motionless and rearing their hair. On the contrary, wolves express a depressed mood, a feeling of fear with a low tail, hiding it between their legs in extreme manifestations of fear. They express friendly feelings with free sweeping movements of the tail from side to side, raising it at different angles relative to the back line.

The tail, visible at a great distance, probably serves as a means of remote contact between animals. When greeting each other, wolves wag their tails and hindquarters, and low-ranking animals do this especially expressively in relation to high-ranking ones. Demonstrating their high hierarchical rank, wolves can bite their partner. However, these actions are exclusively ritual in nature and are not accompanied by injury to the subordinate individual. Most often, a high-ranking wolf bites a low-ranking wolf in the muzzle. Less often - by the withers, as if pressing him to the ground. Describing the poses of wolves in general, it can be noted that when interacting with partners in the pack, the poses of high-ranking animals are more open, the head and tail are raised high, and the animals stand straight on their feet. In low-ranking animals, there is a desire to decrease in size, lower their heads, tuck their tails, and crouch on relaxed paws.

Low-ranking animals, demonstrating their submission to higher-ranking ones, can tip over in front of them on the ground, lying on their side or even on their backs and exposing their partner's chest and stomach. At the same time, high-ranking animals often demonstrate a lateral stance, towering on high legs, in a confident pose over a lying partner. By blocking the actions of a partner, especially their aggressive intentions, wolves regularly demonstrate a side stance. The side stance is probably the most expressive of the dominant animal's confidence over the subordinate. It lacks elements of aggressiveness, such as grin and deep wrinkles behind the nose.

Under natural conditions, wolves usually howl in the late evening hours, less often at night and early in the morning. However, under artificial conditions, their sound activity can be strongly shifted, which depends on the general mode of activity of animals, due to the specifics of the daily dynamics of stimuli that excite the motivation for consolidation. In artificial conditions, the behavior of wolves is largely human-oriented. Contacts with him usually differ in a certain rhythm. For example, in the vivarium where we observed wolves, they howled most often around lunchtime, when people serving the animals usually passed by the enclosures. The wolves knew them well and reacted positively to them, as they regularly received random food from them. By the way, a lone wolf never howls.

The wolf family (pack) has developed as a close, stable and optimal community for the struggle for existence, connected by blood relationship, for the following reasons:

In a flock family, the feeding and upbringing of offspring is facilitated;

It is easier and less risky to get food in the family, since mutual assistance is provided in the extraction and the sharing of what is obtained or found;

The family secures and protects a certain feeding area, where "strangers" are not allowed.

Varieties of howling wolves and other signals.

There are so many unsolved mysteries of howling wolves that it forces scientists to come to the following conclusion: howling is the most mysterious and at the same time the most attractive phenomenon in the biology of the wolf. At present, there is not only no consensus on the function of this sound reaction, but the very formulation of the question is also questioned. Thus, in its diversity, paradoxically, the language of the wolf, especially the howl, is similar to the language of people.

The basis of the language of wolves is the following elements of sound signaling:

The most important is the howl with its indescribable varieties and shades. Moreover, it is possible that the howl is emitted by wolves not only in the range of frequencies audible to humans, but also in other ranges available to wolves;

Snorting and sonorous barking;

Growling, clattering teeth, squealing, whining, barking;

In addition to sound signaling, the transmission and reception of information by wolves is carried out through traces of vital activity, smells and visually. It can be:

urinary points;

Traces of movement (footprints, remnants of wool on bushes and trees, etc.);

Scratches on the ground or in the snow, traces of wolves falling out on the ground or snow, falling, etc.;

Nest (place of hatching and initial rearing of wolf cubs);

A den in the broad sense of the term is a system of nests and day haul-outs, usually within the foraging area of a given family;

Smells of wolves; they are not only individual, but often elusive to humans, although they are perfectly captured and distinguished by a wolf;

Direct contacts of animals for educational, aggressive and other purposes.

Appointment of sound signals, howling.

Wolves invest certain meanings in howling: threat, longing, despair, sadness, a signal about caught or found prey, calls, affectionate intonations in relation to wolf cubs, etc.

