Melville island wolf (lat. Canis Lupus Arctos), which is also called Arctic or Elsmir, lives on a group of Arctic islands located near North Americaas well as in the northern part of Greenland. I received my two names in honor of Melville and Elsmir Islands.

From other representatives of the kind of wolves are distinguished by small ears that help him keep warm in cold climates. In general, it has long been noticed that the farther in the north there is a particular subspecies of wolves, the smaller the size of the ears.

In general, in wildlife Always everything is harmonious. For example, Melville Wolf simply cannot be large, because a large individual is much more difficult to feed.

So, the average length of his body is within 90-180 cm, and the height to the shoulder is usually from 69 to 79 cm. The weight of an adult arctic wolf barely reaches up to 45 kg, although some particularly large and strong males can weigh 80 kg.

They are, as a rule, are the leaders of the flocks. By the way, the flocks themselves at Melville wolves are small - a maximum of 5-10 individuals. And here too, the inexorable rationality of nature is traced: if the group members are smaller, they will not be able to effectively hunt, if more, it will be difficult for them to get food for everyone.

And it's not so easy to get food by Elsmir wolves. Let's start with the fact that their diet includes deer, sheeps, hares and numerous rodents who do not want to get on the dining table to a flock of hungry wolves, so they came up with numerous ways to leave predators with a nose.

For example, at the sight of the danger, they are collected in a dense ring, inside which hides their females with young. Try to break through this barrier! Wolves have to make a lot of effort so that at least for a second to break the defense.

And the flourged deer? After all, they are simply impossible to catch up. Melville wolves are forced to arrange ambushes, "calculate" the weakest and most sick individuals, as well as pursue production in turn, waiting until it gets out of the forces. By the way, the wolves themselves get tired much more often, so only every tenth such hunt ends with a dense dinner.

Sometimes predators are lucky and they manage to lure into a snow trap of large, which, having failed into a snowdrift, cannot give a worthy to fasten to aggressors. But more often they have to be satisfied with the Torshi Arctic Hares or Small Rodents.

Sigor habitats imposed their imprint and on the reproduction of Elsmir Wolves. The female from the dominant couple in May-June is born only 2-3 young, compared with 4-5 amplifiers of other species.

They remain with the mother up to 2 years, and sexual maturity reaches only for three years. Since it is impossible to pull out the hole in the larger earth, the Wolf use any natural shelter: caves, cliffs and even small deepening in the ground.

In general, concern for the growing generation of this subspecies gray Wolf. No different from the customs of the fellow. The members of the flock also bring the prey to the nursing female and definite their grown brothers and sisters when they start to leave Logov briefly.

Melville wolf managed to retain almost the entire range of its original habitat. Just him, unlike other species, do not have to compete with a person, because the latter does not really like the difficult living conditions on the Arctic Islands.

Havory polar Wolf. Numerous space of polar regions. Polar nights are in these regions half a year, besides, these places are distinguished by a very harsh climate. In order to survive in these conditions, the wolf needed any feed that he was able to get. But despite all the difficulties, he perfectly adapted to such conditions. He can live for years with low temperatures, 5 months a year does not see the light and can live a week without food.

It turned out that the polar wolves live on the most fruitless territory, which only as food can provide them with hares and lemming, which are the most numerous groups that settled this territory. But in order to survive in these conditions, the wolves require mining more. For these purposes, northern deer and sheeps are well suited. But the fact is that they do not really like to enter the territory of predators. Therefore, the wolves have to pass thousands of kilometers in the search for mining.

In winter, small animals are hidden in the snow, and large go south. Wolves follow them to pounce on her sacrifice at one fine moment.

Flocks of wolves are formed from a dozen individuals. It includes: parents, their last litter and individuals who remained from previous litters.

Often, alpha male becomes the leader of the flock. His female refers to the hierarchy to beta. The rest are obeying.

Relations inside the flock occur in a complex language: movements, barking, growl. Leaders require submission, and subordinates express their obedience. They are either pressed against the ground, or fall on the back.

Fights between wolves to blood - a rare event. They warn the other flocks so that there are no clashes between them because of the territory or because of the female.

