His Adoption Papers

All About Wolves

The Fur

The fur of the wolf changes with the seasons.
After the cold winter it's fur thins so that it
is short over the summer, and by the next winter
the fur has grown long again so the wolf can
survive the cold. All hair in the main is
connected to muscles that makes it possible for
the wolf to raise its hair to look threatening
etc. This ability is important in communication
to other wolves and also a way to show other
animals how dangerous the wolf is.

Color

The normal wolf ( if it is such thing as a
"normal wolf" ) has gray fur with small areas
of white, black, yellow and brown hairs. The
whole range is from totally white wolves like
the polar wolf to totally black wolves as some
timber wolves and others. In between you will
find wolves in the colors gray, black, brown,
white, yellow and red. Wolves in the same area
usually have the same colors.

Paws

The front paws, that are bigger than the back
paws, have five toes. The back paws have only
four toes. If you look at the bottom center of
the paw you will discover that it is covered
with small, stiff hairs. This hair works both as
an insulation and as a grip to ice and other
slippery surfaces.

Senses

The wolf has well developed eyesight, hearing
and sense of smell. These tools are essential in
both hunting and communication with other
wolves. Smell is an important factor in a wolf's
life so a good sense of smell is necessary for
survival. They use it for tracking, hunting,
communication and a lot more.

The eyesight is terrific and a good aid in
hunting etc. The eyes are like almost all
predators pointed forward with a sight-field of
nearly 180 degrees (Compared to many preys
that have a sight-field of about 300 degrees.)

Their hearing is excellent and is used for
hunting, communication etc.

Communication

Wolves communicate with each other in a
variety of ways. They are best known for
their howls which are melodious, eerie and
spine tingling. Wolves howl to advertise their
presence and warn strange wolves away from
their territory, to gather the pack together
when they are separated, and as a kind of
bonding ceremony. Before a hunt pack members
gather, lick each other's muzzles and engage
in a group howl. Wolves do not howl at the
full moon. This misperception may have
developed because wolves will tend to hunt
on nights when the moon is full and
visibility is good. Wolves also have
sophisticated sign language. The position of
their tails, ears and lips let other wolves
know whether they are submissive, want to play
or are going to attack.

Social Behavior

Perhaps one of the reasons that humans have
feared and told stories about the wolf for so
many centuries is because its behavior is so
similar to ours. Wolves are highly social
animals that live in family units called packs.
Wolf packs usually consist of a breeding pair,
recent pups, and older offspring. Like humans,
some wolves stay with their families until
they die, others leave the pack during
adolescence in search of uninhabited
territory and a mate. The number of animals in
a pack varies depending on the size and
availability of prey in the pack's territory.
Packs rarely number more than 12. Only one
pair of animals in a pack mate and produce
pups. The average litter size is 5 to 6. The
whole pack participates in caring for and
raising the pups. During the spring and summer
all attention is focused on the pups, but in
the fall when the pups are strong enough to
keep up, the pack resumes its nomadic existence
within the territory.

A great warrior, a symbol of our earth's
vanishing wilderness, the wolf has been the
subject of stories, myths and folk tales for
centuries. The wolf is many things to different
cultures and interest groups. In point of fact,
the wolf is one of the most powerful and
elusive predators to wander this continent, and
it now faces the threat of extinction because
it has been so misunderstood by most people.

" Wolves are mirror images of our soul"

~ Anonymous ~