The she-wolf, returning to the den, with a soft whimper gently calls the scattered wolf cubs, in the den she briefly and quietly answers the howl of the returning hardened wolf. A she-wolf or a seasoned one, having heard an inept howl, suspecting the eternal enemy - a man, with a sharp snort or roar with clattering teeth, cut off the inappropriate response howl of over-brights or the yelping of the profit ones, and if they do not obey instantly, then they will punish the disobedient. When the cubs grow up, alarm signals serve as a command to the grown cubs: "Everyone hide and hide." In the last days of pregnancy and in the first days after whelping, the she-wolf lies "firmly", silently. A lone she-wolf during the rut howls invitingly, waiting for the male, but, having heard his answer, she herself does not answer and does not go forward. The ability of the wolf to determine the direction to the source of the howl is such that he accurately determines it the first time and, as if on cue, goes to it.

In the daily context, most often wolves howl at dusk, at dawn. Howling is most likely to be heard within 1-2 hours after sunset or before dawn. At this time, group howling is especially possible. Frequent howling at night. During the day, the wolves rest, their howling is extremely rare, and if necessary, the roll call or signals to lost profits is carried out quietly with a short howl or squeal.

Single and group howl.

A single howl serves to communicate between members of a family-flock, determine the location of singles, warn about the occupation of the territory, establish contacts of animals of different sexes during the rut, express the state of the individual, to convene the wolf cubs and take care of them from the parents, signal prey, alarm, etc.

The group howl serves to unite the family-flock and express its condition. Perhaps the group howl of a friendly, numerous and powerful family-flock serves as proof of the strong employment of this feeding area.

Types of wolves.

Polar Wolf. Among wild canids, the wolf is the largest animal: large light polar wolves can weigh up to 80 kg. He adapted well to life in the north. From the harsh climatic conditions, polar wolves are warmed by a warm white “fur coat”, thanks to which the wolf is almost invisible in the snow.

Tundra wolf. Large animal. The length of the body of males, apparently, can exceed 150 cm. These wolves are characterized by a very long, dense and soft coat of light color. Scientist V. G. Geptner gives the following data on the maximum mass of tundra wolves, obtained as a result of measurements and weighing of the largest specimens from 500 animals shot in the tundra in Taimyr, Yamal and in the area of the Kanin Peninsula. The largest weights were: an old male caught in Taimyr - 52 kg, a male from the tundra east of the Kanin peninsula - 48.8 kg and a male from Yamal - 46.7 kg. In Russia, the range of the tundra wolf occupies the tundra and forest-tundra zone of the European part and Siberia, as well as Kamchatka.

Central Russian forest wolf. Contrary to popular belief, it is this wolf that reaches its maximum size on the Eurasian continent, and not the tundra wolf. The color is classic, not bleached like the tundra. The body length of adult Central Russian forest wolves can exceed 160 cm, and the height at the shoulders can reach 1 meter. Of course, such sizes can only apply to very large individuals. It is generally accepted that on average an adult male weighs 40 - 45 kg, over-flying (about 1 year and 8 months old) - about 35 kg, and a profitable (8 months old) - 25 kg. She-wolves weigh 15 - 20% less. Anyone who is familiar with the old hunting literature, or who has had to visit the "wolf" corners and talk with the locals, must have read or heard about huge wolves. How much mass can wolves reach? For Central Russia, scientific papers indicate the maximum mass in the range of 69 - 80 kg. And here are the results of weighing specific animals. For the regions near Moscow - a male weighing 76 kg, the largest of 250 wolves killed by the well-known wolf cub V. M. Khartuleri in the thirties and forties of the last century. For Altai - a male weighing 72 kg. The wolf, whose stuffed animal is in the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, weighed 80 kg. According to N. D. Sysoev, the head of the State Hunting Inspectorate of the Vladimir Region, in the period from 1951 to 1963, 641 wolves were killed, of which 17 were especially KRUSHII. females - 62 kg. The footprint of the right front paw of this huge, almost eighty-kilogram animal was 16 cm long and 10 cm wide. For Ukraine, wolves of even larger sizes are indicated - 92 kg from the Lugansk region and 96 kg from Chernihiv, but the conditions for determining the mass of these animals are unknown. The Central Russian timber wolf lives throughout the forest and forest-steppe zone of the European part of Russia, and probably also penetrates into Western Siberia. In the north, its entry into the forest-tundra is quite possible, however, just like the tundra into the taiga.

