Wolf
By: Michael Strobl Period 3 Date 5/9/2016
Habitat
Wolves live all around the world. In the United States, they live in thick forest (Leach 7). In Italy and Eastern Europe, they like to live in mountains (Leach 7). In northern Canada and Siberia, they like to live in icy, windy, and treeless landscape called the tundra (Leach 7). They can also live in the desert. Wolves usually sleep in dens or just on the ground. Wolves can live in a pack with 6-15 wolves (Sylvia A. Johnson and Alice Aamodt 19)
Movement
Wolves have four strong and powerful legs. Wolves are like dogs. Wolves run, jump, walk, trot, and swim. Wolves can run up to 40 miles per hour and they can trot half a day without resting (Diane Swanson 20). Wolves cannot fly. Wolves can swim and sometimes they even swim after beavers (Diane Swanson 13).
Body Covering
A wolves body is covered with fur. The fur on a wolf becomes thicker in the winter (Leach 5). Wolves fur can be white or gray or red or black or brown or tan. Wolves fur blends in with their environment. Wolves fur sheds like a dogs. The fur of a wolf cub can change when the wolf grows older. Wolves are vertebrate.
Diet
Wolves eat mountain goats, moose, caribou, rabbit, hares, deer, mouses, and elk (Leach 33). Wolves drink water. An adult wolf can eat up to 40 pounds a day and this is one third of their body weight (Leach 36). But most days, they eat nothing. Wolves get their food as part of the pack. Wolves use their mouths to drink. Wolves are carnivores. The wolves diet does not change throughout their life time. They always eat meat.
Reproduction
Wolves reproduce sexually. Wolves have internal fertilization. Wolf pups develop inside the female. A mother wolf usually gives birth to four to seven pups (Owen 21). Wolf pups usually weigh about one pound (Owen 20). A wolf can be in the mother for two months (Owen 20). Mother wolves do not leave to go hunting. Instead, they stay with their pups and the other wolves bring her food (Owen 23). When wolf pups are born their blind and deaf. When cubs turn two weeks old, they can see (Owen 22). When the wolf cubs turn three weeks old, they can walk (Owen 22). When wolf cubs turn four weeks old, they finally leave the den (Owen 22).
Adaptations
Wolves adapted their behavior on hunting prey. Wolves figured out that when you are hunting by yourself you can only catch small prey. Then wolves figured out when you hunt in groups, you can take down bigger prey. Wolves have also adapted to hunting in a group. Wolves figured out they could take turns chasing the prey. For example, one wolf jumps out and chases the animal to the next wolf and that wolf takes a break and then the next wolf chases after the prey. Soon the prey gets too tired to run and the wolves finish it (Swanson 15). Another way wolves hunt is where one half of the pack chases the prey to the other half of the pack and then the prey can't do anything because it's surrounded and then the wolves kill the prey (Swanson 15).
Other Info
- Wolves usually mate the same wolf for life.
- A wolfs territory can be as big as 2,000 square miles (Swanson 9).
- Wolves travel up too 20 miles per day (Swanson 10).
- Wolves howl to communicate.
- Wolves are some times scavengers.
- Wolves are highly social.
- Wolves are very smart creatures.
- Wolves often hunt hurt or old or weak animals.
- Farmers don't like wolves because they can kill there sheep and cattle.
Work Cited
Leach, Michael. Wolf. N.p.: RAINTREE STECK~VAUGHN, 2003. Print.
Johnson, Sylvia A., and Alice Aamodt. Wolf Pack. Minneapolis: Lerner, 1985.
Print.
Swanson, Diane. Wolves. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 1998. Print.
Owen, Ruth. Dr. Bob's Amazing World of Animals Wolves. New York: Windmill, 2012. Print. Dr Bobs Amazing World of Animals.