The lonely wolves are wolves who are looking for a place where they could create a new flock. On free territory, he leaves his labels in the form of urinary dot or feces in prominent places. Thus, he declares his rights to this territory.

Pairing occurs in February, ends in April. Young tolerate 61-75 days. US $ 4-5 are born.

In the period from the fall in the winter, the pack goes on large territories. After the end of the marriage season, the female leaves the flock in order to prepare a lair. She can dig a new lair, but if the Earth is too freezing, then she will be able to paint in the old lair.

Volctera appear S. closed eyes. Also, they are underdeveloped ear holes. But after a month from helplessness and the trace does not remain. They are able to eat half-welded food, jumped up by the male, who brings food to the lair, thereby showing care of the offspring.

If the wolf for a long time did not eat, then he can eat 10 kilograms of meat at a time.

The polar wolves have a well-developed rumor.

Wool color gives some disguise, merging with snow. When hunting for shebities, deer, caribou, the wolves can run more than a hundred kilometers.

The polar wolves have all the properties to be called the hosts of the Arctic. They have excellent frost resistance, they have developed night vision, beautiful hunters skills. These qualities give them the full right to this title.

Everyone remembers the fairy tale about the gray wolf, which we were told in childhood. So who is actually a wolf? Image from a fairy tale or a dangerous animal? Common wolf is large predator Psi family. Gray Wolf is the master of the tundra and taiga, hardy and very smart Beast. In this article you will find a description and photo of the Wolf, learn a lot of interesting things about the harsh life of this terrible predator.

Externally, the wolf gray ordinary is very similar to the dog, which is not surprising, because these animals have common ancestors. However, the wolf looks significantly larger. The wolf body length can reach 110-160 cm, the tail length is up to 52 cm, the height in the withers ranges from 60 to 90 cm, and the mass of the wild predator body can reach up to 80 kg.

There were cases when the weight of individual individuals exceeded 92 kg. Medium weight Volkov varies from 30 to 65 kg. Dimensions and mass of wolves depend on geographical location. The colder climate, the larger the animal. Male always larger females.


An animal wolf has a thick, pretty long and warm fur, which consists of two layers, in connection with this, the wolf looks larger. The first layer of wolf wolf is tougher and protects against dirt. The second is a waterproof undercoat that protects the wolf from the cold and various extreme Conditions Nature. An animal gray wolf is very hardy.


Wolf looks threatening and dangerous beast, has a strong muscular body, high strong paws and a large broad head with sharp ears. The elongated and large muzzle with dark stripes are combined with almost white cheeks and blond stains in the eye area. The massive face of the wolf is also very expressive. The tail at the gray wolf is quite long and is usually lowered down. On his movement and position, you can judge the mood of the predator.


The wolf ordinary has a completely different color, depending on the habitat. In the forests - this is a gray-brown color. In the tundra - brighter, almost white. In the desert - grayish-reddish. There are even white individuals who are found in the Arctic, as well as red or almost black. Bloodstock at the beast is always gray.


What is the wolf different from the dog? The wolf ordinary is different from the dog not only externally, but also with its traces. The track tracks at the gray wolf is smoother than in dogs, and forms almost a direct line. Also, the wolf has another track length, which is 9-11 cm, and the width is 6-7 cm, the Wolf is 7-9 cm and 5-6 cm. Two middle fingers of the wolf paws are more removed forward, the fingers are not spread and form Significantly more relief imprint than a dog.

Where do wolves live?

Wolf - Animal, which is the most common land predator. This wild animal has a wide habitat. The wolf lives predominantly in cold countries and on various landscapes. In the forests, steppes, deserts, taiga, tundra, forest-steppe and the foot of the mountains.


Wolves live in many areas of Europe (from Russia to Portugal), Asia (from Korea to Georgia) and North America (from Alaska to Mexico). Large individuals inhabit the tundra, and small - southern regions. It is curious that in Russia the wolf is not only on the island of Sakhalin.


