Timber Wolf - Photos by Bruce Dayton - Timber Wolf (Canus lupus)

ORDER: Carnivora (Carnivores)
FAMILY: Canidae (Dogs)
SPECIES: Timber Wolf (Canis lupus)

Timber Wolf (Canis lupus)
Timber wolves are found in various parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. - Also known as the Gray wolf, the Timber wolf is the largest of the wild dogs. - The habitat of the Timber Wolf is the wilderness forests and Tundra. - Their color ranges from nearly white to nearly black, but are usually grayish. - They communicate through posture, voice, and scent. - They travel in packs, a very complex and strict organization lead by the alpha, or dominate male. - Wolves are beneficial as they feed on weak and diseased members of big game herds. - Wolves are considered to be a keystone species. -
SIZE	The Timber Wolf is the largest member of the genus Canis. Its shoulder height ranges from 0.6 to 0.9 meters (24–36 inches) and its weight typically varies between 32 and 62 kilograms (70–135 pounds).
DESCRIPTION	Wolves have distinct winter and summer pelages that alternate in spring and autumn. Wolves have bulky coats consisting of two layers. The first layer is made up of tough guard hairs designed to repel water and dirt. The second is a dense underfur, that is water-resistant and insulates them from the cold. They have gray, black, and light brown upper-body fur and yellowish-white fur on their legs and under-body. Some subspecies have pure white or black coats. Sexual Dimorphism: Male about 20% larger than female.
MATING	Mating occurs between the months of January and April, (gestation period between 60 and 65 days) with northern populations breeding later in the season than southern populations. the female digs a den in which to raise her young. Pups are born in the den and will remain there for several weeks after birth. Pups are cared for by all members of the pack.
BEHAVIOR	Wolves are an extremely social animal. They exist as a social unit called a pack (a group that gathers together to make hunting and other ways of surviving easier). The head of the pack are a mated pair, the alpha male and the alpha female. The rest of the pack is usually their off-spring for the last couple of years. Packs may have as few as 6 or 7 members and as many as 30. Each member of the pack has a position to fill, except for the juvenile pups. Wolves are territorial (claim an area of land as their own and to keep strange members of their species out by using warnings of fighting, it needed.) They can reach up to 45 mph in a short sprint. Wolves use urine to mark the boundaries of their territory (Scent Marking). Alpha Male and Female: The leaders of the pack. Beta Male: the male wolf second in rank to the alpha male. They can reach up to 45 mph in a short sprint.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE	Timber Wolves are one of the most wide ranging land animals. These highly adaptive animals once inhabited a variety of biomes within North America including boreal forest, temperate deciduous forest and temperate grassland. Due to habitat destruction and widespread hunting, the Timber Wolf populations are now found only in a few areas of the contiguous United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico (relatively few), and Eurasia.
HABITAT	The habitat of the Timber Wolf is the wilderness forests and Tundra. Wolves have lived in all habitats in the Northern Hemisphere.
DIET	Timber Wolves are carnivores, often preying on animals larger than they are, including elk, caribou, and deer, as well as other small animals such as rabbits, beavers and even mice.

INTERESTING FACTS

Keystone Species

Within a habitat or ecosystem, all the plants and animals living there connect to and depend on the others to contribute to the functioning and integrity of that ecological community. All species of plant and animal have a role to play to keep this community alive, healthy and thriving. A species that plays a lesser role may disappear and it may have only a very slight affect on the overall vitality of the area.

Some species play a key role and provide an essential service in the overall scheme of things. A species that plays a pivotal role in the habitat is considered a keystone species. If this keystone species is removed, its removal initiates dramatic changes in the ecosystem. The loss of the keystone species will trigger the loss of other resident species. As these interconnections are lost, the connections that made the community function begins to unravel. This domino effect causes loss of still more species. In time, as changes come to the habitat, it becomes less effective, and a new landscape is formed. The original habitat may be lost forever, and some of the species may become extinct, unless their is a similar habitat to this in some other part of the world.

Example: Wolves are considered both a keystone and an umbrella species.


CLICK ON PICTURES FOR ENLARGED IMAGE

Timber Wolf (Gray Wolf) (Canis lupus)

Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo Rome Township - Oneida County, New York


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