Wolf Facts

 

“The singing voice of the Wild” Audrey Tourney

Characteristics:

• Wolves have been highly misunderstood for centuries often depicted as evil, villainous man-eaters.
• The colour of wolves varies from snow white to coal black with variable degrees of cream, grey, brown and orangey black. The grizzled grey individuals are the most predominant for this region.
• Similar in appearance to a large German Shepard or husky sled dog, the wolf is lankier with long legs, larger feet and a deep narrower chest.
• Wolves are very pack oriented utilizing a social hierarchy to control the group. The family pack consists of parents, young and close relatives. The leader or “alpha” is usually the largest and strongest pack member.
• On average packs are made up of 4-7 members, but as many as 14 members have been recorded.
• Their unique and very distinctive howl has been described as the most lonesome sound heard by human ears. The use of this vocalization allows for communication among pack members and surrounding packs.
• Males are considerably larger then the females, measuring as long as 6’ in total length and standing 3’ tall at the shoulder.

Diet:

• A true example of a top predator their diets consists of beavers, hares, groundhogs, mice, voles, muskrats, squirrels, grouse, and insects during the summer months.
• During the winter months, when snow conditions create slow movement for young, weak or old deer, moose, elk, and caribou, the pack works together to obtain this rich sustaining food source.
• By eliminating these individuals, wolves help isolate disease, ease pressure on limited browse from non-breeding older ungulates and keep the weaker young from passing on their genes.

Habitat:

• The wolf occupies a fixed home range around a preferred den site that can range anywhere from 100-260 square miles depending on the size of the pack and food availability.
• They show very little preference to special habitats, but are found on the arctic tundra, mountain-tops, open plains and mixed forests.
• Wolves once spread throughout Canada, but now they have been exterminated in large blocks across the country.

Reproduction:

• During the breeding season, wolves utilize dens in a variety of locations. A shelf of rock, a cave, a hollow log or an abandoned beaver lodge all make great den sites.
• Wolves mate for life where only the dominant or “alpha” pair mate.
  Mating takes place in late winter usually by the end of February to mid March. By early May an average litter of 4-6 pups are born.
• They are fully weaned by 6-8 weeks and are fed by previously eaten foods regurgitated by their parents and other pack members.
• The mating status will change in the pack as the alpha pair age and the shifting of positions takes place throughout the hierarchy.

Native Notes:

“The tribes greatest teacher. Wolf has a strong sense of family, as well as a strong individualistic urge. In other words, a person can be part of society yet still embody individual dreams and ideas. The moon, which is feminine, is the power ally for the wolf that holds the secrets of knowledge and wisdom. It is the sharing of great truths that the consciousness of humanity will attain new heights. The gift of wisdom comes when you have walked enough pathways and found enough dead ends to truly know the forest! To live is to grow. Howl at the moon for the voice is the juice of the soul.”