Wolf ordinary - an animal territorial. Flocks of wolves live in the conquered areas whose boundaries are denoted by tags. In summer, when wolf Pack Disintegrate, the occupied territory is divided into several sections. The best of them occupies the main pair, and the remaining wolves go to the wool lifestyle.

How do wolves live?

Wolf ordinary - the animal is social. Therefore, the wolves live with flocks, they are hunting together, play and even hundreds. Wolf flock is a family group that consists of animals of different ages And it can consist from 3 to 40 individuals. Flyers manages a leader or mate Wolf - the dominant individual of the male. This is the smartest, wise and strong male in the wolf pack. The leader of the flock has a girlfriend - the dominant female. Together they form a pair, thereby combining other wolves around themselves - this is the wolf pack.


A flock of wolves has its hierarchy. The leader in the flock has an indisputable authority. This is a wise leader and he is friendly in relation to all members of the flock. But strangers Materia Wolf meets exclusively aggressively. A beta-male is often present in the flock - the most likely successor to the leader. This is usually a common son of a leading couple or brother of the leading male. The challenger in the seat of the head of the pack periodically demonstrates aggression to Alf-males, as if checking his status, as it is ready to take his place at any time.

A wolf who independently left the flock or was expelled, called a lonely wolf. Such animals have every chance to create their own flocks.


Wolves live relying on their feelings. They use these feelings for hunting and communicating with other wolves. Lovely ear beast allows you to hear the spelling wolf at a distance of seven kilometers. Their smell is 100 times stronger than those of people. Gray wolf is able to run at a speed of 55 km / h.

Wolves live in flocks and each flock has their own hunting plot that animals are carefully guarded from other wolves. In a flock where the leader follows the order, wolves live peacefully and do not fight. The clashes happen to strangers and lonely wolves that broke the border of the site. Each wolf pack has its own territory and hunts only on it.


The hosts carefully guard and swell their territory, leave scratches on the fallen trees or old stumps. Thus, they give to understand what is better to stay away. Unexpected guests are punished, such brutal laws Wolf flock. Wolfwhich hears around - a warning method that the territory is already busy.


The size of the family territory of the common wolf depends on the landscape and varies from 50 to 1500 km². Survival of flock depends on the size of its hunting grounds, so wolves carefully protect them. If food on family hunting site More than enough, then several generations of wolves will live on one site. The biggest hunting of wolves are found in open landscapes of tundra and steppes and make up 1000-1250 km². In the forest zone, they are significantly smaller - 200-250 km².

When the wolves have no little young, they roame. Wolves are walking both in styles and alone. As a result, animals sometimes appear in areas where the wolves have not seen several years. Washing wolves per night run up to 70 kilometers.


In flocks, gray wolves are collected in winter. If the snow is deep, the wolves in the flock go housik. Each animal follows each other, stepping as possible in the same trace. The wolf ordinary is very chiter. Therefore, learn in the footsteps, from which amount of wolves is a pack, very difficult.

Why do wolves spend? Wolves are wolf, because howl is a way to communicate with each other. With the help of the Warm Wolves, they find out where members of their family are, declare the capture of mining and seizing the territory, or simply - to chat with relatives. Wolves spend usually in late evening hours. During the year, the wolves most often will be treated in winter when the number of members of the flock reaches its maximum. Wolves begin to lift more actively by the end of summer and with the beginning of autumn, as well as when the puppies lead the family site and begin to move its territory.


What feeds the wolf and how does it hunt?

The wolf is a non-addictive predator. In the basic diet of the wolf of the ordinary include large empty animals: deer, moose, saigas, rams and goats. But the wolf eats also with hares, various rodents and birds, because it is not additive. Sometimes wolves can eat dead members of the flock.


Large livestock accumulations attract wild and predatory wolf. Therefore, near the farms to meet a gray wolf - the usual thing. The wolf feeds on meat, so on average the beast requires 3-4.5 kg of meat per day. Wolves are equipped with their feed. Satisfied, the animal wolf bursts the remaining pieces of meat. Without food, wolves can cost more than two weeks. IN summer period The wolf's ration includes vegetable feed, so the summer wolf is also fed by fruit and berries.

