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The wolf (Canis lupus; [b] pl.: wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America.More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey wolves, as popularly understood, only comprise naturally-occurring wild subspecies.
Their tooth and skull morphology indicates that they specialized in preying on now-extinct Pleistocene megafauna, and their tooth wear indicates that their behavior was different from modern wolves. [ 125 ] [ 9 ] [ 185 ] [ 186 ] This highlights the success of C. lupus as a species in adapting to different environmental conditions. [ 8 ]
They are described as a large, light-colored wolf but with black and white varying between individual wolves, with some all white or all black. The average body length ranges from 1.4 m (4.6 ft) to 1.96 m (6.4 ft) [ 18 ] [ 19 ] with a weight of the male averaging 100 lb (45 kg) and the heaviest recorded at 150 lb (68 kg).
Wolves in Slovakia, Ukraine, and Croatia may disperse into Hungary, where the lack of cover hinders the buildup of an autonomous population. Although wolves have special status in Hungary, they may be hunted with a year-round permit if they cause problems. [26] Romania has a large population of wolves, numbering 2500 animals.
A number of incidents involving aggressive wolves have occurred in Alert, Nunavut, where the wolves have lived in close proximity to the local weather station for decades and became habituated to humans. One of these wolves attacked 3 people, was shot, and tested positive for rabies. [20] Arctic wolf feeding on muskox carcass in Ellesmere Island
The presence of apex predators improves habitat quality and species viability down the food chain. This reintroduction could be a model for repairing ecosystems.
Encounters with Ethiopian wolves are usually antagonistic, with Ethiopian wolves dominating African wolves if the latter enter their territories, and vice versa. Although African wolves are inefficient rodent hunters and thus not in direct competition with Ethiopian wolves, it is likely that heavy human persecution prevents the former from ...
The Mexican wolf is the smallest of North America's gray wolf subspecies, [9] weighing 50–80 lb (23–36 kg) with an average height of 28–32 in (710–810 mm) and an average length of 5.5 ft (1.7 m). [10]