Siberian timber wolf. Also a large beast, in its medium size not inferior to the previous subspecies. According to many scientists, as a separate subspecies, it is still conditionally distinguished, since the taxonomy of Siberian wolves is still poorly developed. The predominant color is light gray, buffy tones are poorly visible or absent altogether. The fur, although not as high and silky as that of the tundra wolf, is also thick and soft. Its range is mostly considered to be Eastern Siberia, the Far East and Kamchatka, except for the tundra zone, as well as Transbaikalia.

Steppe wolf. In general, somewhat smaller than forest, with sparse and coarser hair. Color on the back with a noticeable predominance of rusty-gray or even brown hair, and the sides are light gray. Its range includes the steppes of southern Russia, including the Ciscaucasian, Caspian, Ural and Lower Volga regions. Poorly studied. The system of certain features has not been developed. The number is low, especially in the western parts of the range.

Caucasian wolf. Medium-sized animal with coarse and short outer hair and rather poorly developed underfur. The color is noticeably darker than the above subspecies due to the black guard hairs evenly distributed over the skin. The general tone is dirty gray, dull. Within our country, the range is limited by the Main Caucasian Range and its wooded foothills.

Mongolian wolf. The smallest of the wolves living in Russia. The normal weight of adult males rarely exceeds 40 kg. The color of the fur is dull, dirty gray with an admixture of ocher colors. The fur is hard and coarse. The range of this subspecies is limited to eastern and southwestern Transbaikalia and Primorsky Krai.

The species WOLF MANED is listed in the International Red Book

WOLF MANED has an unusually original look. It looks like a common fox, but only on extremely long, slender legs. Due to the elongated muzzle and elongated neck, his body seems short. The disproportionate physique is emphasized by large erect ears and a short tail. This is also evidenced by its dimensions: the body length is about 125 cm, the tail is about 30 cm, the height at the shoulders is up to 75 cm, and the weight is 20-23 kg. The color of the long, rather soft coat is also original: in general it is yellowish-red, but the legs and underside are much darker, almost black, while the tail is very light, white at the end. The hair on the upper side of the neck and withers looks like a standing mane. The maned wolf is common in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Northern Argentina. Here it is found in the pampas and along the outskirts of swamps overgrown with tall grass. Under these conditions, long legs are very necessary for aguarachai; they help to look at prey over tall grass. The beast hunts mainly on small animals: agouti, pacu, as well as birds, reptiles, insects; eats fruits and other plant foods; sometimes he drags poultry and very rarely, having gathered in a group, attacks sheep. Cubs are born in winter. There are only 2-3 of them, almost black in color, with a white tip of the tail. The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. Outwardly, a maned wolf looks more like a fox with long legs. Unlike other wolves, maned wolves hunt alone.

The RED WOLF species is listed in the Red Book of Russia

The RED WOLF species is listed in the International Red Book

The red WOLF is a fairly large animal with a body length of 76-103 cm and a tail of 28-48 cm, and a weight of 14-21 kg. Its external appearance combines the signs of a wolf, a fox and a jackal. A similar impression is facilitated by thick long hair, a long fluffy tail, a relatively narrow muzzle, and large ears. The general tone of color is red, which varies greatly in individual individuals and in different parts of the range. This variability, combined with a wide distribution, led to the description of a number of local forms, which at one time were considered independent species, but in fact are subspecies. The red wolf is well distinguished from other genera of the canine family by a reduced number of molars (there are 2 in each half of the jaw) and a large number of nipples (6-7 pairs). the red wolf is found in small numbers in the mountains of the Far East, the Western Sayan, and Central Asia.

