English: Gray wolf, timber wolf, tundra wolf, plains wolf. Spanish: Lobo. French: Loup. German: Wolf.

Description :

The largest wild canid. Fur is thick and usually grey, but can vary from nearly pure white, red, or brown to black. Head-and-body length: 100- 150 cm. Tail length: 31-51 cm. Shoulder height: 66-81 cm. Weight: 16-60 kg, males heavier than females.

Reproduction :

Time of mating: January-April. Gestation: 6 1 63 days. Litter size: 1-1 1, mean 6. Duration of lactation: 8-10 weeks. Age at sexual maturity: 22-46 months (Mech, pers. comm.), occasionally 10 months. Longevity: up to 13 years in the wild (Mech 1988), 16 years in captivity.

Social Behavior :

A pack-living animal with a complex social organization. Packs are primarily family groups. The dominant pair breeds, with sub-dominant females under behaviourally induced reproductive suppression (Packard et al. 1985). Packs include up to 30 individuals, but smaller sizes (8-12) are more common. An excellent review of wolf social behaviour and ecology can be found in Mech (1970).

Diet :

Extremely variable, but the majority of the diet is large ungulates (moose, caribou, deer, elk (Cervus elaphus). Grey wolves will also eat smaller prey items, livestock, carrion, and garbage.

Distribution :

The wolf originally was the world's most widely distributed mammal, living throughout the northern hemisphere north of 15° N latitude. Present distributions are much restricted wolves occur primarily in wilderness and remote areas (Harrington and Paquet 1982).

Habitat :

Extremely variable, densities being highest where prey biomass is highest.

Population and Status :

Because of the diversity in climate, topography, vegetation, human settlement, and development, wolf populations in various parts of the original range vary from extinct to relatively pristine. In the following summary, we present data by region on subspecies present, population status, approximate numbers, percent of former range occupied at present, main prey (where available), legal status, and cause of decline.

Alaska: Subspecies: ligoni, pambasileus, tundrarum, alces. Status: fully viable, numbering approximately 6,000. Range occupied. 100%. Main prey: moose, caribou, sheep, deer, beaver, goal Legal status: animals are hunted and trapped in limited seasons with bag limits. Some control work, enforcement active.

British Columbia, Yukon: Subspecies: crassodon, fuscus, columbianus, mackenzii, occidentalis, tundrarum, ligoni, irremotus. Status: fully viable, numbering approximately 8,000. Range occupied: 80%. Main prey: moose, caribou, sheep, deer, beaver, goat, elk. Legal status: game species, furbearer (BC), no closed season

Northwest Territories: Subspecies: arctos, bernardi, columbianus, griseoalbus, hudsonicus, mackenzii, nubilus, occidentalis, pambasileus. Status: fully viable, numbering 5,000-15,000. Range occupied: 100%. Main prey: moose caribou, sheep, deer, beaver, goat. Legal status: forbearer.

Alberta: Subspecies: occidentalis, griseoalbus, irremotus, nubilus. Status: fully viable, numbering approximately 4,000. Range occupied: 80%. Main prey: moose, caribou, sheep, deer, beaver, goat, elk, bison. Legal status: furbearer.

Saskatchewan, Manitoba: Subspecies: hudsonicus, griseoalbus, irremotus, nubilis. Status: fully viable, number unknown. Range occupied: 70%. Main prey: moose, elk, deer, beaver, bison, caribou. Legal status: furbearer.

Ontario, Quebec: Subspecies: lycaon, hudsonicus, labradorius. Status: fully viable, number <10,000. Range occupied: 80%. Main prey: moose,deer, caribou, beaver. Legal status: furbearer.

Newfoundland (the island): Subspecies: beothucus, extinct since 1911.

Labrador: Subspecies: labradorius. Status: fully viable, number unknown. Range occupied: 95 %. Main prey: moose, caribou, beaver, musk ox, hares. Legal status: furbearer.

