Wolf

=Wolf=

Basic Statistics:
__Scientific Name:__ //Canis lupis// __Genus:__ //Canis// __Family:__ //Canidae// __Order:__ //Carnivora// __Class:__ //Mammalia// __Phylum:__ //Chordata// __Kingdom:__ //Animalia //

Wolf pack hunting a buffalo. Grey wolf in the wild.

Ecology:
The wolf eats many different large animals such as moose, buffalo, and caribou. It also eats small animals such as mice and rabbits. The wolf is an apex predator because nothing else eats it. It is a predator and it is carnivorous.The wolf has a parasidic relationship with other organisms because it lives off of them.

The wolf lives mainly in forests. There are many coniferous trees and there are streams and lakes. There can also be mountains and other land forms. There are also many different animals in the wolf's environment such as rabbits, mice, and other small animals. It also contains a variety of larger animals such as moose,caribou, and buffalo. The climate can get warm in the summer and cold and snowy in the winter.

Physiology:
The wolf is built the same way a dog is. It walks on all four legs and has sharp canine teeth but the wolf has some features that domesticated dogs do not. Wolves have larger ears so they can hear better and they have bigger claws that act as cleats so they can run faster.Wolves also have a long bushy tail that helps them balance and turn while they are running. Wolves have thick fur to keep them warm during the cold snowy winters. Wolves can get grow to 26-38 inches high at the shoulder and can weigh as much as 115-125 pounds. The size of a wolf tends to be smaller the further south you go but get larger in the north. Wolves sexually reproduce although only the Alpha male and female reproduce in each pack. The whole pack cares for the cubs. When a cub is born it is fed milk from its mother until it can eat meat. A wolf cub reaches its adult size in about a year. It then stays in the pack or leaves to start one of it's own.

Endangerment and Conservation:
The wolf is considered a pest by most farmers and is usually shot when seen. This is why the wolf was extinct in Yellowstone National Park for the last 70 years. The wolf is slowly being reintroduced to the park and there are new laws prohibiting people from killing it. Since the wolf was intoduced many other species have come back to the area and the park is thriving. The wolf is an essential part of the ecosystem because it keeps caribou and other animal populations at the environment's carry capacity so it's conservation is important.

Citations:
1. Wolf Wars by Douglas H. Chadwick, National Geographic Magazine pg.s 34-55. 2. Wild Animals of the World by William Bridges, Garden City Publishing Company INC. pg. 261 3. []