There are as many as 30 sub-species (only 14 of them are recognized) of the Gray Wolf, such as the Mexican wolf, which is indigenous to the Southwestern Deserts of America.

The Arctic Wolf (Canis Lupus Arctos)

The Arctic wolf can be found in isolated areas in the Arctic Circle. They have a thick, near-white coat. Their coat protects them from predators through its camouflage, and the warmth that they need to survive in the Arctic temperatures. They are about 3-5 ft long, and about 25-31 inches high to their shoulders. The males can weigh up to 175 lbs, but the females are lighter than the males. This extra body mass is for the warmth. Their ears are smaller and rounder than the other sub-species of Gray wolf, and their muzzle and legs are slightly shorter. These differences are the adaptation to the cold, as they decrease exposure to the cold, as they have to endure temperatures that reach �57�C (-70�F).

Arctic wolves reach sexual maturity at 3 years in the males, and 2 years for the females. The gestation period is about 53-61 days, and they usually have about 1-6 pups. The pups are born slightly later than the wolves further south, usually around the end of May. Like the other types of wolf, the Arctic Wolf has very tight family bonds, and other younger members of the pack will often look after the pups while the mother is away hunting. The Arctic wolves have been known to have up to 30 members a pack, but usually only have about 7 to 10. They have a vast territory, as their prey is small and less frequent in the finding.

They live throughout the Arctic landmass, except for the on the permanent ice sheets on the sea, and can have more than 1000 square miles (2600 sq km.) of territory. Their main food sources are arctic hares, musk ox, caribou, lemmings and some birds. As the food is so scarce in the Arctic, there is rarely anything left of the carcass, such as with the arctic hare, as they will eat the skin, fur and bones. The Arctic Wolf has a life span of about 7 years on average. Unlike the other types of wolves that have been persecuted by humans the Arctic wolf is thought to still have 95% of its territory in the Arctic. They only have to worry about fur trappers, oil drilling and hikers in the Arctic. Due to the bad weather conditions in the Arctic, we can only know what happens to the Arctic wolf in the summer, as it is both too dark and too cold to see anything in the winter.

Mexican Wolf ()

Indigenous to the Southwestern Deserts of America.