The main part of the range falls on the mountain-forest regions of Central and South Asia, including Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, the islands of Sumatra and Java. Almost everywhere, the red wolf lives mainly in the mountains, rising to the alpine zone. In the southern part of its range, it gravitates towards forests. Often makes seasonal migrations, sometimes appears in landscapes that are not characteristic of it - forest-steppe, steppe and even in deserts. the red wolf is a typical HSHTSNIK. He hunts mainly during the day, tirelessly pursuing his prey. Outside the breeding season, it keeps in flocks, sometimes numbering dozens of individuals. Obviously, such groups combine a number of families or animals of several generations. They feed mainly on various wild ungulates. These predators are also known to regularly eat plant foods in the summer. The biology of reproduction is not well understood. Red wolves are strict monogamous; their males are involved in the protection and education of young animals. In zoos, animals mate in January - February; cubs in April (after 62-64 days of pregnancy), bringing 5-9 cubs. In India, young are found throughout the year, but more often in January - February. Newborn puppies are covered with short dark brown fur. Their teeth erupt on the 14th day. At six months of age, puppies reach adult weight. They usually take refuge in rock crevices, caves and niches in the slopes, since red wolves almost never dig holes.

WOLF AND DOG

The German Shepherd and the Laika in appearance still resemble their wild ancestors - wolves.

Dogs are domesticated wolves. German Shepherds are a breed obtained by crossing a dog and a wolf, which was carried out three centuries ago, and therefore the appearance of these dogs is very similar to that of a wolf.

Whose traces?

"You follow the trail of a wolf - you will recognize the life of a wolf"

Proverb of Russian hunters

The track of an adult wolf resembles that of a very large and heavy dog. The paw print of the wolf is very compact, and not "sprawling", as in most dogs, the fingertips and claws are clearly imprinted. The middle fingers of the wolf are significantly advanced forward. An imaginary match can be placed across the imprint between the middle and side fingers. A mature male has a wider paw, a she-wolf’s footprint is more “slender”. Only occasionally on loose sand, liquid mud, etc. do the fingers of the wolves spread out, which is quite understandable. Most dogs have fingers always, as they say, “fan”. The exception is, perhaps, good working hounds, whose tracks can be confused with those of a young she-wolf.The track of a very large working husky is sometimes similar to that of a very young male wolf.

It is often written that if you connect the paw prints of a dog with segments, you get a broken line, and the wolf goes strictly "along the ribbon", the prints are located on one straight line. Alas, there are exceptions with wolves. For example, if the snow still allows walking, "trotting", but it is already deep enough, then the wolf also begins to spread its paws.

How not to confuse the tracks of a wolf and a dog in nature? Firstly, it is important to understand that a normal dog alone will not run far into the forest, and a wolf, in turn, does not curl under a person’s feet. So, if you come across a trace of a person, and a trace of either a small wolf or a dog winds nearby; if these are traces of the same freshness, and a person is most likely a hunter, since, for example, on wide skis and without sticks, then most likely the trace belongs to a hunting dog.

Secondly, the footprint of an adult Central Russian wolf is always much larger than the footprint of a dog that can be found in the forest. The trail of the wolf is sharper, more concrete, more acutely perceived by the eye. As if you immediately feel that the beast has passed, and not the dog. I quite often come across prints of a wolf's paw 13-15 cm long. Such traces belong to not at all outstanding animals weighing hardly more than 50-60 kg.

Where to look for a wolf trail? Best of all along forest paths, and not at all in impassable thickets. When the snow is quite deep, it is worth especially carefully inspecting the boar trails, old ski tracks, old and fresh ruts from tractors, cars, more or less cleared roads for logging.

The language of the wolf is fundamentally different, rather even the opposite of the language of another representative of the canine family - the domestic dog:

Of the sound signals, an adult wolf most often uses a howl and barks or barks extremely rarely;

The dog, on the contrary, most often barks, and howls, rather monotonous, emit only in some situations.

The life systems of wolves and dogs are diametrically opposed:

Domestic dogs, running wild, stray into large packs of 20 or more individuals and are polygamous. So do the wild dogs of Africa, which can be tamed;

Wolves never form large packs, but live only in monogamous families or, if necessary, alone;

The domestication of a wolf, even one that has grown up in a person's home, is very difficult, unstable, and the behavior of such a "domestic" wolf often becomes unpredictable and even dangerous.

wolf symbol

The wolf is, first of all, the highest symbol of freedom in the animal world, a symbol of independence. (Whereas, the so-called king of animals - a lion is trained in a circus.)

The wolf is also a symbol of fearlessness. In any fight, the wolf fights to victory or to death.

The wolf lives in a family, takes care only of his wolf-wife, and the wolf-father himself brings up his cubs.

