The gray wolf is one of the world’s best known and most researched animals, with probably more books written about it than any other wildlife species. It’s been despised and hunted in most pastoral communities because of its attacks on livestock. Wolves do attack humans sometimes but those attacks are very rare, as wolves live away from people, and have developed a fear of humans from hunters and shepherds.
Wolves are the largest members of the canidae family.
The biological family includes domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals and dingoes.
When a wolf has found a mate they usually stay together for life.
Usually only the alpha pair breed. They mate once a year, from late January through March. Around 63 days later the mother gives birth to four to six pups.
Wolf pups are born blind and deaf.
They start to see and hear the world around them around the 15th day.
Wolves don’t actually howl at the moon.
They are more active at dawn and dusk. Wolves howl to contact separated members of their group, to rally the group before hunting, or to warn rival wolf packs to keep away. Lone wolves will howl to attract mates or just because they are alone.
Where there are wolves, there are often ravens.
The birds often follow packs in hopes of picking up their leftovers. Wolves have also learned to look for ravens as a potential sign of food ahead.
Wolves can go more than 10 days without eating.
A hungry wolf can eat 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of meat in a single meal, however they can survive for 12 days without eating anything at all.
Wolves aren’t usually dangerous to people.
They actually prefer to avoid people if possible and attacks are very rare.