A wolf is a large predator that depends for its survival upon large ungulates (hoofed animals), such as deer, elk, caribou, and in some parts of its range, moose and bison that tip the scales at more than a thousand pounds. It has powerful jaws capable of exerting about 1500 pounds per square inch -- or twice that of the domestic dog. It is accustomed to a feast and famine existence, often going many days without eating and then gorging as much as 20 pounds in a single sitting. Wolves are opportunistic hunters, meaning that they will take down what they can get, which often happens to be the weak, sick, old and very young. Wolves will chase and test their prey looking for weakness. Hunting in this manner helps to improve the overall health of their prey population by removing the unhealthy individuals and by allowing the healthiest animals to create future generations (wolves will also take down healthy adults). Their method of hunting also prompts the prey animals to become more vigilant, agile and aware. The end result is a healthy natural relationship between predator and prey which has succeeded for hundreds of thousands of years

Their Hunting Strategy

Wolves are extraordinary predators that play an extremely important part in a healthy, thriving ecosystem. Wolves are called apex predators, which means that they are at the top of the food chain. As predators, they serve to help keep the ecosystem in balance by hunting primarily on prey that is weak, sick or elderly, leaving stronger and healthier animals to survive and produce viable young. Other competing predators would be cougar, coyote, bear and humans.

A predator's life is not an easy one. Almost every time they are hungry, wolves must find and bring down prey. Each predator has its own tools and hunting strategies. Wolves use their incredible sense of smell combined with excellent hearing abilities to help them find prey. Wolves do chase and test their prey, looking for the animals they can kill while expending as little energy as possible and decreasing chances of injury. Large ungulates like deer, moose, elk and caribou are a wolf's primary food source. Wolves will also eat smaller animals like beaver, rabbit, mice and ground squirrel.

When hunting large game, the wolf pack separates out and surrounds its prey. Wolves usually bite the shoulders and flanks. While some pack members approach the prey from the rear, other wolves seize the prey by the nose.

Hunting can be dangerous for a wolf. The antlers and the hooves of a large animal like a moose or a caribou can injure or kill an attacking wolf. As hunters, wolves have a low success rate. One study shows that for every twelve moose tracked, only one was caught.

Wolves are built for a feast or famine diet and can "wolf" down up to 20 pounds at one feeding. If wolves do not finish what they have killed, the leftovers will feed the scavengers - fox, coyote and raven.

Wolves must travel many miles in order to find suitable prey. Scientists have estimated that one wolf needs at least ten square miles for a "home" territory. In the Arctic, wolves often follow their main prey, caribou, as the caribou migrate, often thousands of miles.

In nature there is a place for both predator and prey and, although their relative numbers fluctuate, predator and prey can maintain the equilibrium necessary for the survival of both if given the opportunity to do so naturally.

Physiology & Anatomy

Scientific name: Canis lupus
Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae

Description: Length 4.5 to 6 feet, including tail; Height 26 to 34 inches at the shoulder; Weight 70 to 110 pounds - females generally 5 to 10 pounds lighter than males; Coloration ranges from white to black with combinations between with gold, tan, brown and rust (a single litter can contain a variation of colors)

Historic Ranges: Most of the northern hemisphere, throughout the world to the southern borders of Chihuahua and Durango in Central America

Present Range: Stable throughout Canada and Alaska. Smaller populations exist in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana. Reintroduction has been considered successful in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. Efforts are currently underway to restore Mexican gray wolves to public lands in Arizona and New Mexico. Red wolf reintroduction efforts in The Great Smoky Mountains was called to a halt in October of 1998 due to an insufficient prey base. A number of red wolves have been successfully reintroduced into the Alligator River National Refuge in North Carolina and plans to find another site comparable to the Rockies are underway.

Habitat: Nearly all habitats except tropical rain forests and arid deserts.

Status: Protected under the Endangered Species Act in the United States, except Alaska. The wolf is listed as endangered in the lower 48. Minnesota may be the first state to 'delist' the wolf.

Diet: Consists primarily of members of the deer family: moose, deer, elk and caribou. Wolves also eat beaver, rabbits and mice.

Reproduction: Wolves breed once a year. Their breeding season is usually January through February. The mother gives birth 63 days later, roughly in April or May, to a litter of 4 to 8 pups, each weighing about 1 pound. The pups are born in a den, where they will stay for the first 6 to 8 weeks of their life. When the pups are first born they cannot see, hear or maintain warmth and they need constant care from their mother. By to 8 weeks of age, the pups will venture out of the den and begin their life of learning how to be a predator.

Life span: Roughly 6 - 10 years in the wild. They can live up to 18 years in captivity.

Wolves are superbly constructed and adapted for their particular role in an ecosystem - predators that pursue a large and small prey over different kinds of terrain: open plains, dense forest, deep snow, steep slopes and into the water if need be.

Wolves have developed lean, muscular bodies set on long, powerful legs to be able to pursue prey. Wolves are built for endurance and running; they can average around 25 miles per hour for several miles and 35 to 40 miles per hour for short bursts.

The wolf's expert hunting ability comes from a combination of speed, stamina and strategy. Because wolves have narrow chests and outward-splayed forelegs, their hind legs can move in the same track as their front legs - an advantage in covering ground efficiently. Wolves' large, well-padded feet help to spread their weight over snow and allows them to efficiently grip irregular surfaces like rocks and logs.

The sagittal crest (the bone on the top of the skull) on a wolf is where the jaw muscles are attached. This is well defined on the wolf because of their very powerful jaw. Wolves' jaws produce immense power - a crushing pressure of about 1,500 pounds per square inch (psi), compared with 750 pounds for average large dogs such as German shepherds. Wolves have 42 teeth specialized for stabbing, shearing and crushing bones. The first four teeth, front and bottom are called incisors and are used for nipping and gnawing meat from the bone. Wolves use their canine teeth, which can grow to be 2 inches in length, for gripping and holding itself to the prey animal. The premolars are used for slicing and grinding. The specialized molars, called carnassials are used for slicing and tearing. The last molars are used for pulverizing and grinding food.

Even more extraordinary is a wolf's sense of smell - up to 100,000 times greater than human beings'. Under the right conditions a wolf can smell something up to 300 yards to 1 mile away. Their hearing is excellent also. Under certain conditions, wolves can hear a howl as far as six miles away in the forest and ten miles away on the open tundra.