Evergreen Glades: Wolves ~

01/02/2011

Wolves are some of my most favorite animals ~^^~ Here are some species of wolves we will be discussing on:

♥ The Grey Wolf (Canis lupus)

♥ The Red Wolf (Canis rufus)

♥ The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

We will also be going into wolf sub-species:

♥ Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus arcto)

♥ Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi)

Let's start with what wolves are. Domestic dogs originally came from the wolf. That's right, even a powder-puff Poodle or a tiny Yorkshire Terrier originally came from a wolf. The domestic dogs that seem to resemble the most like wolves are Huskies. Wolves come in a variety of breeds and colors. The most common wolf is the Grey Wolf. These canines aren't your common dogs either. Some people see a wolf and think "Those are sooooo cuuuute!! They look just like John/Jane Doe's dog ♥" Wolves are not, and I repeat, ARE NOT pets!! This beautiful creatures may look like a dog, but they are not tame and dangerous to have as pets if you do not know what you're doing! These canines are to be out in the wild, not in the home!

Let's go over the physique of the wolf. Here's a size comparison between a grey wolf and a coyote:

Wolves are known for having golden eyes and pierce through the darkness of the night. They are nocturnal animals. You can see them during the day, but at night is when it's time to hunt. They look similar to dogs, in that they have fur, a tail, four legs, two ears, two eyes, and canine teeth. Their senses are off the charts when it comes to smell and hearing. Colors are a variety of grey, black, white, red, and brown. They live in packs, which are also a sort of families. Usually a pack has around nine wolves, but the number of wolves in a pack is a variety from four ~ fifteen wolves in the same pack! They live in dens; they typically look like this:

The percentage of married couples, for Christians and non-Christians, is %50 end in divorce. That's a really large number if you think about it! Wolves, on the other hand, are mates for life. We married couples should learn from animals such as wolves. A litter can have around one ~ six cubs. The hierarchy of the pack is fascinating too.

(MALE) ALPHA PAIR (FEMALE)

____________________|_____________________

(MALES and FEMALES) BETA/SUBORDINATE WOLVES ---------

---------

_________________|_________________ ---PUPS-- (MALES and FEMALES)

(MALE and FEMALE) OMEGA WOLF ----------

----------

Here's a chart from National Geography:

Map

Wolf Range

Fast Facts

Type:: Mammal
Diet:: Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:: 6 to 8 years
Size:: Head and body, 36 to 63 in (91 to 160 cm); Tail, 13 to 20 in (33 to 51 cm)
Weight:: 40 to 175 lbs (18 to 79 kg)
Group name:: Pack
Protection status:: Endangered

Let's go into details now of some breeds in particular:

~♥~ GREY WOLVES ~♥~

♥ Also known as Timber Wolves

♥ Come in grey, white, black, and red

♥Feed primarily on large hooved animals such as Elk and Caribou, but will sometimes eat smaller animals such as birds and beavers

♥ Breeding season is between January ~ April

♥ Largest breed of wolves

♥ Lone wolves leave their previous pack they were in to find a mate and start a new pack

♥ Pack size can vary from two ~ over fifteen wolves

♥ Males are the strongest

~♥~ RED WOLVES ~♥~

♥ Colors range from cinnamon red, grey, and black

♥ Weighs around forty ~ eighty pounds

♥ Packs usually consist the alpha pair and their offsprings

♥ Prefer to eat white-tailed deer and raccoons

♥ Mate between February ~ March

♥ By around six months old, they leave their pack and start their own

~♥~ THE MANED WOLF ~♥~

♥ Appears like a cross between other species:

- Head: Wolf

- Ears: African Hunting Dog

- Body: Hyena

- Legs: Fox

♥ Nicknamed as stilt-legged fox

♥ Have black manes

♥ Breeding period in April and gives birth around August ~ September

♥ Prefer to eat lobeira and small rodents and chickens

♥ Around the South American Region

~♥~ THE ARCTIC WOLF ~♥~

♥ Color is white

♥ Live around the Canadian Arctic islands and Greenland

♥ Rare to find lone Arctic Wolves because one alone would have a very difficult time surviving

♥ Thicker coat layer

♥ Eat anything they can catch

~♥~ THE MEXICAN WOLF ~♥~

♥ Eat hooved animals such as deer and mule, as well as wild pigs, rats, and ground squirrels

♥ Mating season is around February ~ March

♥ Are protected by the ESA (ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT)

♥ Live around in Mexico and Texas

Wolves are very rapidly becoming endangered species. If we do not take action, they will all be wiped out by hunters. If you see a wolf, call a wildlife preserve to come pick it up instead of shooting it. If a wolf gets a hold of you or someone you love (including pets), it is understandable to shoot them. But please, don't go hunting for them and if it is possible for you to call a nature preserve to pick them up is much appreciated. Thank you ~^^~

INFO FROM:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/wolf.html

http://www.alaska.net/~wolfsong/wolf_facts.html

http://www.wolf.org/wolves/index.asp

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wolves/

http://users.ap.net/~chenae/wolfhome.html

http://www.cosmosmith.com/wolfpage.html

http://42explore.com/wolves.htm

http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolves/index.php

http://www.savebiogems.org/wolves/

http://caninebreeds.bulldoginformation.com/wolf-breeds-types.html

http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/manedWlf.html