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How long does a wolf live? The wolf is a wild predatory animal. Description and photo of an ordinary wolf Animals of the world wolves in the forest

Wolves are animals that are known to all predators. About wolves there are many tales and sayings that describe him either as a ferocious beast, or as a domesticated animal. In fact, the wolf cannot be attributed to either one or the other.

The wolf is an animal, which is a mammal from the canine order. According to research, it is he who is the ancestor of the home. They grow about 160 centimeters in length and weigh 60 kilograms.

Today, this animal has more than 35 subspecies of its kind. Relatives live in various parts Sveta. All of them different size and color, but one thing unites them - they are predators!

In appearance, the wolf resembles a large pointed-eared dog. Paws - high and thin, they can hardly be called massive. The withers are set high, the muzzle is large, which distinguishes this genus from dogs.

Wolves have a good ability to adapt. They can travel long distances and still feel at home. These predators have an excellent sense of smell and acute hearing. They can smell their prey for 2-3 kilometers.

Below pictured wolf, has thick and beautiful fur. It consists of two layers: an inner down and outer long hairs. They are tough and repel water well. This representative of the animal world has a large and thick tail, which is always down.

The teeth of the wolf are sharp as a blade, it is with them that he tears apart his prey. Plus, teeth are a wolf's defense against other predators. Speaking of wolves, it is necessary to mention their special voice. Unlike all animals, they can make different sounds:

  • Grunt;
  • Whistling;
  • Squeal;
  • whimper.

Hear the growl of the wolf

Habitat and lifestyle of the wolf

Wild wolves- formidable predators, whose habitat stretches over almost the entire Northern Hemisphere. Representatives of this species could be found in Belarus, Alaska and so on.

Wolves can live in completely different areas, but prefer forest-steppes, tundra, steppes, semi-deserts. They love and forest zones. The wolf will not like the increased humidity. They can easily settle close to people and approach them at close distances.

Wolves live in packs, in which there is always a leader. He chooses the best female for himself. In summer and spring, the flock breaks up, but all animals remain on their territory. The best place goes to the leader and his companion. The remaining members of the pack either pair up or begin to lead a wandering lifestyle. Wolves mark territory like dogs.

Usually one flock takes an average of 50 kilometers. At night, but not every day, the wolves start choral singing. The leader begins to howl, after which the rest join him. Thus, wolves show cohesion and belonging to the pack.

The life of wolves, like animals, can be attributed to the nocturnal. Very often, these predators make themselves felt, starting to howl loudly. When hunting, a wolf can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h and run about 70 kilometers.

Before they start hunting, wolves often begin to howl. Sometimes they thus warn their brethren about the upcoming hunt. The leader of the pack gives a battle cry - this is the beginning of their action.

Wolf character

Wolves, as a rule, do not have a hot temper. Friendly, of course, it is difficult to call them. Wolf Pack always defends together, in fact, as he hunts.

Males always protect females and young. If a female or wolf cub is attacked by a predator many times larger, not a single wolf will stand aside. He will rush to protect them, no matter what the cost. Takova the life of an animal - a wolf.

In relation to other predators, wolves are indifferent. Of course, they don't like animals that try to prey on their territory. But they don't just jump into a fight.

There are legends about wolves as about bloodthirsty animals, but in reality everything is not at all like that! Animal world wolves arranged so that they are diligent family men who hunt to feed themselves.

Nutrition and reproduction

What animal is the wolf? The wolf is a clear representative of carnivores. He resorts to vegetable food in extreme cases, when there is no food at all. An adult absorbs from 2 to 6 kilograms of meat at a time. These predators have a habit of saving food for later.

Even though the wolf is very voracious, he is able to for a long time starve. The main diet of wolves includes sheep,,.

In fact, these predators eat all the animals that they can get. The difference in feeding wolves directly depends on their habitat. Wolves are monogamous creatures, so their marriages usually last for many years. From two to three years, the animal is ready for breeding.

The mating season falls on January-April, depending on the habitat. At this time, the situation in the flock is heating up. The dominant male and female protect each other from the rest of the members.

