Here are 10 Amazing Facts You Should Know About Wolves

1. Did you know that wolves are the largest members of the dog family? A male wolf weighs about 43-45 kg or 95-99 lb while a she wolf weighs 36-38.5 kg or 79-85 lb. Some are even taller and bigger than humans!

2. A wolf that has been driven off or has left the pack are called lone wolves. Lone wolves don’t make scent marks and they rarely howl. They hunt alone and prefer to live off on small rodents.

3. Wolves create powerful social bonds and close ties. They often show profound affection for their family and may even sacrifice its own life just for the sake of its pack. Extreme loyalty and devotion binds the wolves together as a unit.

4. The breeding season of wolves is only during the season of winter. They lay their pups in late April or early May. There are usually four to six pups in one liter. The pup liter is an underground hole or den. Pups grow fast and by their first winter, they already have a size of an adult wolf. But wolves are considered fully grown by the time they are two years old.

5. Wolves are very loyal and tremendously faithful to their partners. Once a wolf has found its mate, they usually stay together for life. They are even willing to die for their pups just to protect them from harm or from enemies.

6. Wolves are very territorial. They create much bigger territories than they need to survive. It’s for them to have a bigger hunting ground and have a steady provision of prey. In areas where there is a great amount of prey, the territorial size of a pack is smaller on the other hand if there is less supply of prey then the territory of the pack is larger. 

7. One thing legendary about wolves are their hauntingly beautiful howl. They use howls as means of communicating. Communal howls are howls that sends territorial messages to other packs. It may be answered by the rival pack. They may even use their howls to make contact with lone wolves.

8. Did you know that a wolf paw print or a wolves’ average foot size is comparable to an adult human hand? Its size is about four inches wide and five inches long.

9. Native Indians did not hunt wolves because they believed that the pack would exact revenge on them or it will bring them bad luck. They believed that weapons used to kill a wolf is cursed and that the weapon would never work properly again.

10. Did you know that wolves also contribute in the balance of the ecosystem? They help keep the balance of the population of some animals like elks and deers. The remains of their prey also help in the distribution of nutrients and provide food for other wildlife species that are having a hard time hunting for food like grizzly bears and scavengers.

Written by James Miranda