The principles of wolf hunting are very diverse. IN winter time Wolves hunt collectively on large ungulates. This kind of hunting wolves apply in winter. The main advantage of the Winter Wolf Hunt is the presence of a snow cover, along which he easily moves. Snow hoofed animals makes it difficult to escape from the wolf - wild and predatory animal.


It is curious that the collective hunt of wolves provides for the distribution of responsibilities: part of the pack involved in the pursuit of prey, and the other cut the path of production. On the hunt, the wolf's nose is the main adviser. He suggests wild predatorwhere you need to look for prey. Wolves feel the smell of even a small animal, which is in a pair of kilometers from them. It is with the help of acute sense of smell that the wolves can pursue the victim in the footsteps. The wolf hunts almost silently.


The main weapon of the wolf are teeth. Sharp fangs of a length of 5 cm wolf keeps and drags the victim, and the rest of the teeth - separates the game. Wolf's teeth are not only his weapon, but also protection, so their loss is destructive for the animal.


The wolves kill particularly large hoofed animals, attacking the whole packs and attack until their victim falls. At the same time, the championship to enjoy prey on the right belongs to the leader and his female, they eat the best pieces of carcasses.

The wolf hunts very carefully. Imperceptibly squeezing to the animal, a clever jump grabs him for the throat and licks to the ground. Maybe there is a clock in the ambush and wait for the extraction of the whole day. Often they can follow the flock of empty animals, predators do not give out their presence, and wait for a convenient moment to attack.


Wolves are very cunning, in pursuit they stop persecution, giving prey to go far ahead. When the victim reduces the speed, the wolf attacks again. Often wolves attack foxes. But most often they do not eat them. Attacking the flock of livestock, wolves can distract dogs. Part of the wolf flock attacks dogs, and the rest - on the herd.


Wolves are very well oriented on the ground. Many flocks use the same areas of the territory for the end of the victim in a dead end. Having hunting for rodents, the wolf jumps to prey, presses her paw and eats. This hunting is common for wolves in the summer.

In the summer, the pack is divided and predators live singly or small groups. Wolves feed on various animals using worked hunting techniques. IN summer time Most often, the wolf feeds on the hares. But even with all the calculated moves and deft maneuvers in the hunt, it ends not always successfully.

Young wolf - the birth of puppies. How does a flock briefly?

Wolf Lair is a Nora, where the Wolf takes the young wolf. Wolves arrange the lair in secluded places. At the same time the place should have good review. Often wolves use empty holes of other animals as a log house.


Wolves breed annually in January-February, for the first time the period of reproduction occurs at the age of 2-3 years. The duration of the pregnancy of the Wolf is about two months. Spring in the lair appear young wolf. Usually the female is born from 4 to 8 wcrways. The wolf puppies are born with deaf and blind, the first days of the life of the kids of the Wolf is constantly near. They begin to see and hear about 10-12 days of life.


Three weeks of the young wolf first come out of the Logov and begin to try meat at the same time. Participation in the cultivation and cultivation of the wipe takes the whole pack. Wolves bring the best meat to the lair with kids.


Little Volcchat color has a grayish brown shade, which changes with age. At the age of 2 months, the Volctera leaves the Logov, but still keep nearby holes. Such places are protected by vegetation from other people's views. Wolf puppies learn the basics of hunting, attack shredder and mice.


The young wolf grow rapidly and their weight increases almost 30 times in the first four months. Newborn wickeds have a blue eye color. At the age of 8 months, the eyes of the wipe change to yellow. By the end of the first winter after the birth of Volctera reach adult sizes. Live wolf ordinary 12-15 years.

Do you need wolves and why?

Why do we need wolves, because for a person a wolf is an enemy. It is dangerous for people and exterminates livestock. Gradually, the struggle of people with wolves led to a reduction in their numbers. But wildly predatory animal wolf ordinary plays important role In the balance of the ecological system.


Wolves are needed to regulate the population of large ungulates. Also, wolves are a kind of "sanitary", since destroying patients of animals, wolves do not give to disseminate diseases. Hunting on weak animals contributes to the survival of the strongest.