The rest of the males begin to actively care for the she-wolves and fight for them. Usually, a female produces only one offspring per year. Pregnancy lasts about 65 days. There are from 3 to 13 puppies in a litter. During the feeding period, the female does not move far from her hole and guards it in every possible way. Dad - the wolf does not participate in this period in the life of the cubs.

After milk feeding, the whole flock makes sure that the cubs are fed. Any wolf shares his piece with the kids. Depending on the habitat, puppies may stay in the pack or leave to look for new territory.

Varieties of wolves

There are more than 35 subspecies, but only a few of them are worth noting, they are interesting for their lifestyle and behavior. These include:

  • White Wolf- animal well-known, which differs from its counterparts in beauty. Usually hides from enemies. It has a docile and peaceful nature. He does not like to meet people and often sits in his hole. Being a hermit, he prefers to live in the tundra and the Arctic.
  • The black wolf is an animal which looks like a sharp-eared dog. Because of its appearance, people often confuse it with pets. This subspecies lives in Alaska and in North America.
  • Red wolf - animal, which outwardly may resemble a kutsuyu. Compared to its counterparts, it is small in size. Its weight is only about 21 kilograms. A feature of these predators is their habitat - mountains.
  • Steppe wolf - animal small size, which, judging by the name of the species, lives in the steppes. Favorite places of residence are the lines of cliffs of river banks. They feed on hares, partridges. They live most often in fox holes.

Pictured is a white wolf

Keeping a wolf at home

It is almost impossible to make a pet out of a wolf. You need to be aware that the wolf is a predator that can consider human flesh as food. Taming can take a long time, but if it succeeds, the wolf will become best friend and a protector. He will always be a danger to you, family, guests.

If you have made the decision to get a wolf, then the first thing to do is to surround the wolf cub with love and care. You can't yell at him and, of course, hit him. The wolf is an animal of the forest Therefore, it is necessary for him to provide personal space. Actually, it's hard to imagine wolf as a pet.

It is advised to feed the wolf fresh meat and fish. Give the animal a lot of time and attention, the animal must feel your love. The wolf needs to be played with like a dog, trained.

Pictured is a red wolf

We must not forget that it is a predator and it is dangerous to humans. AT wild nature people often hunt these animals for their skins, although wolf hunting banned in many countries. Although most of these predators absolutely do not pose a danger to humans.


Common wolf, gray (Canis lupus) is different high development nervous system and especially keen hearing and sense of smell. high mental development The wolf, combined with great strength, exceptional endurance and the ability to adapt to various conditions of existence, is the reason that, so stubbornly pursued by man from time immemorial to the present day, he has not yet been exterminated.

Brief description of the wolf

The gray wolf is one of the most dangerous animals in Ukraine. Belongs to the dog family. The body length of the common wolf is over 120 cm. Males are always larger than females. Outwardly, gray wolves resemble shepherd dogs, but are characterized by signs that are characteristic only of wolves. The head is large, broad-browed, the neck is short, inactive, the muzzle is massive, elongated. The eyes are light brown, placed obliquely. Superciliary ridges prominent, making the eyes appear sunken and larger than in dogs.

The strong high scruff and the habit of the gray wolf to bend its hind legs give the impression that the dorsal part of its strong body is tilted towards the tail, and the powerful wide rib cage separates from the folded belly. The front limbs of ordinary wolves, although slender, are muscular and strong. Uniformly fluffy tail grey Wolf never throws on his back, he always hangs like a log.

The color of the wolf's fur is reddish in summer, much darker along the back and almost to half of the tail. In the winter in the hairline common wolf rusty-reddish shades disappear, and the color becomes brownish-gray, and lighter on the abdominal part.

wolf habitat

The distribution of common wolves on the territory of Ukraine is uneven: there are more of them in the forest regions of northern Polissya and the mountain ranges of the Carpathians, less common in forest-steppe zone and steppe regions, are absent in the Crimea. Typical inhabitants of the forest, gray wolves have long adapted to life in cultivated landscapes. Especially favorite habitats are thickets of shrubs in semi-dry swamps, among the forest.

Active common wolves are predominantly at dusk and at night, and only occasionally can they be found during the day. However, where they are not pursued, they hunt during the day. In the dark, wolves see much better than other animals from the canine family.