Minnesota: Subspecies: lycaon. Status: viable, numbering approximately 1,200. Range occupied: 30%. Main p -%Ir .

deer, moose, beaver. Legal status: full protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Michigan and Wisconsin: Subspecies: lycaon. Status: lingering, 35 individuals. Highly endangered. Range occupied: 10%. Main prey: deer, beaver, moose. Legal status: full protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Northwestern United States: Subspecies: irremotus. Status: slowly recolonizing, 30 individuals. Highly endangered. Range occupied: 5%. Main prey: deer, elk, moose, sheep, goats, beaver. Legal status: full protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Southwestern United States: Subspecies: baileyi. Status: extinct. Range occupied: nil. Main prey: deer, livestock. Legal status: full protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Mexico: Subspecies: baileyi. Status: lone wolves or pairs, <10 individuals. Highly endangered. Range occupied: <10%. Main prey: livestock. Legal status: unenforced full protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat deslruction.

Sweden/Norway: Subspecies: lupus. Status: lonewolvesor pairs, <10 individuals. Highly endangered. Range ccupied: <10%. Main prey: moose, reindeer, livestock. Legal status: Full protection. Cause of decline: persecution.

Finland: Subspecies: lupus. Status: lingering, probably only lone wolves or pairs, <100 individuals. Endangered. Range occupied: < 10%. Legal status: no protection (north), game status (east), protected (south). Main Prey: moose, reindeer, . white-tailed deer, livestock. Cause of decline: persecution.

Greenland: Subspecies: orion. Status: lingering, 50? individuals. Threatened. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: musk-ox, caribou. Legal status: unknown. Cause of decline: persecution.

Turkey: Subspecies: lupus, pallipes. Status: Viable, but in decline. Unknown number of individuals. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: livestock, unknown. Legal status: no protection.

Syria: Subspecies: lupus, pallipes. Status: lingering, low population density, 200-500 individuals. Highly threatened. Range occupied: 10%. Main prey: livestock, carrion, small wildlife. Legal status: no protection. Cause of decline: persecution.

Jordan: Subspecies: unknown. Status: lingering, low population density, 200? individuals. Highly threatened. Range occupied: 90%. Legal status: no protection. Main prey: unknown. Cause of decline: persecution.

Israel: Subspecies: pallipes, arabs. Status: lingering, low population density, 100-150 individuals. Highly threatened. Range occupied: 60%. Main prey: hares, livestock, carrion. Legal status: full protection. Cause of decline: habitat destruction, persecution.

Egypt (Sinai): Subspecies: arabs. Status: 30 individuals. Highly endangered. Range occupied: 90%. Main prey: hares, livestock. Legal status: no protection. Cause of decline: persecution.

Lebanon: Subspecies: unknown. Status: lone wolves or pairs, >10 individuals. Highly endangered. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: garbage, carrion. Legal status: no Protection. Cause of decline: persecution.

Arabian peninsula: Subspecies: pallipes, arabs. Status: in decline, <300 individuals. Range occupied: 90%. Main prey: garbage, carrion, livestock. Legal status: no protection. Cause of decline: persecution.

Iran: Subspecies: pallipes, campestris. Status: fully viable, numbering >1000. Range occupied: 80%. Main prey: gazelle, mountain sheep, livestock, wild boar, deer, Capra sp. Legal status: Game species. Cause of decline: persecution.

Iraq: Subspecies: unknown. Status: unknown. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: unknown. Legal status: unknown. Cause of decline: unknown.

Afghanistan: Subspecies: pallipes, chanco. Status: viable, suspected decline, 1,000? individuals. Range occupied: 90%. Main prey: unknown. Legal status: unknown. Cause of decline: unknown.

Pakistan: Subspecies: pallipes, campestris. Status: unknown. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: unknown. Legal status: unknown. Cause of decline: unknown.

Bhutan: Subspecies: chanco. Status: unknown. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: unknown. Legal status: protected. Cause of decline: unknown.