The wolf is also a symbol of high morality, devotion to the family. (What can not be said about males of other animals)

The wolf is a symbol of justice and ambition. Under normal conditions, the wolf will not allow, for its part, to offend the weaker.

And what does the wolf mean as a symbol among different peoples? For most peoples, the wolf means the earth, evil, devouring passion and rage. Wolves and ravens are often close friends of the primitive gods of the dead.

Among the Aztecs, the howling wolf is the god of dance;

In Celtic mythology, the wolf swallows the Heavenly Father (the sun), after which night falls;

Among the Chinese, it symbolizes gluttony and greed;

In the Greco-Roman tradition, the wolf is dedicated to Mars (Ares) as the personification of rage, as well as to Apollo and Sylvanus. The she-wolf who, according to legend, nursed Romulus and Remus, is often depicted in Roman art. The wolf also symbolizes valor;

Among the Jews, the wolf personifies bloodthirstiness, cruelty, a haunting spirit;

Among the Indians, Ashvins save the quails of the day from the wolf of the night. The wolf is the mount of witches and warlocks, and a werewolf takes on its form.

The study of the habits and reflexes of wolves on the example of domestic dogs.

In the first chapter, I described the research of scientists about the life of wolves. Based on this information, I conducted a series of experiments with my dogs Dina and Taiga. By breed they are huskies, besides relatives, mother and daughter. Dina is a very caring mother. When she gave birth to puppies, she forbade us to even approach and look at them. (There were four puppies. We gave three of them to good people, and left little Taiga for ourselves)

Just like wolves, my dogs express their feelings in their own way. When my grandfather and I come to the dacha where Dina and Taiga live, they rejoice. Joy is expressed by wagging the tail, jumping and barking cheerfully. The fact that I am the owner, the dogs also know well, and, as in front of the master, they fall on their backs, showing their respect.

When Grandpa comes into the house to cook food for our dogs, they begin to whine and lick their lips in anticipation. At this time, they begin to salivate profusely. When the dogs were eating, I went to their bowl. They, regardless of the fact that I was the owner, bared their teeth, began to growl and bark sharply, almost attacking me.

When the dogs eat, they begin to have fun. They run around the garden, marking their territory near the fence. They run, squeal, bite each other.

If dogs stick out their tongues, their breathing becomes heavy, which means they are tired or thirsty.

My dogs are very emotional. I can easily tell when they are having fun, they can even smile.

When grandfather drives them into a cage, they tuck their tails and, almost pressing their stomachs to the ground, crawl into the booth. So they do not want to be in the house behind the doors.

On walks in the forest, dogs show themselves like real hunters. Dina and Taiga are very attentive dogs. They do not just run through the forest, but explore the entire territory: they smell the ground, trees, listen to sounds. They have very sensitive hearing. When they hear something, their ears become upright, hiding, they turn their ears in the direction from which the sound comes. When they see a squirrel, a chipmunk and someone else in the forest, they begin to bark loudly and tell us about their find. My grandfather and I praise them and believe that they are real hunters, only their prey remains to jump through the trees and run through the forest.

Based on my observations, I compiled a dictionary of dog language. Dina and Taiga, as it turned out, do not like to be photographed, they constantly jump on the camera and bark, so I chose suitable photos from the Internet.

Conclusion.

The main question of his research project was: who is the wolf - an enemy or a friend?

I also found two answers to my question. The wolf is both an enemy and a friend.

The enemy is because the wolf, in the absence of natural food or due to the difficulties of its production, can attack herds of sheep, kill livestock and even dogs. I learned that wolves are afraid of adults, and they attack children. The wolf harms livestock and hunting. In autumn and winter, the wolf becomes much more dangerous than in other seasons, often attacking both large and small livestock. They come closer and closer to settlements, and in small places they hunt for dogs, which they love very much and which in some places are his only prey.

But science has proven that predators in the life of nature are not only useful, but simply necessary, like orderlies and breeders who improve the tribe of non-predatory animals, because predators primarily destroy the sick and weak, poorly adapted, carrying various vices and defects. Therefore, in many countries, excessive extermination of predators is now protected by law. But the old traditions and prejudices against the predatory beast are still alive among people. The fate of wolves is especially tragic - almost everywhere they are finished off - without pity, without remorse and with a naive consciousness of the usefulness of this harmful deed. In nature, in natural habitats, the wolf plays the role of a nurse. The wolf in nature takes almost exclusively sick or crippled animals and thereby purifies the population.

