The Gray Wolf
The animals habitat, diet and own species type
The Gray Wolf Genus and Species
The Gray Wolf is a full out canine, its blood driven furiosity proves that. But their species or genus is a called a Canis Lupus.
The Gray Wolves Habitats
The Gray Wolf population is 200,000 world wide, with a majority in Canada. Also many wolf packs and territories live in the northern United States. The wolves usually thrive in cold climates or in grassland or woodland. The wolf pack territory usually depends on the size of the pack but a normal pack can have up to a 50 square miles. They also move around their territories and make dens which they live in.
What do Gray Wolves eat?
Gray Wolves Diet
Gray Wolves very often if not always eat in packs which means they can take down prey larger than they are. They eat large hoofed animals, such as deer, elk, caribou and moose. But they also eat smaller prey like rabbits and even beavers. Most wolves also leave a small amount still on the carcass, which means other smaller carnivores can eat the left overs and have a free meal.
Extras!!
Why I chose this animal?
Wolves have been around for millions!!!, of years which is very interesting that they're still in existence. I also love dogs so I naturally have to love wolves as well. The way they act, hunt, play, kill and interact with each other is astonishing.
Fun Fact
In 2011 a "Super Pack" of wolves attacks a Russian town with a population of 1,300 citizens. The "Super Pack" contained 400 wolves which is much larger than any other wolf pack ever seen. The Super Pack was made up of hundred of packs and different types of wolves also. 30 horses were killed due to the wolves main food sources were either being hunted or were already dead. So the harsh winter forced 400 wolves to attack a town, which killed 30 horses and eventually would have gone to kill the citizens. Armed hunters came out and shot the wolves on sight.
A wolf pack.
A group of organized hunters.
The Russian town of Verkhoyansk where the wolves attacked.
A Wolves Lifestyle
Gray Wolves mostly live in the hemisphere, like in Asia, Europe and in North America. With only 200,000 left in the world, they are all very spread out. But gray wolves live in many different biomes, such as dense forests, mountains, tundras or taigas. The animal fits in to its habitat due to his instinct to hunt and survive. Its fur coat is warm for the northern cold temperatures. Wolves like to have territory and then defend, hunt and roam in those territories. They hunt in packs which is a good tactic, also just drink from streams. Gray wolves wouldn't fit anywhere down south. The warm climates cant function for the wolves very good due to their fur coats.
Adaptations
Physical Adaptations
Wolves have a few physical traits that help them in many ways. Their nose, the nose can take a scent up to 1.75 miles. Their nose is a good tool for hunting and even defending the territory. The fur coat is a tool used by most northern animals and its basically the only reason they can live in northern places. Wolves don't usually build up a large amount of blubber, so the coat is a good warmth tool. The last main physical trait for a wolf is the wolves head. The wolf usually kills only using its teeth. It also can show its affection to another using its head. The head also has it senses.
Behavior Adaptions
A wolfs behavior is very unique to the animal kingdom. It can fully affect a wolfs lifestyle and survival in the world. Gray Wolves act much like Native Americans as in the way of leadership. The behavior trait is how eventually a new leader comes into play, they must kill the top dog to earn leadership. Another behavior trait is how pups react to hunger. They whine, nip and howl for there food. Not many other animals do that or are able to do that.
Both Behavior and Physical Adaptations
Both of these types of adaptions is a key to a wolfs survival. An example is pack hunting, its more a behavior adaption only due to teamwork, but a reason they do that is due to they don't have the physical capabilities to hunt big prey alone. Another example is a wolfs relationships, they typically leave bears, mountain lions and foxes alone, only if they stay away from the young or there territory. Usually they use each other for the food chain, like leaving different parts of a kill to the bear or the lion.
Food Web
Biomass, Bioaccumulation, Biomaginfication
What would happen?
Diseases are very dangerous to an ecosystem. Since most of wolf habitats are in the wild, its hard to get a disease into an ecosystem. Although, wolves wander onto farm land and can get infected easily, also run off streams or ponds. The wolf would get sick first of all, then they would die within a few days. The biggest disease a wold could encounter is human invasion, when humans encroach on an animals habitat, there forced to move and sometimes die or get hurt. Simply the biomass in the animals would get infected into organisms and then get sick, which is basically bio accumulation. But then it grows while the animal is sick and the kills the animal, that called bio magnification.
The Gray Wolf Food Line
If a bad organism got into one of the wolf's food source, it would obviously infect the wold greatly. The wold has many other food sources but may take years for a pack a generation of wolves to stay away from that animal.
Symbiotic Relationships
A symbiotic relationship is how an animal can affect other animals by there actions. Their's four types of relationships, mutual, commesalism, parasitism and predation. All theses have negative or positive affect to the animal. The example that could be used is a wolf.
Commensalism
An example of a commensalism relationship is when wolves create for other animals. When a wolf pack kills an animal it eats most of it, although it leaves a feeding grounds for maggots or smaller carnivores. It could also be the other way around, something kills and animal(most likely a bear)and leaves a good part of it left, then the wolf can snack on it.
Mutualism
An example of mutualism, is how a wolf doesn't attack a bear if the bear doesn't attack wolf, its a pure symbiotic relationship. Also, the wolf will let a bear a go through a packs territory only if the bear hunts and leaves food for the wolves to snack on.
Parasitism
An example of parasitism is when a wolf can be wandering and a tick or flea hops on. Causing the wolf to get sick or to even die due to blood loss. A mosquito is a very simple example, a mosquito can suck the blood of a wolf and kill it. They could also give the wolf a infection.
Predation
This is the most simple and most common relationship with wolves, simply the wolfs natural instinct to kill, to be a predator.
Natural Selection
Wolves have been around for tens of thousands of years, the main relative, the dire wolf, was a larger wolf but eventually died out due to the human species. But the wolf survived to today and is a world wide animal. The wolves sensitive scent and hearing allowed it to hunt and survive from prey a lot better. But the size of the wolf had a small decrease over the years, evolution made them slightly shrink. That made them to hunt and gather in bigger packs. Before pack sizes were about four, now its around 7-12. But now wolves are struggling and it makes sense for them to get bigger.
Future Population
Wolves are now getting protected and kept in protection centers. Although wolves are commonly hunted in other parts of the world. In recent studies, the gray wolf population may grow steadily in North America, but in other parts of the world they may decrease fastly.