Nutrition of ordinary wolves

Wolf gray - typical predator that obtains its own food, actively seeking and tirelessly pursuing its prey. The basis of the diet of ordinary wolves is wild boars, deer, roe deer domestic ungulates, etc. In pursuit of them, wolves can run at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. Gray wolves also hunt small animals, especially hares, ground squirrels, bear-like rodents, waterfowl and other birds nesting on the ground. As an exception, berries, wild and garden fruits are found in the diet of the gray wolf.

wolf breeding

Gray wolves arrange a lair for breeding babies in secluded places provided with food resources. Build it in a shallow hole, a recess under the root of an upside-down tree among windbreaks, in a wide bush of thorny bushes or in a recess on the ground among dense reed thickets, always near a reservoir. AT mountainous areas common wolves make a lair in rocky cliffs, rock crevices, caves or rubble.

Once a year, in mid-March or early April, after a 62-64-day pregnancy, a she-wolf often gives birth to five or six blind, deaf, toothless wolf cubs, which develop rapidly and are even able to crawl out of the den at the age of three weeks. At the age of one month, they are fed by belching, that is, small pieces of half-digested meat swallowed by their parents. In June-July, old wolves are already accustoming wolf cubs to get food on their own. In autumn (at the end of September - October), young gray wolves change their milk teeth with permanent ones. Since that time, the wolf cubs have been actively helping the old wolves to hunt.

Why is a gray wolf dangerous?

Common wolves are dangerous predators. Until recently, they caused great losses to our economy. Settling near settlements, gray wolves attack pets and dogs. They are especially dangerous in hunting grounds. The gray wolf, covering great distances every night, regardless of whether he is hungry or not,
destroys on its way all the game it meets, and much more than it can eat. In addition, gray wolves are the main distributors of an incurable disease - rabies.

Despite the fact that the gray wolf belongs to hunting and industrial animals, however, the cost of its skin is low compared to the harm that it brings. This is the most harmful predator of the fauna of Ukraine. The persistent struggle against this predator, which is carried out in Ukraine during all seasons of the year, has greatly reduced its number and, compared with the last century, the harm from wolves is not of a threatening nature. However, in recent times in connection with the approval of the sanitary significance of the common wolf in nature, the fight against this predator was significantly weakened, and, naturally, the number of wolves increased again. Now there is a need to strengthen the control of the number of gray wolves, both in Ukraine and throughout the CIS.

A short video about gray wolves shows how smart and hardy these animals are, how they communicate in a pack. Also see how wolves in a pack hunt ungulates, helping each other.

The wolf is a predatory animal belonging to the canine (canine) family. In science, there are also such names as an ordinary wolf and a gray wolf.

The wolf is considered the largest member of the canine family. Its length reaches 1.5 meters without a tail, and up to 2 meters with a tail.

The height of a wolf from the ground to the seventh vertebra can be 0.9 meters, and its weight can reach 90 kilograms.

General characteristics of the species

According to some studies, the probability of the origin of the dog from the wolf has been established. In ancient times, wolves were often tamed by people, as a result of which the new kind, which is currently the pet of many people.

Not so long ago, the places where wolves live were vast (Asia, Europe, Amirica, etc.), total individuals of this species was at the proper level. At present, the spread of the wolf has slowed down, and, one might say, went in the opposite direction.

This is primarily due to the decrease in forest areas where the wolf lives directly. In addition, the wolf is a tasty prey for poachers, which also affected their numbers.

In the main habitats of the wolf, hunting for it is prohibited, but at present there are still lands where hunting for wolves continues legally.

The wolf is, in a sense, the orderly of the forest. He delivers forest areas from sick and weak animals, which has an excellent effect on general state gene pool.

Two types of wolves live in Russia: tundra and ordinary. Their total number is 32 subspecies.

Origin of the word "Wolf"

This word comes from the verb "drag". After the wolf kills its prey, it can grab onto it with its teeth and drag (drag) to the location of its offspring. Hence the name.

species evolution

The wolf began its evolution in ancient times in North America. There lived animals that were outwardly similar to the coyote, and were called Canis Lepophagus. This animal lived together with another species of the canine family - borophags. They inhabited the same territory as Canis Lepophagus, and their rivalry interfered with the normal existence of both species.

