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The Wolf or Gray Wolf, (Canis lupus) is a mammal of the Canidae family and a close relative of the domestic dog.
Wolves once had a widespread distribution throughout the northern hemisphere. Human encroachment on their habitat and persecution of the animals themselves have drastically reduced their range.
Wolves functiona as social predators and hunt in packs organised according to a strict social hierarchy and led by an alpha male and alpha female.
Normally, only the alpha pair of the pack breed. This kind of organisation also occurs in other pack-hunting canids, such as the Indian dhole (Cuon alpinus) and the African Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus).
Much debate has occurred over the relationship between the wolf and the domestic dog. Some authorities see the wolf as the dog's direct ancestor, while others point to the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) as the most likely ancestor. In fact, the Canidae family has evolved fairly recently, and different species of the genus Canis can still interbreed to some extent.
Human Attitudes towards Wolves
People and wolves have a history of troubled relationships. Historically, humans have often viewed wolves as a danger or as nuisance to be destroyed. An opposing view suggests that wolves form a valuable part of the ecosystem and may even require protection. Often these views occur simultaneously and cause conflicts among differing groups of people, as one sees when a wildlife service or organization attempts to preserve vanishing wolves or to reintroduce wolves to a habitat.
Wolves in human folklore have the dominant image of a predator; however, interesting exceptions occur.
- Little Red Riding Hood and bad wolves
- Romulus and Remus and good wolves
- Children Raised by Wolves (see Feral children)
In the late 20th century an increased awareness of the beneficial nature of wolves arose, encouraged by books like Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat and nature documentaries as well as by classification of the species as endangered. Accordingly, while the stereotype of wolves still has influence, a significant portion of the public has gained a positive opinion of wolves as interesting, valuable and even noble animals. Thus parks with a visible wolf population have often become popular tourist attractions. For instance, visitors to Yellowstone National Park can often see wolves from the roads.
In other parks, tourists often participate in wolf howls, trying to make wolf-like howls in hopes that the resident wolves will answer. In fact, some nature-lovers have complained that this popularity has drawbacks since tourists sometimes intrude into wolf habitats and disturb them.
The species wolf is devided in several subspecies:
- Canis lupus - Gray wolf
- Canis lupus albus - White wolf
- Canis lupus alces - Kenai Peninsula wolf
- Canis lupus arabs - Arabian wolf
- Canis lupus arctos - Artic wolf
- Canis lupus baileyi - Mexican wolf
- Canis lupus beothucus - Newfoundland wolf
- Canis lupus bernardi - Bernard's wolf
- Canis lupus campestris - Steppe wolf
- Canis lupus chanco - Mongolian wolf
- Canis lupus columbianus - British Columbia wolf
- Canis lupus crassodon - Vancouver Island wolf
- Canis lupus cubanensis - Caspian Sea wolf
- Canis lupus deitanus - Spanish wolf
- Canis lupus desertorum - Asian desert wolf
- Canis lupus familiaris - Dog
- Canis lupus fuscus - Cascade Mountains wolf
- Canis lupus griseoalbus - Grey-white wolf
- Canis lupus hattai - Hokkaido wolf
- Canis lupus hudsonicus - Hudson wolf
- Canis lupus hodophilax - Honshu wolf
- Canis lupus irremotus - Northern Rocky Mountains wolf
- Canis lupus labradorius - Labrador wolf
- Canis lupus ligoni - Alexander Achipelago wolf
- Canis lupus lupus - Common gray wolf
- Canis lupus lycaon - Eastern timber wolf
- Canis lupus mackenzii - Northwest Territories wolf
- Canis lupus manningi - Baffin Island wolf
- Canis lupus minor - Austro-Hungarian wolf
- Canis lupus mogollonensis - Southwestern wolf
- Canis lupus monstrabilis - Texas wolf
- Canis lupus nubilus - Great Plains wolf
- Canis lupus occidentalis - Mackenzie Valley wolf
- Canis lupus orion - Greenland wolf
- Canis lupus pallipes - Indian wolf
- Canis lupus pambasileus - Alaska wolf
- Canis lupus signatus - Iberian wolf
- Canis lupus tundrarum - Tundra wolf
- Canis lupus youngi - Southern Rocky Mountains wolf
In films and television shows, while the image of wolves as dangerous predators commonly persists, numerous productions portray wolves as heroic characters. In literature, Rudyard Kipling and Jack London used sympathetic wolf characters. Many fantasy novels depict friendships between humans and wolves, and the comic book Elfquest centers around the Wolfrider elf tribe and its wolfpack.
See also:
- dingo - a predominantly Southern hemisphere wolf
- werewolf
- Wiktionary:Wolf
- Red Wolf (Scientific Name: Canis rufus)
- Arctic Wolf
- Dire wolf (Canis dirus)