Nepal: Subspecies: chanco. Status: unknown. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: unknown. Leg status: unknown. Cause of decline: unknown.

India: Subspecies: pallipes. Status: lingering, probably only lone wolves or pairs, 1,000-2,000 individuals. Endangered. Range occupied: 20%. Main prey: livestock, hare, deer, antelope. Legal status: unenforced full protection. Cause of decline: decreasing prey, persecution.

Mongolia: Subspecies: chanco. Status: viable, possible decline, > 10,000 individuals. Range occupied: 100%. Main prey: livestock, saiga. Legal status: extermination efforts active.

China: Subspecies: chanco. Status: extermination efforts active, population numbers unknown. Range occupied: 20%. Main prey: saiga, other ungulates, livestock. Legal status: unknown. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

U.S.S.R. (Europe): Subspecies: lupus, albus, campestris, chanco. Status: fully viable, numbering approximately 20,000. Range occupied: 60%. Main prey: ungulates, livestock. Legal status: reduction and control even in nature reserves. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

U.S.S.R. (Asia): Subspecies: lupus, albus, campestris, chanco. Status: fully viable, numbering approximately 50,000. Range occupied: 75%. Main prey: ungulates and livestock. Legal status: reduction and control even in nature reserves. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Poland: Subspecies: lupus, campestris. Status: fully viable, numbering approximately 900. Range occupied: 90%. Main prey: (moose), roe deer, red deer, wild boar, mufflon. Legal status: partial protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Czechoslovakia: Subspecies: lupus. Status: steep decline/ lingering, 100? Individuals. Highly threatened or endangered. Range occupied: 10%. Main prey: roe deer, red deer, wild boar, mufflon. Legal status: no protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Romania: Subspecies: lupus. Status: decline, 2,000? individuals. Range occupied: 20%. Main prey: roe deer, red deer, wild boar, mufflon. Legal status: no protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Bulgaria: Subspecies: lupus. Status: lingering, low population density, 100? individuals. Highly threatened. Range occupied: unknown. Legal status: no protection. Main prey: (moose) roe deer, red deer, wild boar, mufflon. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Greece: Subspecies: lupus. Status: Viable, but in decline, >500 individuals. Range occupied: 60%. Main prey: deer, wild boar, chamois, livestock. Legal status: partial protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Yugoslavia: Subspecies: lupus. Status: steep decline, approximately 2,000 individuals. Range occupied: 55 %. Main prey: deer, wild boar, chamois, livestock. Legal status: partial protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Albania: Subspecies: lupus. Status: unknown. Range occupied: unknown. Main prey: unknown. Legal status: unknown. Cause of decline: unknown.

Hungary: Subspecies: lupus. Status: extinct. Range occupied: nil. Main prey: unknown. Legal status: protected. Cause of decline: unknown.

Italy: Subspecies: lupus. Status: lingering, low population density, 250 individuals (Boitani 1987). Highly threatened. Range occupied: 10%. Main prey: garbage, livestock. Legal status: full protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction, prey extermination.

Spain: Subspecies: signatus, (lupus). Status: lingering, low population density, 500-1,000 individuals. Threatened. Range occupied: 10%. Main prey: livestock, roe deer, wild boar. Legal status: partial protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Portugal: Subspecies: signatus, (lupus). Status: lingering, low population density, 150 individuals. Highly threatened. Range occupied: 20%. Main prey: livestock, roe deer, wild boar. Legal status: partial protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Central Europe: Subspecies: (lupus). Status: Extinct. Range occupied: nil. Main prey: livestock, red deer, roe deer, chamois, wild boar. Legal status: no protection. Cause of decline: persecution, habitat destruction.

Commercial Use: Hunted for fur in Canada, Alaska, and the Soviet Union.

Legal Status and Enforcement : Variable, from complete protection, well enforced, to concerted efforts to exterminate the species.