#algonquin wolf

algonquin wolf

ink and watercolor sketch, ~4x6"

prints: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/mxmorgan/algonquin-wolf/

Grey wolves are the largest canine species, usually weighing between 75 and 125 pounds (34 and 56.7 kg). The largest wolf ever recorded weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). This was a Mackenzie Valley wolf, and they are generally a lot larger than other grey wolf subspecies.

Although wolves in captivity have been observed with rigid roles in their packs like alpha, beta, “mid-rank”, and omega, this is not how it works in wild wolf packs. There are vague positions wolves have in a pack, but these are exaggerated in captivity when wolves are kept in close proximity to each other. Dispersal wolves, which are wolves who have left the pack they were born in, do sometimes join the packs of unrelated wolves, but wolf packs are usually just families. And in a family, of course the parents are going to be the most dominant. They are the “alpha” wolves. What people consider to be beta wolves would generally be older siblings- obviously less dominant than their parents but more dominant than siblings from newer litters. “Omega” wolves are believed to be extremely submissive, rejected, outcast wolves. It might appear to be like this in some cases, especially in captivity, but this role along with alpha and beta are clichés and rarely influence wild packs.

There is probably only one “true” wolf species in the world, and that’s the grey wolf. Many people believe that the Arctic wolf, timber wolf, or Eastern (Algonquin) wolf are different species, but they´re all subspecies of the grey wolf. Critically endangered red wolves are currently considered to be their own species, Canis rufus, but recent studies show that these wolves are likely the result of interbreeding between grey wolves and coyotes.

Domestic dogs are wolves too. They are considered to be a subspecies of the grey wolf just like Arctic and Eastern wolves are.

Just like red foxes aren't always red, grey wolves aren’t always grey. While the most common coat is agouti, which is a banded fur pattern consisting of grey, tan, black, and white, their coats can also have distinctive patterns or be solid colors. Wolves with mostly black fur are considered melanistic, which is sort of the opposite of albinism. They got this trait from domestic dogs that interbred with them centuries ago. Grey wolves very rarely come even close to being solid white, with the Arctic subspecies as an exception. Except for when they are young, since all wolves are born with brown fur, these Arctic wolves are almost always a solid white or cream color.

Found throughout much of North America, Europe, and Asia, grey wolves are second only to the red fox when it comes to distribution size among canines. In North America they generally hunt large prey like elk, moose, bison, and musk ox. In Europe and Asia they target musk deer, roe deer, and wild boar. Wolves in different regions or even individual packs specialize in hunting different prey. All wolves tend to hunt in a similar manner, running prey down using incredible stamina and sometimes chasing prey 30-40 miles (48.3-64.4 km) in a single day.

Many people believe that wolves howl at the moon. This is a cool idea, but it's a myth. Wolves do tend to howl with their faces pointed up towards the sky, but they only do that to help the sound carry farther. This way their howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. These howls are used to communicate with other wolves, sometimes to find members of their pack and other times to scare strange wolves away.

SUPER LONG POST OOPS

I rate the grey wolf 20/10. This is the animal ever

Photo credits:

Picture by Moira Fenner

Algonquin wolf (Canis lupus lycaon)