The Gray Wolf
“Canis lupus”
Shelby Orr
Shelby Dodd
Katharine Benningfield
Samantha Sedlock
Taxonomy
 Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Canis
Genus:
Cladogram
Life Cycles of the Gray Wolf
 Life Span: 6 -10 years
 Mating Season: January and February
 9 week gestation period
 One litter per year
 Pups are born blind and deaf in litters of 5-7
 All wolves in the pack assist in raising wolf pups
and group feeding strengthen social bonds
Habitat
 Tundra
 Deserts
 Mountains
 Grasslands
 Temperate forests
 Why do they need to live in THESE places??
Social Structure
 Two Breeding Wolves
 Beta Wolf
 Omega Wolf
 Size of Pack
Howling
•Communication between the pack
•Declaration of territory
•Howl herd up to 10 miles away
•Most often during twilight hours
Lone Wolf
Chorus
Wolf
Growling
Diet
 Carnivores (meat eating)
 Primarily feed on medium to large sized
unregulates - “hoofed animals”
 As predators, gray wolves help maintain balance
in the food web.
 Regulate populations of their prey animals.
Trophic Hierachy
Tertiary
Consumers
Wolve
s
Secondary
Consumer
Primary Consumers
Primary Producers
Plants
Hunting
 Wolf pairs strategize when attacking large prey
 Kill large prey by tearing at their throat, severing
the windpipe.
 Pack status is reinforced during feeding.
Habitat Change
 How are they effected if they change habitats?
 Can they be domesticated?
Environmental Changes
 Global Warming
 Increase frequency and intensity of forest fires
 Wolves are at the top of the food chain
 Winters are shorter
 Habitat Destruction
 Yellow stone is being preserved
 In the 1900’s Wolves and Bison were over hunted
and disappeared from the Yellow Stone Area
Preserving the Wild
The Eeeeend