The wolf in the zoo is a sad animal, he is deprived of his freedom. His hunting skill is completely unrealized. He is looked after, fed, cleaned in the cage. The wolf in the zoo is a prisoner.

As a result of my research, I found out that the wolf is a strong, courageous and intelligent animal.

It is absolutely in vain that in fairy tales children are presented with a wolf in such a stupid form.

They are fierce and dangerous. This is probably what someone who knows almost nothing about wolves will say about wolves. In fact, wolves rarely attack people. Like all predators, they hunt for food and live their lives trying to stay away from people.

Ancestors of dogs

Wolves have lived on Earth for over a million years. They descended from carnivorous predators that lived 100 million years ago, and about 20 million years ago dogs originated from the wolf.

Wolf

The genus wolves (Lupus) unites wolves, coyotes, jackals, wild and domestic dogs - the largest representatives of the wolf family. In addition, all foxes, arctic foxes, the raccoon dog and the maned wolf belong to this family. Like dogs, wolves are very intelligent and easy to train. In addition, each wolf has a special character: there are cautious, impudent or self-confident, they keep themselves freely and naturally in wolf society, and others are not seen or heard.

Wolves live in the mountains, forests and plains of the Northern Hemisphere. Like all living creatures, they, as biologists say, occupy their ecological niche in the wild. In their habitats, wolves are the largest group of predators that prey on large mammals.

Is the wolf big?

"Big" is not a very good term for a wolf. Usually a male wolf weighs about 50 kilograms, a she-wolf weighs 5 kilograms less. Their height at the withers is about 75 centimeters, and the length from the nose to the tip of the tail reaches 1.5 - 2 meters.

Life in the pack

Wolves are social animals: they live in families. Every flock has its own "table of ranks", and in it everyone has their own place. Strong and aggressive wolves rule, and those who need a firm hand obey them. A wolf pack - a group of animals related by kinship and mutual sympathy - is led by a wolf and a she-wolf. The rest of its members are their offspring (from tiny puppies to 2-3 year old teenagers). Usually in a wolf family there are 6 - 7, and sometimes 15 animals. The strongest wolf in the pack becomes the leader. A girlfriend, a she-wolf, helps him to rule. For others to obey, leaders must have strong character. All decisions concerning the life of the pack are made by this couple. In a pack where the leader keeps order, wolves usually do not fight among themselves. However, skirmishes are common with strangers or lone wolves that have violated the border of possessions. Each wolf pack hunts only in its own territory. The owners strictly guard and mark it, warning the neighbors that they should stay away. Any uninvited guest will be punished. In large packs, it often happens that a wolf is poisoned by all his relatives. Sometimes the outcast becomes completely unbearable, and he is forced to leave the pack.

Why is an unsociable person called a lone wolf? Because he resembles a wolf that has left the pack and lives on its own. As time passes, changes occur in the flock. Applicants for the role of leader remain in the pack and wait in the wings. Other wolves, having matured, leave to wander alone. But they can also create their own flock if they are lucky enough to meet a lone she-wolf. If the wolf and she-wolf want to rule the pack, they must subjugate all the rest of its members to their will and force them to unquestioningly comply with their laws. The leader dominates the males of the pack, and his girlfriend maintains order among the wolves. The leaders constantly remind their "subordinates" who is the boss in the pack: they growl at them, bite, drive and even knock them down, preferring to do this in front of the whole pack. One stern, intent look from the leader or his mate is enough to subdue those he targets. Smiling ingratiatingly, the wolves fall to the ground, and then, if possible, sneak away. Sometimes they lie on their backs, as if to say: we know who is in charge here. The way a wolf holds its tail speaks of its position in the pack. Among the leaders, it is raised high, among their "subjects" it is lowered, and those who stand at the lowest degree in the wolf family tuck their tail. Members of the pack show love and respect to the leader in a welcoming ceremony. Crawling, with flattened ears and smoothed hair, they approach the leader or his girlfriend, lick and gently bite his muzzle.