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Polar Wolf (Canis Lupus Tundrorum) - the subspecies of the wolf.


These wolves live in the harsh Arctic areas of Canada, in Alaska, in the north of Greenland and Russia. For this region, strong ice winds are characterized, snow drifts, cracific frosts and eternal Frost. It would seem to survive in such conditions almost impossible. However, the beast exists in the Arctic region is not one hundred thousand years. This subspecies fully retained its natural medium habitat unlike gray, red and other wolves. The reason for this is that a person is very rarely in harsh and cold lands, which are their home for the polar wolf.



The polar wolf has everything you need for existence in the Arctic: warm, non-wind coat, sharp vision, ability to hunt and magnificent scent. From the gray inhabitant, the polar wolf is distinguished by a pinch and warm, almost white fur coat. Usually wolves have a height in the withers of 90-100 cm, the weight of an adult animal is 70-90 kg. Females are 15% smaller males.



By nature, the wolves are drawn to each other, help themselves like this and at the same time a hierarchy tightly observe, on top of which the leader and his chosen one; The male at the head of the pack has more powers than his wolf, and every beast rank down well knows his place and status. If something happens to the leader or a wolf's mother, the released place will get to someone else, but competition for the place at the head of the pack rarely leads to a fight: wolves understand that the clarification of the relationship of this kind can fail an indispensable in the hunt " combat Unit"Therefore, the confrontation of the members of one flock is purely symbolic. However, any wolf, having occupying his niche in the flock, would like to rise higher, and when the whole pack is going together, complex rituals begin, during which the beasts are checked if the previous Order. It happens that in such a game, someone pushes the leader, and he, being in the background, can not always come to the defeat and leaves the flock forever.



Give puppies B. family group He has the right only a female leader. Volctera from other females are immediately destroyed. These are the harsh laws of the tundra: too much mouths are very difficult to feed.


Build a lair polar wolf in deaf places, usually in the upper reaches large rivers, in ravines overgrown with shrubs. The offspring brings once a year. The pregnancy of the Wolf lasts up to 75 days, in the brood from 2 to 5, we are waggged. Newborn appear on the light blind and helpless when weighing 400 grams. The first one and a half hundred and a half of the Wolf thoughtfully, without leaving the logow, flicks the milk, as well as partially half-welded meat, jumped by the male. In the first four months, the wharf is growing truly with fantastic speed - thirty times increase in weight. Then their growth drops sharply.



Polar Wolf - very thoughtful parent. But other members of the flock also take care of the babies. If the mother goes hunting, then young wolves follow the cubs. When the feed is not enough, the whole flock is fed by fizzling them in the mouth. Two or three months later, waggls can already be broken after the pack, and all wolf family Leaving. Wolf siblings are in parents for several years, master the wisdom of hunting and the last time they leave to acquire their own flocks.



Wolves can be called fitlights - they eat everything that can be caught, and everyone who is weaker than them. In the summer of the wolves, oddly enough, poultry, frogs, beetles and even vegetarian dishes from forest fruits and lichens. In the autumn and winter period, the pack migrates in more feed areas. She moves south after the reindeer. These animals, as well as shepherds are the main large game, which is extracted by polar predators. They also eat polar hares and lemming.

The pursuit of the victim of wolves lead skillfully, using ambushes, replacing riders. Features Successfully wolves hunt on deer in the spring, when the pretty falls, the deer fails in the snow and the predator quickly overtakes the victim.



Healthy and strong hoofs, by and large, there is nothing to be afraid of wolves, so the flock always looks out for young, old or sick animals, which are easier to catch. It is clearly visible when the wolf flock attacks herd nordic deer or shezbikov, wolves rush on young individuals, and the weakest of them become easy prey. Attacking the flock, wolves are trying to create panic in it to drive a future victim and easy to fill it. If the herd will be able to regroup and adult animals surround the kids with a wall of solid hoofs and terrible horns, wolves will leave, slamming, but they will still be made to watch out the movements of weak or sick individuals seen in the herd.



