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Table of Contents
The wolf is the largest member of the Canidae family and is a social animal which hunts and lives in a pack of between 2 and 30 wolves. They are the ultimate hunting predator and top of the food chain. The only threat to the wolf is human hunters.
See the fact file below for more information on Wolf or alternatively, you can download our 31-page Wolf worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
ORIGIN OF WOLVES
- Wolves (Canis Lupus) are a carnivorous wild mammal of the dog family that lives and hunts in packs.
- Wolf ancestors first appeared 60 million years ago during the Paleocene epoch.
- Around 40 million years ago, when the Carnivamorpha family was split into two groups – feliforms and caniforms -, wolves descended from the earliest caniforms, which also included foxes and canines (dogs).
- They are native to both Eurasia and North America, and are also thought to have been first domesticated around 15,000 years ago in East Asia.
- Tomarctus, the wolf’s ancestor, had a fifth toe on the hind leg, which was passed down through the evolution of both dogs and wolves today and can be seen on their claws.
- The dire wolf, meanwhile, was one of the first wolf breeds to appear, a large dog with hyena-like characteristics. Dire wolves hunt and scavenge for food in the same way as hyenas do.
- The dire wolf was roughly the size and mass of a large modern gray wolf. A common misconception is that the dire wolf dwarfed the modern gray wolf.
- Dire wolves, however, perished along with their primary prey species during the Quaternary extinction event.
- It is believed that reliance on megaherbivores, climate change, and competition with other species contributed to the extinction of these wolves.
WOLF CHARACTERISTICS
- Wolves have evolved the ability to withstand the most hostile of environments. They can also adapt to both day and night vision, so they can also endure several months of total darkness during the winter in the Arctic region.
- They are distinguished by their superior sense of smell, which is a hundred times stronger than that of humans and allows them to detect the scent of their prey as well as identify other wolves.
- Wolves have two layers of fur: the outer layer repels fur and dirt, while the inner layer insulates them from the cold.
- Wolves communicate by making sounds such as howling, growling, and barking. They use these to locate their pack as well as to send a danger alert. Wolves are carnivores, meaning they prefer to feed on large hoofed mammals like deer, elk, bison, and moose. They also prey on smaller mammals like beavers, rodents, and hares.
- A single wolf can consume up to 20 pounds of meat in a single sitting.
WOLF CONSERVATION
- Wolf populations in the United States were nearly extinct in the early and mid-20th century due to eradication efforts by settlers who saw them as a threat to livestock.
- Wolf management is a highly contentious issue, with conservationists frequently clashing with ranchers and others concerned about the safety of livestock and people.
- Many states have livestock compensation programs in place for people who have lost their primary source of food due to wolves. In this manner, people would not be able to obliterate the wolf population.
- Overall, there is a high chance that wolves will be able to recover from their declining population and people will become more aware of their inherent worth and critical role as predators in the ecosystem.
WOLF BEHAVIORS
- Wolves hunt and live in packs of six to ten. They are known to travel long distances, up to 12 miles in a single day. Wolves do not eat in moderation when they are successful.
- There are male and female hierarchies within the pack hierarchy.
- On the other hand, adult wolves in the pack provide care and food for the young and allow the wolves to defend their shared territory. They live in groups because cooperation and team strategy allow them to hunt larger prey.
- Although there are no set rules in a pack, wolves use physical differences to their advantage when hunting; lighter females frequently direct the stampede.
WOLVES AND DOGS
- Dogs and wolves diverged from a common ancestor around 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, but they began to evolve independently at the same time.
- Wolves (Canis Lupus) are related to dogs, or more accurately, dogs are actually related to wolves. Wolves and dogs are quite similar in many ways; however, in most cases, wolves are larger.
- Wolves generally have longer legs than dogs.
- Although both wolves and dogs have the same number of teeth, wolves’ teeth, as well as their skull and jaw, are larger and stronger.
- Dogs, unlike wolves, lost their ability to hunt and scavenge food as a result of human domestication.
- Studies comparing the abilities of dogs and wolves reveal that wolves mature faster, which is attributed to their ability to survive in the wild.
- A domestic dog plays primarily for enjoyment, whereas play is essential for a wolf pup learning survival and social skills.
- Unlike dogs, which can breed multiple times throughout the year, wolves only breed once a year. According to Mossotti, wolves have a strict breeding season that lasts from February to mid-March, with pups born in April and May.
- Wolves typically display aggressiveness towards their dog cousins, but can change their behaviour and become playful or submissive when they become socially isolated.
HUMANS AND WOLVES
- Humans and wolves have a long-standing relationship. The earlier people, like the indigenous tribes of North America, treated the wolf with respect and caution, observing and learning from its behavior.
- They believed that everything in nature was to be treated with the respect given to family members and human society as a whole.
- It was only later when humans began to expand territories that competition began to emerge. Wolves began to lose their hunting grounds. Some ended up going to human settlements to scavenge for food. Threatened, some were exterminated for good.
- Lately, human efforts have been seen as they began to reintroduce wolves to places where they were originally killed off.
- defenders.org notes that “wolves play a key role in keeping ecosystems healthy. They help keep deer and elk populations in check, which can benefit many other plant and animal species. The carcasses of their prey also help to redistribute nutrients and provide food for other wildlife species, like grizzly bears and scavengers.”
- As for coexistence, moral arguments state that:
- Humans have to share land and resources with other living things, including wolves and wild animals.
- Nature has certain rights that can be superior to human rights, especially on territorial boundaries.
- Wolves deserve to live where they once and still thrived.
Wolf Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Wolf across 31 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Wolf which is the ultimate hunting predator and top of the food chain. The only threat to the wolf is human hunters.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Wolf Facts
- Canine Comparisons
- Wolf Pack
- Social Order
- Lone Wolf
- Wolves Around the World
- Gray Wolf
- Wolf Behaviors
- Wolves and Nature
- Think About It
- Wolf Dogs
- The Boy who Cried Wolf
- Wolves in Popular Media
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a wolf be a pet?
In the US, it is not legal to keep a wolf as a pet. However, there are no laws surrounding hybrid animals, which may have a high amount of wolf traits. Wolves are wild animals and have not had traits like aggression or hunting instincts domesticated out of them. This makes them challenging and potentially dangerous pets.
How is are dire wolves different from the modern wolf?
The dire wolf was roughly the size and mass of a large modern gray wolf. A common misconception is that the dire wolf dwarfed the modern gray wolf. Dire wolves, however, perished along with their primary prey species during the Quaternary extinction event.
When did wolves first appear?
Wolf ancestors first appeared 60 million years ago during the Paleocene epoch. Around 40 million years ago, when the Carnivamorpha family was split into two groups – feliforms and caniforms -, wolves descended from the earliest caniforms, which also included foxes and canines (dogs).
How does a wolf pack function?
Wolves hunt and live in packs of six to ten. They are known to travel long distances, up to 12 miles in a single day. Wolves do not eat in moderation when they are successful. There are male and female hierarchies within the pack hierarchy. On the other hand, adult wolves in the pack provide care and food for the young and allow the wolves to defend their shared territory. They live in groups because cooperation and team strategy allow them to hunt larger prey. Although there are no set rules in a pack, wolves use physical differences to their advantage when hunting; lighter females frequently direct the stampede.
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Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.