General Facts

So I kind of forgot to give facts about these beautiful creatures. So this post should really come before my last one but anyway.


The gray wolf, (Canis lupus) is the largest of its species. It is also known as the timber wolf, or western wolf. They range in colour from a brownish gray to all black or all white but gray is predominately the main colour. Adult males weigh on average 95 - 100lbs while adult females average at about 80 - 85lbs. With males being generally taller and heavier than females, average height to the shoulder is 60 - 90 cm and 1.5 m from nose to tail. Although worldwide this average can vary greatly, with wolves in Alaska and Canada sometimes weighing 3 - 6 times more than their Middle Eastern and South Asian cousins. Their fur colour varies worldwide too. Gray fur tends to dominate though, hence the name: the Gray Wolf. Some wolves are white with gray, brown, black, cream-colour, tawny highlights, while others can be completely black or white (generally found in artic weather.)
Before habitat destruction and killing of wolves took place, Gray Wolves used to inhabit most of the Northern hemisphere. They could be found in the Arctic, down towards South America and Southern Asia. Now this species is found mainly in the United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and Eurasia. They are quite adaptable and can be found in most types of habitat, including savannas, taiga, tundra, plains, steppes and all forest habitats.
Lastly, I'll touch quickly on their behaviour. Wolves in general are highly sociable animals. A pack can vary from 2 wolves (a breeding pair) to 12. Some packs have been recorded to have up to 20 members. Hierarchies exist in wolf packs. They establish who is at the top and work their way down to who is at the bottom. The highest rank is the alpha male or female. They have the responsibility of hunting and tracking prey, choosing den sites and establishing territory for the pack. Next usually comes the beta, which is like second in command. If the alpha male or female is away, decision making falls to them. After beta comes all the regular pack members, called sub-ordinates. They help with hunting and guarding territory. Lastly comes the omega. They are like the joker in the pack and keep the pack happy and playful. These positions are not permanent in the pack. Contests for certain roles and ranks often take place. Generally, pup - care and defense falls to the females of the pack while the males look after foraging and food provision. 

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf 
http://www.macalester.edu/~montgomery/GrayWolf.html