Over time, the borophages died out, which made it possible for the ancestor of the wolf to develop intensively and enter a new stage of evolution. Thus, the brain and body of Canis Lepophagus subsequently increased in size, and its development began at a rapid pace.

Approximately 1.8 million years ago, the ancestor of the wolf became minimally similar to the current wolf. Paleontologists discovered its remains in Eurasia, and gave the name Canis Priscolatrans.

The latter received the maximum similarity with the modern wolf a little later, having passed one more stage of evolution. This new subspecies has been named Canis Mosbachensis. Its existence continued for a long time.

Approximately 500 thousand years ago, the modern wolf appeared, the evolution of which continues to the present.

Description of the modern wolf

The size of the wolf and its appearance depend on the climate in which it lives. Equally important is the diversity of the animal world that surrounds it.

If there are a very small number of potential victims of the wolf where he lives, then this will affect his health, and, accordingly, appearance and size.

The average height of an ordinary wolf at the withers is in the range of 65-90 cm. The average weight of a wolf has a large difference and can range from 30 to 90 kg. According to some reports, there are individuals and more than 90 kg.

One of the subspecies of the wolf - the Arabian wolf, weighs no more than 10-15 kg. This is the smallest wolf in the world.

Usually female wolves are smaller than males by about 20%.

The path from birth to maturity takes an average of 3 years.

The difference between a wolf and a dog

The wolf differs from the dog in stronger and higher legs. At the same time, the paw of the wolf itself is also much larger than that of the dog. The skull of the wolf is wider, the muzzle is also wider, and more extended forward. On the sides of the head, the wolf has a lot of hair, and the eyes have a narrow location.

The nose of the wolf is extended forward, and its lower part is slightly expanded.

The wolf has approximately 42 teeth: 20 teeth in the upper jaw and 22 teeth in the lower. Both jaws have two fangs.

The wool of the wolf is very thick and has a certain rigidity, which allows him to protect himself from inclement weather, dampness and humidity. In addition, the abundance of wool helps to cope with the winter cold.

Closer to summer, the wolf sheds excess hair, so it becomes too hot for the beast in summer.

Subspecies of the wolf have a different color, which depends on the habitat of the predator. For example, a wolf that lives in the forest has a gray-brown color, in the tundra it is white, in the desert it is gray-red.

All these differences between a wolf and a dog are clearly visible in the photo below.

wolf eyes

Mostly wolves have yellow eyes. In very rare cases, the eye color of a wolf can be green, blue-green, or hazel.

Although little wolf cubs have blue eyes for 2-3 months after birth, which then gradually changes to yellow.

wolf sense of smell

The wolf's sense of smell has incredible power. The wolf can smell the smell of its victim, being at a distance of 3 km from it.

At the same time, the wolf's nose is able to distinguish millions of different smells. Therefore, the wolf's sense of smell is its main reference point.

What do wolves eat?

The diet of the modern wolf includes large mammalian species of animals (elk, deer, bison, etc.). However, the wolf is not too lazy to chase smaller species, such as hare, roe deer, and various rodents.

And yet, most of the wolf's diet comes from dying and sick animals, as well as carrion.

These are ready-made food sources that do not require much work to get them, so wolves use this very willingly.

Useful information about the wolf

On average, a wolf lives for about 10 years;

Wolves do not live alone, they are always with their pack. At the same time, there is a male and a female in the flock, which are the parents of the entire flock;

The wolf is a predatory animal, and their main prey is large mammals, which they hunt in an organized way with the whole flock;

These predators are this moment in danger. Their total number has greatly decreased in recent years, due to illegal hunting by poachers, and a decrease in forest areas;

An average wolf in a running state can reach a speed of 45 km / h;

The stamina of the wolf is very high. He can chase his prey for a long time (from 12 hours or more);

There are situations (very rarely) when a wolf leaves the pack, or other members of the pack drive him out due to illness;

The wolf is the most major representative of his family.

wolf photo

Throughout history, the wolf for humans has been associated with a dangerous predator. And contributed to the creation of such an image, including the history of hunters. According to them, these are very smart and insidious animals. But in reality, things are not quite like that. Very few cases are known when this animal attacks a person without visible reasons. As a rule, they choose places to live away from people, and they hunt by hunting.

