Gray+Wolf+(+Canis+lupus)

=﻿Grey Wolf=



__Scientific Classification__ Kingdom Phylum Class Order family Genus Species || Animalia Chordota Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Canis Canis lupus || __Habitat__ The Grey wolf can be found in all northern habitats where there is plenty of food, food is extremely important but the majority comparamises large ungulates like moose, deer, elk and wild boar. wolves will also eat smaller prey item, livestock, carrion, and garbage. since Grey wolves live in Alaska, British Colombia, and parts of the USA their environments are cold. but their preferences on habitats ranges among forest, tundra, taigas, plains and mountain.
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__Physiology__ Wolves weigh 50 to 130 lb and are about 40 to 60 in long with the tail being roughly a third of their body length. The males are larger than the females. The coloration runs from Grey to Grey brown but can vary through the canine spectrum of white, reddish, brown and black. The coat usually lacks any clear patterns except for paintings around the eyes. In areas where the ground is snow covered white wolves are far more common. Very old wolves get a grayish tint in their coat.The body of the wolf is built for long distance running, with a rather thin chest and powerful back and leg muscles. Wolves can move over great distances and the wide paws make sure deep snow hampers them less than their prey.

A wolf often seems more massive than a dog of comparable weight due to the extra bulk of the coat. The coat is built up of two layers, with hard guard hairs to repel water and dirt and a thick woolly undercoat to keep it warm. The wolf changes coat two times a year, during spring and autumn. Females tend to have a thicker winter coat and keep it further into the spring than males.

The wolves and most larger dogs share the same tooth configuration: The upper jaw has 6 incisors, 2 canines, 8 premolars, and 4 molars. The bottom jaw has 6 incisors, 2 canines, 8 premolars, and 6 molars. The canines are by far most important, as they are used to catch and hold prey. One common reason for wolves to starve is tooth damage after being kicked by larger prey. Wolves live 6 to 9 years average in the wild, although in captivity on average they live 16 years.

The skeleton of the wolf is well adapted to its lifestyle. Their bones need to be strong, for power in bringing down large prey such as caribou, deer, elks or moose. The narrow collarbones, interlocked foreleg bones and specially adapted wrist-bones give the wolf streamlining, strength and speed. The radius and ulna bones are 'locked' in position. This inability to rotate the forelimbs gives superb stability when running. Wolves have long skulls which is a typical carnivore skull, housing extensive and strong cheek muscles, necessary for holding onto prey, killing and consuming.



__Muzzel__: A wolf has two hundred smelling cells inside of its nose and can smell 100m times better than a human being. a wolf has 42 teeth including four canines. wolf use ther strong teeth to kill and grab their prey, wolves use the back part of their teeth to crush down the hard bones of their prey and to make the meat into smaller pieces. they use the small front teeth to nibble on the meat and to pull off the skin.

__Eyes and Nose__: wolves their ears from side to side to determin where the sound is comming from. they also have excellent eye sight and can smell their prey from miles away.

__Fur:__ the wolf has two layers of fur on its body, the top layer protects the wolf from getting weat with its long course hairs. the bottom layer has thin short hair to keep the wolf warm.

__Tails__: wolves use their tails to communicate they also have a scent gland on the back of theirs tails to mark their territory.

__Species Interactions__