Facts about Wolves
Wolves help in keeping ecosystems healthy by keeping deer and elk population in check. They are the largest member of the Canidae family that also includes domestic dogs, coyotes etc. They are excellent hunters and use a spine-tingling howl to communicate with each other. They also communicate through facial expressions. During a chase, a wolf can run at a speed of 65 kmph. Wolves have about 200 million scent cells that give them an excellent sense of smell. We, humans have only about 5 million scent cells.
Quick Facts: –
- Wolf has the largest bite pressure of any canine as its jaw has incredible crushing power.
- They breed once in a year and have a gestation period of 63-65 days.
- A litter can consist of cubs anywhere from 1 to 10.
- At the time of birth, wolf pups are blind and deaf. They start seeing and hearing the world around them after 15 days.
- They are born with blue eyes but the colour turns yellow when they are about eight months old.
- They run on their toes so that they can stop and turn quickly.
- Wolves are extremely territorial creatures and keep a distinct home territory.
- They do not make good guards as they are naturally afraid of strangers. They hide themselves instead of barking.
- They are social animals and prefer to live in small groups called packs.
- In a pack, only alpha male and alpha female mate and bear pups. Other members just help raise and babysit the cubs.
- A wolf can swim distances of up to 8 miles with the help of the small webs between their toes.