General characteristics of the wolf

In the genus of wolves, it is customary to distinguish several species, among which the gray wolf occupies an honorable place due to its most impressive performance- weight and height. The gray wolf stands apart from the coyote and jackal because of its unusual DNA gene sequence, which is strong evidence to consider it the direct ancestor of domestic dogs.

Gray predators are accustomed to living in a strictly defined real. A couple of centuries ago, the situation was such that these animals in in large numbers lived in Eurasia and North America. However, for recent decades a man hunted them, which led to a decrease in their population. Moreover, this was also influenced by the active human activity. In addition to the construction of cities, as well as the construction of enterprises whose activities inevitably affect the surrounding landscape, hunting for wolves has become a popular pastime.

In our country, the main representatives of this genus are the common wolf and the tundra wolf. Given its size, we can say that this is the largest animal in the canine family.

  • the body of a wolf from crown to tail can be up to 160 cm long;
  • weight can reach 62 kg;
  • height at the withers can be approximately 90 cm.

Wolves are not only beautiful appearance but also ingenuity. To date, it is customary to distinguish approximately 32 subspecies of the wolf, which has a variety of sizes and fur colors. The wolves are entrusted with the function of orderlies as they help maintain the balance of ecosystems. These animals can be found in a variety of natural areas- forests and steppes, tundra and taiga, mountain systems.

However, today a very sad picture is emerging: everywhere the number of wolves has become extremely low, and in some places it is the animal is on the verge of extinction. But this does not bother a person too much, and he still leads a ruthless hunt for these animals.

Appearance of a wolf

The appearance of the wolf is formed under the influence climatic conditions the territory in which he lives. Therefore, in places where most time is dominated by low temperatures, these animals will have the most impressive size. If we consider one population, then in it males will necessarily have larger sizes, unlike females, while having a more forehead-shaped head.

At the first acquaintance with this animal, it can easily be mistaken for a large pointed-eared dog. But if you look closely, you can see characteristics Predator:

  • tall and strong legs
  • large paws with two middle fingers extended forward.

Thanks to this structure of the paws, these animals can develop very high speed, jump high and move silently. You can tell them apart by:

  • it has a length of 15 cm and a width of 7 cm;
  • a distinctive feature is two fingers that clearly protrude forward.

Head

All wolves have a wide muzzle, which is elongated and has whiskers on both sides, the head is broad-browed. Wolves experience different emotions, so they can show joy, fear, anxiety and calmness. All of them are clearly shown on his muzzle. This feature did not go unnoticed by scientists who were able to identify a group of facial expressions:

These animals have a large massive skull, which explains its broad-browedness. The nasal opening is wide and begins to decrease in the lower part. In males, the skull has a length of 268–285 mm, in females it is 251–268 mm. The skull bone in males has a width in the cheekbones of 147–160 mm, and in females - 136–159 mm. The eye sockets of males are 84–90 mm wide, while those of females are 78–85 mm. The upper row of teeth in males is about 108–116 cm long, while in females it is 100–112 mm long.

No wonder they say that the teeth of the wolf feed. This animal clearly confirms this expression in life. Thanks to them the wolf can not only defend itself from enemies but also to get their own food. On the upper, as well as on the lower jaw, there are several types of teeth:

  • incisors;
  • fangs;
  • premolars;
  • molars.

For the wolf, fangs are very important, which help him capture and hold game and defend himself from attack. Thanks to molars and premolars the animal can cut and chew food. It is not difficult for wolf teeth to cope with a load of more than 10 MPa. Therefore, for a wolf, teeth are a necessity, without which he simply cannot survive in wild environment.

Tail

These animals have a long and thick tail, which is always in a lowered state. The way he moves makes it possible to understand the mood of the wolf. This is very important for any hunter., because you can choose from a pack of wolf that is afraid or worried by the tail.

Fur

Special meaning for these animals has fur, which is two-layered and has low thermal conductivity. It has a thick and long coat, so the wolves give the impression of larger and more massive animals. Traditionally the first layer of wool is formed by hard outer hairs, which provides the wolf with protection from dirt and water, and also makes it easier to endure seasonal fluctuations in the weather. He also has an undercoat, by which it is customary to understand the lower, second layer of hair. In fact, it is a waterproof down that retains heat. All wolves molt, and this happens in late spring or early summer.

