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Biology

 

         Wolves are the ancestors of our modern-day dogs. They’re large, fluffy canids that live in North, Central, and South America, along with most of Europe and Asia. They form complex social groups called “packs”, which are closer to a family than a hierarchy of unrelated members. The leaders of the pack are typically the mother and father, with the firstborn children taking care of younger pups. But some wolf packs consist of siblings, unrelated wolves, or a mix of wolf families.

Image by Eva Blue

An "alpha wolf" is like a job title; wolves don't earn it by being the biggest, strongest, or oldest, but by being the most suitable leader. And just like any job, if an "alpha wolf" proves to be a bad leader, they can be ousted from the pack!

When males get older, they usually leave their family packs and search for a mate. Female wolves will often stay with their families until a new male arrives, and the two break away to start their own pack. Sometimes, mated wolf pairs will stay with a larger group and foster the leader’s children. Wolf packs can be anywhere from 2 to 12 members, though there have been accounts of larger packs occurring in the past.

There are three wolf species in North America; gray wolves, eastern wolves, and red wolves. Though most wolf species live in the north, some like the Mexican gray wolf have ranges in the southwest , all the way through Central America. The Mexican gray wolf is one of the rarest species in the world, though recovery efforts are ongoing today!

This website was created as part of the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture ENHANCEMENT Grant (2020-38422-32257)

CREATED BY

Cyrillus Sidhe - Jenavey Ivey - Mariangel Varela

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