Wolves

Wolves

  The gray wolf is the largest species of the family of Canidae and is adapted to hunting large prey like bison, moose, elk, deer, caribou, wild pigs, and bighorn sheep. Canidae are a family of animals that includes common domestic dogs, coyotes, foxes, and jackals. As well as less common Indian wild dog, African wild dog, the raccoon dog and other lesser known types. The wolf is the ancestor of the domestic dog. Wolves inhabit the wilderness across the northern hemisphere and parts of Africa.

  Wolves are intelligent and highly social animals that normally live in a wolf pack family of 6 to 12 individuals. Some wolf packs are larger. There are exceptions but lone wolfs are rare. The alpha male and female is dominant over all the other wolfs in wolf pack. Breeding and raising wolf cubs are the greatest priority. Wolves are very territorial and they establish territories using scent markings and howling. If this fails discourage other wolf packs from crossing over then violence will be used. Wolves are more likely to be killed by other wolves in territorial fights.    

  Wolf packs will travel tirelessly in their establish territory in search of prey. When hunting the wolves work together as a pack. With large prey such as the bison or elk are found the wolf basic tactic is to stalk the herd of prey animals. They use an ambush attack to create a panic in the herd that forces the animals to run. The wolf pack will then break up the herd to single out the weak or sick animals. Once the prey animal has been single out there is protracted chase in order to run it down. The animal is surrounded and attack on the flanks, rear, and if possible the soft under belly. Biting off large pieces causes substantial blood loss and the animal falls. First wolves will eat the internal organs then move on to muscles.

  After the prey is brought down the wolves will tear the carcass to pieces following a strict hierarchy where the dominant pair and their cubs are eating first. They are not limited to large prey. Wolves will eat almost any kind of small animal when the large prey is in short supply. Rodents are part of wolves’ diet. Rabbits, ground squirrels, mice, voles, will be eaten when caught. When even that food is in short supply they will then eat birds, snakes, insects, lizards and carrion they come across.   

  They are the apex predators with few natural predators of their own. But they are challenged by large brown bears over kills. The Brown bears and gray wolfs seem to be evenly match. In the Russian Far East tigers and gray wolfs have competed for the same game and territory. Other than man what few tigers that are left are the wolf only predators.