Color

In these animals, the first layer of wool may have a different shade, which is formed under the influence of their habitat. Traditional wolf color - gray-brown, tundra wolves have almost completely white color, desert wolves are completely all red, predators living in the highlands Central Asia, traditionally have a bright ocher color. There are also predators of other colors - white, pure white, red and black. What unites all wolves is that they always have the same undercoat color - gray.

The color of the coat is very important for the timber wolf, as it is used as camouflage. Moreover, for each specific species, it becomes especially important, since it makes its appearance individual.

Also wolves differ in vocal frequencies, which can have a fairly wide range. A voice is needed to inform each other about the location of an animal or a person. At the same time, they can make a wide variety of sounds:

  • yelping;
  • growl;
  • grunt;
  • whimpering;
  • howl.

After receiving information from another wolf, the predator throws its head back and howls in a vibrating low voice, which eventually rises to the very high notes.

Wolves that are members of the pack always live together and often take part in the choral howl. The first party remains with the leader, who begins to howl at dusk or dawn. After that, it is the turn of the rest of the pack. The desire to participate in choral singing is associated with the expression of certain emotions, in a similar way wolves demonstrate that they belong to their community.

A pack can only start an attack if it hears the leader's battle cry: it is more like a dog growling when it rushes at a person.

It is not so easy for wolves to provide themselves with food. Therefore, in search of food, they have to go long distances from their habitat. Structural features allow them to withstand many kilometers of travel.: narrow streamlined chest, strong legs and sloping back. Typically, predators can travel 10 kilometers per hour. But if they are chased, they can move at speeds up to 65 km / h, while jumping to a height of 5 m.

The structure of the paws of the wolf deserves special attention. Thanks to him, they perfectly adapt to any living conditions. The paws differ in that have webbed fingers. They allow you to redistribute the load, so these predators move faster than all other animals in the forest. Thanks to this feature of the structure of the paws, they can balance their weight during movement.

The paws of the wolf contain special blood vessels that provide protection from hypothermia. Predator succeeds very easily maintain balance even on slippery surfaces that blunt claws and bristly hair on the paws help him make. Other distinctive outward sign is the presence of scent glands between the toes. It is thanks to them that the traces of the wolf have a characteristic smell. These animals need them to navigate the terrain and inform other members of the pack about their whereabouts.

wolf spread

For all the time that this predator lives on earth, its distribution area has changed significantly. Today, it is mainly found in the territories northern hemisphere. In North America these predators can be found in the territory from Alaska to Mexico, in Japan there is no longer a single representative of these animals, which is explained high level urbanization. The common wolf has the largest representation in Europe and Asia - primarily in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Spain, the Balkans and Scandinavian countries.

These predators feel best in the forest-steppe and steppe zones, as well as tundra and semi-desert. Less preferred habitats for the wolf are densely wooded areas. Basically, he is used to settling in more open or slightly rugged areas.

These predators are used to living near human settlements. If the taiga is cut down, this animal also begins to increase the area of ​​its possessions in the taiga zone.

Wolf packs are not prone to frequent movements and usually live for a long time in a certain territory. The area occupied by these animals, usually has an area of ​​​​30-60 m in diameter. Predators living in the tundra and steppe behave somewhat differently: they are nomadic animals and regularly change their parking lot depending on the movement of the herd.

With the onset mating season in the flock, groups of pairs begin to stand out. The one that is the strongest takes the best place, and all other members of the flock are forced during this period to look for food in other places.

Certain conditions are required by wolves for breeding. To do this, they have to make a lair that looks like a secluded place. Most often, it is arranged in crevices in the rocks or in thickets of dense shrubs. Sometimes she-wolves make their dwelling in the burrows of other animals- foxes, badgers or marmots. The male is not inclined to constantly be near the she-wolf, because he needs to get food.

To do this, he can move away from the lair for long distances - 7–10 kilometers. newborns wolf cubs are little different from puppies, adds to their similarity and their brown color. When the little animals grow up and master the skills of survival in the wild, the she-wolf takes them out of the den, and after that they begin to live an independent nomadic life.