Wolves are one of the most loyal animals, they are strongly attached to their pack mates. They express their feelings through facial expressions and body movements. "Wolf tongue" unites the pack and helps it to act as one. In a surge of tenderness, the wolves lick each other and rub their muzzles. The wolf also needs a tail in order to express its feelings. If the tail is up and its tip is slightly curved, this means that the wolf is quite confident in himself. In a friendly wolf, the tail is lowered, but the very tip of it looks up. A wolf with its tail between its legs is either afraid of something or communicates its sympathy in this way. The muzzles of wolves are very expressive. Frightened, the wolf presses his ears and depicts a semblance of a smile. An angry wolf bares his teeth, and turns his upright ears forward. Sensing danger, he turns his ears back, bares his teeth and sticks out his tongue. Comrades understand how to behave in order to keep the peace in the pack.

natural born hunters

Wolves are designed to hunt by nature itself. In winter, the wolf leaves a neat chain of footprints in the snow - he puts his hind paw exactly behind the front. Thanks to this step, he can run on any terrain and even in deep snow. The weapon of the wolf is the teeth. There are as many as 42 of them in his mouth. 4 sharp, crooked 5-centimeter fangs stick out in front - two at the top and bottom. With them, the wolf can bite through the dense skin of the victim. And predatory, or carnivorous, teeth - this is the name of the molars of all predators - an adult wolf gnaws even the femur of an elk. The hunter needs a keen ear, and in this respect the wolves are lucky. When they hear a noise, they move their ears and determine where the sound is coming from. The sound source may be several kilometers away. Wolves hunt almost silently, because they run on the very tips of their fingers. Just like horses and cats, the wolf does not touch the ground with its heel. He has strong muscular legs and a sweeping gait, and he can trot for a long time at a speed of 9 km / h, and in pursuit of deer and elk, accelerate to 60 km / h. When hunting, the nose, not the ears or eyes, is the first to tell the wolves where to look for prey. In the wind, they catch the smell of even the smallest animal, located 1-2 kilometers from them, when it is not yet heard or seen. Thanks to their keen sense of smell, wolves can follow the tracks of their prey. Thick fur up to 8 centimeters long protects the wolf from frost. The layer of fur closest to the body is the undercoat, and the outer layer is formed by hard, long, black outer hairs at the ends. They repel water, and the undercoat does not get wet. In such a raincoat with fur lining, the wolf is not afraid of bad weather.

Pack on the hunt

Wolves are carnivorous (or predatory) animals. They hunt in groups. For a hungry wolf to get enough, sometimes a small animal is enough - a beaver, a rabbit, a mouse or a bird. But this is not enough for the whole flock, it needs large prey - a deer, an elk or a ram. It is not for nothing that they are called orderlies - after all, as a rule, old, sick or inexperienced animals become their victims. With a sick animal, the focus of the disease disappears; if the old beast is killed, the young and strong get more food. This biological regulation of numbers contributes to the survival of strong, healthy animals, both among hunters and among their possible victims. Although wolves are considered merciless, only every tenth of their hunt ends in luck. It happens that, after spending three days tracking down and chasing a herd of deer or elk, wolves manage to kill only a few animals. Why? Swift-footed deer can run away, and moose can give a worthy rebuff: these 600-kilogram giants with sharp horns and heavy hooves do not have to break a wolf's skull. Wolves can go without food for two weeks, but if they are lucky on the hunt, they will fill up to satiety. At one time, an adult wolf can eat up to 10 kilograms of meat! Sometimes wolves hide part of the half-eaten prey in reserve - they drag it into a hole and throw something from above. In the event of an unsuccessful hunt, they will return to this cache and dig up the hidden lunch. The survival of the pack depends on the size of its hunting grounds, so the wolves protect them not for life, but for death. The boundaries of the territory (it can be 50-1500 sq. Km, depending on what animals the pack hunts) are marked by odorous marks - they spray stumps and large stones with urine - and notify neighbors of their rights by howling.

Wolf games and fun

Wolves and people

Who is not afraid of the bad wolf? Since childhood, when we were read fairy tales "Three Little Pigs", "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Wolf and the Seven Kids", we have hardened that wolves are evil and scary. In fact, they do not harm people. But despite this, people kill them.

Wolf, wolves, about wolves, the truth about wolves