Maybe you think you've never seen a wolf subspecies in its natural habitat, but you have: "Canis lupus familiaris" -- the dog. The largest wolf is the gray wolf, also known as the timber wolf. These animals used to be common throughout North America, but by the mids, most had been killed off.
Gray wolves are still considered endangered, but efforts to save them from extinction by reintroducing captive-bred wolves to wild habitats have been making progress. In , gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, which is now one of the best places to see and hear them. They can live just about anywhere, including mountains, forests and plains, where they can find enough prey. In the U. They're also found in Canada, Russia and a few countries in eastern Europe.
The Serengeti wolf is a subspecies of gray wolves. It is native to Africa and primarily found in the Serengeti region of Tanzania. While the Serengeti wolf is considered endangered, recent conservation efforts have helped maintain its population, estimated at 1, to 2, individuals. The wolf has a long history in Europe and Asia. In the early 20th century, wolves were seen as predators that needed to be eradicated from these regions. It was thought that they were going to completely wipe out the entire population of reindeer.
However, the wolf populations were not entirely exterminated from western Europe and Asia in the mid-to-lateth century. Many wolf populations continued to exist in wilderness areas, away from human influence. As a consequence of the increasing human population and economic growth, these areas have become surrounded by farms and cities. Human persecution of wolves is now considered one of the direct threats to wolf populations.
Europe and Asia today represent a vast region with many different kinds of wolves. Wolves present across the region, however, can be divided into two types. Gray wolves and red wolves. Gray wolves Canis lupus are the most common wolf species in Europe and Asia today. These wolves are easily recognized by their large size, shaggy pelt, and bushy tail.
They generally live in packs but can sometimes be found living in pairs as well. In several important respects, wolves are dependent upon the integrity of their habitat. Deforestation has had a substantial effect on the way of life of the wolves. It interferes with the prey, habitat, and even the ecosystem balance.
As a result, they have less food to hunt. Which increases tensions and leads to wolf attacks on humans. Over the past half-century, wolves have undergone a dramatic recovery in North America. Back from the brink of extinction, their populations are now flourishing in many regions. This characteristic has seen them withstand a lot of ecological and human stress. Although many conservation processes are going on, humans have to take a firm decision to protect the existence and habitat of these creatures to avoid extinction.
Gray wolves are the quintessential image we picture when we think of the species. Historically found throughout the entire northern hemisphere, these endangered carnivores are now mostly confined to the tundra, forests, grasslands and deserts of the US and Canada. A peripatetic species, gray wolf packs can cover territories that range from 10 square miles to 1, square miles, and they can do so for quite a long time. Members of the pack can live for 8 to 13 years in the wild and more than 15 in captivity.
The eastern timber wolf has long been classified as a subspecies of the gray wolf; however, a genetic study by the U. Fish and Wildlife Service in the journal "North American Fauna" has suggested the eastern timber wolf is its own distinct species. The pups are weaned at about six weeks. Adult pack members swallow meat and bring it back to the den for their pups.
After the adults regurgitate the food, the pups have a hearty meal. The mother wolf moves her pups to new den sites every couple of months until the fall, when the pack stops living at den sites. In the wild, wolves live 8 to 13 years, sometimes more. In captivity, they live upward of 15 years. The gray wolf's story is one of the most compelling tales of American wildlife. Once, the wolf was widespread across most of North America, but it was hunted ruthlessly and extirpated over most of its range.
Today the wolf is making a successful comeback in some of its former habitat due to strong conservation efforts. The gray wolf plays a vital role in the health and proper functioning of ecosystems. Gray wolves are the largest living wild canine species. Wolves are the wild ancestor of all our domesticated dogs, from poodles to bulldogs to greyhounds. Wolf packs usually hunt within a territory, which can range from 50 square miles square kilometers to over a 1, square miles 2, square kilometers.
Wolves often travel at five miles 8 kilometers an hour, but can reach speeds of 40 miles 64 kilometers an hour. Wolves howl to solidify pack bonds and warn other wolf packs to stay away—but despite popular belief, wolves don't howl at the moon. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it's too late, while creating sorely needed jobs.
More than one-third of U. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive. Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world.
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