Conclusion

Wolves are one of dangerous predators about which each of us has heard since childhood. But, unfortunately, over the past decades, hostility towards this animal has reached such proportions that in separate places its population has approached a critical level. As before, these animals retain representation on the territory of the Eurasian continent.

In our country, there are enough representatives of these predators, mainly the gray wolf and the tundra wolf. These animals have special features which make it easy to distinguish them. It is especially worth mentioning that these are digitigrade creatures, which allows them to move in the forest faster than all animals.

which is usually regarded as a subspecies of the wolf ( C.l.familiaris). The wolf is the largest animal in its family: its body length (without tail) can reach 160 cm, tail up to 52 cm, height at the withers up to 90 cm; body weight up to 86 kg.

Dimensions and total weight wolves are subject to strong geographical variability; it has been noticed that they change proportionally depending on the surrounding climate and in full accordance with the Bergmann rule (the more cold climate the larger the animal). In general, the height of animals at the withers ranges from 60-95 cm, length 105-160 cm, and weight 32-62 kg, which makes the common wolf one of the most large mammals in the family. Profitable (one-year-old) wolves weigh in the range of 20-30 kg, over-flyers (2-3 years old) - 35-45 kg. The wolf matures at the age of 2.5-3 years, reaching a weight of 50 or more kilograms. In Siberia and Alaska, large seasoned wolves can weigh more than 77 kg.

A large animal was registered in 1939 in Alaska: its weight was about 80 kg. An 86-kilogram wolf was killed in Ukraine in the Poltava region. It is believed that in Siberia the weight of individual specimens can exceed 92 kg. The smallest subspecies should be considered the Arabian wolf ( C.l. arabs), females of which in adulthood can weigh only 10 kg. Within the same population, males are always larger than females by about 20%, and with a broader head.

By general view the wolf resembles a large, pointed-eared dog. Legs are high, strong; the paw is larger and more elongated than the dog's, the length of the track is about 9-12 cm, the width is 7 cm, the middle two fingers are more forward, the fingers are not splayed and the print is more prominent than that of a dog. The track of tracks in a wolf is smoother, and forms an almost even line, while in dogs it is a winding line. The head is broad-browed, the muzzle is relatively wide, strongly elongated and framed on the sides by “whiskers”. The massive muzzle of the wolf distinguishes it well from the jackal and coyote, in which it is narrower and sharper. In addition, it is very expressive: scientists distinguish more than 10 facial expressions: anger, anger, humility, affection, fun, alertness, threat, calmness, fear.

The skull is large, massive, high. The nasal opening is wide, especially noticeably widening downwards. The greatest length of the skull in males 268-285, females 251-268, condylobasal length of the skull, males 250-262, females 230-247, zygomatic width of males 147-160, females 136-159, interorbital width of males 84-90, females 78-85 , the length of the upper row of teeth in males is 108-116, in females 100-112 mm.

The basis of the nutrition of wolves is ungulates: in the tundra - reindeer; in the forest zone - moose, deer, roe deer, wild boars; in the steppes and deserts - antelopes. Wolves also attack domestic animals (sheep, cows, horses), including dogs. Catch, especially single wolves, and smaller prey: hares, ground squirrels, mouse-like rodents. 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. Domestic geese are also often caught. Foxes, raccoon dogs, and corsacs sometimes become prey for wolves; occasionally hungry wolves attack bears sleeping in a den. Many cases are known when they tore and ate weakened animals, wounded by hunters or badly injured in a fight during the rut. Unlike many other predators, wolves often return to the uneaten remains of their prey, especially during the hungry season. Do not disdain corpses livestock, and on the sea coasts - the carcasses of seals and other marine animals washed up on the shore. During periods of starvation, wolves eat reptiles, frogs, and even large insects(beetles, locusts). Wolves, especially in the southern regions, also eat vegetable food - various berries, wild and garden fruits, even mushrooms. In the steppes, they often raid watermelon and melon melons, satisfying not so much hunger as thirst, because they need regular, plentiful watering.

By crossing some breeds of dogs and wolves, new breeds have been created, such as: