Used to occur throughout North America, Europe and Asia, but range now significantly reduced, particularly in Europe.
The gray wolf is the largest of all wild canids, although the size varies noticeably through the range. The biggest wolves are found in the far north, where the males, which are invariably bigger than the females, can measure over 31 inches high at the shoulder and can weigh 176 lb. Their coloration is also variable and tends to correspond to the background color of their habitat. Colors vary from creamy white through sandy and reddish shades to gray and black.
Despite years of persecution, the gray wolf still has one of the widest distribution of all mammals, occurring throughout the northern hemisphere, above 15°N latitude. Today, following the dramatic decline in its range during recent centuries, remaining populations tend to be confined to remote areas, away from major areas of human settlement. In some places, such as Alaska and Northwest Territories, however, their range remains intact, and healthy populations of gray wolves are found there.
Moving further south, the situation changes dramatically. In the Northwest of the USA, the gray wolf is almost extinct.
It is significant that gray wolves remain numerous essentially in those parts of the world where they do not come into close contact and hence conflict with people. The human antagonism towards the wolf, which dates back to the dawn of history, remains widespread. Now with the advent of powerful firearms, as well as traps and poison, so the balance has swung inexorably against the wolf.
The risk to people from wolves is exceedingly low. Leaving aside attacks by rabid animals, there is virtually no evidence of attacks by wolves on people over the past century. There is some evidence from Italy that unaccompanied young children may have been killed by wolves, but even so, the popular reputation of the wolf as unrelenting killer of people is completely unjustified.
Yet this image remains one of the most powerful barriers to the conservation of the gray wolf.
The natural prey of wolves varies through their wide range. In the far north, it tends to be moose, while further south, red deer are frequent quarry. As these prey species have been eliminated in various ares, so the numbers of wolves have subsequently declined. The disappearance of natural prey species may force wolves into killing increasing nubers of farmstock, leading to even more conflict with people as a consequence. This is in turn speeds their decline.
Farmers often do not realize that in their defense of their livestock they are provoking further killing. Under normal circumstances, a wolf will eat its fill perhaps over the course of several days. But if it is being constantly harried, then it will tend to kill more frequently, eating what it can from the carcass, before moving on again to escape those pursuing it.
Contact with people has also meant greater mixing with between wolves and domestic dogs. In some cases, wolves will prey on dogs, which rank third in terms of their diet after carrion and sheep. But as wolf population becomes more isolated, and individuals are cut off from each other, so there is a tendency for wolves to mate with bigger domestic dogs. Resulting hybrid offspring have been recorded in countries throughout southern Europe.
The social structure within a wolf pack is complex, and there is always a strict hierarchy—"pecking order"—based ultimately on submission to the stronger male. Younger individuals constantly seek to improve their status within this hierarchy, and are ready to assert themselves as soon as an older wolf shows any sign of weakness. When the leader himself is overgrown, having been challenged or even killed by a strong young wolf, there is often a significant reshuffling throughout the pack as the new leader takes over.
Within any one wolf pack only the leader and his mate—the dominant pair—are likely to breed. Their aggressive behavior deters other members of the pack from mating, ensuring the best chances of survival for the leader's cubs. Mating takes place during the winter months, between January and April. The gestation period is typically around 63 days and on average six cubs are born, although up to 11 have been recorded. This is often at the end of a long tunnel, just wide enough at the entrance for the wolf to crawl in an becoming larger along the passway. The cubs are weaned soon after 2 months of age, with other members of the pack acting as helpers, providing food for the youngsters.
Young wolves leave the pack when they are about 1 year old, adopting a solitary lifestyle for a period. In due course, they may pair up and establish a territory. The interim period is fraught with danger, however, and solitary wolves are wary not only of human contact but also of coming across other wolf packs and their territory.
Under normal circumstances, pack members keep in touch with each other by howling. They may not always respond to the calls of a neighboring pack, because this reveals their position, leaving them open to attack. If the pack has recently made a kill, then it will almost inevitably reply to their neighbors, with a view to defending their food source if necessary. Scent-marking is also used to establish territorial claims, especially at the site of food caches.
Some of the territories may be maintained for over a decade, provided that food supplies remain constant. There is usually a barrier zone between adjacent packs, if no natural division exists. Trespassing into adjacent territory is a risky strategy, liable to result in serious fighting and mortalities, but may occur when a pack is facing starvation. Should a dominant wolf in one pack be killed at this stage, this group of wolves is likely to break up, leaving the other pack to take over their former territory.
On average, gray wolves are likely to leave between 8 and 16 years, although they have lived for 20 years in captivity. Perhaps no other wild canid faces a more uncertain future than the wolf. No less than 7 subspecies have become extinct in less than a century.
Not all surrendered meekly, however; some became wary of poisoned carcasses left out by hunters and became adept at avoiding traps or traveled for over 50 miles to escape from a hunting party. It is this resourcefulness on the part of the wolf that gives greatest encouragement to those working to assist its conservation. Here is a species that can adapt, whatever the circumstances, provided that it can be freed, at least partially, from constant human persecution.