The first hunger will quench the leader, drinking the best pieces and smearing the blood of the victim; Other wolves are interpreted by God, waiting for its turn and shares; If the meat remains, wolves will pace it to the ground. In one time the wolf can eat up to 10 kg of meat, and it will not miss it, finally a good bone ablosion. If a small animal fell for lunch to lunch, he will eat it entirely, even with a skirt. The wolf quenches his hunger thoroughly - because 90% of his hunting collections end in failure, and sometimes for good hunt it should scour several days.



A smart predator tries to avoid meeting a man. The paths of a person and the wolf intersect on one object - the northern deer. Can not be allowed to conflict wild beast And the person converts into the blind, an evil war on the full extermination of the beast, as it was in other countries, let's say in Japan, Mexico, Iceland, where wolves are completely exterminated.



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Melville Island Wolf (Lat. Canis Lupus Arctos), and also called Arctic or Elsmir, lives on the group of Arctic islands located near North America, as well as in the northern part of Greenland. I received my two names in honor of Melville and Elsmir Islands.

Flickr / Frankinho.

From other representatives of the kind of wolves, a snow-white color and small ears are distinguished that help him keep warm in cold climate. In general, it has long been noticed that the farther in the north there is a particular subspecies of wolves, the smaller the size of the ears.


flickr / kingarfer.

In general, in the wild, everything is always harmonious. For example, Melville Wolf simply cannot be large, because a large individual is much more difficult to feed.


flickr / Christian.

So, the average length of his body is within 90-180 cm, and the height to the shoulder is usually from 69 to 79 cm. The weight of an adult arctic wolf barely reaches up to 45 kg, although some particularly large and strong males can weigh 80 kg.


flickr / mandragon.de.

They are, as a rule, are the leaders of the flocks. By the way, the flocks themselves at Melville wolves are small - a maximum of 5-10 individuals. And here too, the inexorable rationality of nature is traced: if the group members are smaller, they will not be able to effectively hunt, if more, it will be difficult for them to get food for everyone.


flickr / Christian.

And it's not so easy to get food by Elsmir wolves. Let's start with the fact that their diet includes deer, sheeps, lemmings, hares and numerous rodents who do not want to get on the dining table to a flock of hungry wolves, so they came up with numerous ways to leave predators with the nose.

flickr / Lorenz Sommer

For example, shessbikes at the sight of danger are collected in a dense ring, inside which hide their females with young. Try to break through this barrier! Wolves have to make a lot of effort so that at least for a second to break the defense.


flickr / ullysses.

And the flourged deer? After all, they are simply impossible to catch up. Melville wolves are forced to arrange ambushes, "calculate" the weakest and most sick individuals, as well as pursue production in turn, waiting until it gets out of the forces. By the way, the wolves themselves get tired much more often, so only every tenth such hunt ends with a dense dinner.


flickr / mandragon.de.

Sometimes predators are lucky and they manage to lure into the snow trap of a large moose, which, having fallen into a snowdrift, cannot give a worthy stomp by the aggressors. But more often they have to be satisfied with the Torshi Arctic Hares or Small Rodents.


flickr / Mpuffe.

Sigor habitats imposed their imprint and on the reproduction of Elsmir Wolves. The female from the dominant couple in May-June is born only 2-3 young, compared with 4-5 amplifiers of other species. By the way, B. favorable conditionsFor example, in the zoo, a lot is born a lot.

Little wipe color of fur is not white, like adult Arctic wolves, and masking - earthy, brownish. In nature, you can not at all notice these wicked, even if you go close to their hole.

They remain with the mother up to 2 years, and sexual maturity reaches only for three years. Since it is impossible to pull out the hole in the larger earth, the Wolf use any natural shelter: caves, cliffs and even small deepening in the ground.

In general, the concern for the younger generation of this subspecies of the gray wolf is no different from the customs of fellow. The members of the flock also bring the prey to the nursing female and definite their grown brothers and sisters when they start to leave Logov briefly.

Melville wolf managed to retain almost the entire range of its original habitat. It's just that he, unlike other species, does not have to compete with a person, because the latter does not really like the difficult living conditions on the Arctic Islands and may therefore it has a calm and non-aggressive character in person.


flickr / mandragon.de.