uncover

All About Wolves

How can understanding the facts about wolves help people peacefully coexist with them by reducing conflict?

To many people, wolves are very mysterious. To scientists, they are one of the most studied animals on earth. On this page you have a chance to find the answers to any of your questions about wolves. You’ll be going onto different web pages within the website Living with Wolves to gather information. You can also check out other website resources that are listed at the bottom of this page. 

*Living with Wolves is created by an education and research organization to help the general public understand the facts about wolves and how to coexist with them.

Start by watching this video to get the big picture about wolves, then start your own exploration to learn more.  

Go to the webpage  Meet the Wolf (Living with Wolves) and search for the facts listed below. 

 

1. Wolf Species. What's unique about the two species of wolves in North America?

  • What are some differences between the red wolf and the gray wolf?
  • What are some subspecies of wolves that you might have heard of before?
  • What is unique about the Mexican wolf and arctic wolf? 

2. What’s a pack? 

  • What are 3 interesting facts about a wolf pack?

3. Physical characteristics. How are these physical adaptations perfectly suited for the wolf? 

  • Choose some physical characteristics and explain how they help the wolf survive and thrive. 

4. Where do wolves live? (Timeline and Maps)

  1. Take a look at the maps. 
  2. Compare the area of the wolf’s former (historic) range and its current range in 2019. 
  3. List the states where wolves live today. 

5. The Trail of the Wolf. What's the historical timeline of wolves in North America? (Timeline and Maps)

This timeline of the wolf's lived experience with people spans 1870-2017. Choose one of the time periods below and summarize what happened to wolves.

  • 1970-1926
  • 1935-1996
  • 2005-2017

6. Statistics. What's the data say? 

  • What are three statistics that you find interesting?

More  about the pack, behavior, and physical adaptations

Pack Anatomy

3-2-1.

Go to this webpage and find:

3 ah-ha’s

2 questions

1 personal connection

For more, go to How Wolves Hunt (Living with Wolves)

Social Behavior

3-2-1.

Go to this webpage and find:

3 ah-ha’s

2 questions

1 personal connection

For more, go to The Social Wolf (Living with Wolves)

Explore the Wolf

Go to the interactive picture on this webpage.

Click the blinking circles on the drawing of the wolves to learn about its many remarkable physical and behavioral adaptations.

Other Websites About Wolves

A few other websites about wolves

International Wolf Center: Wolves of the World Studying Yellowstone’s Iconic Wolves  Gray Wolf: Defenders of Wildlife  Gray Wolf: National Wildlife Federation  Wolves: National Geographic  People and Predators - The Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence

"Reading" the News Report

  1. Why did the news channel do this story on the Mexican gray wolf?
  2. Who was interviewed?
  3. What message do they want the news story to convey?
  4. How do the two TV news anchors feel about this story? How could this affect the viewer?
References

References

  1. History of Wild Wolves from Mission: Wolf https://missionwolf.org/wild-wolves/
  2. Kimmerer, Robin Wall. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions.
  3. Kincentric Ecology: Indigenous Perceptions of the Human-Nature Relationship from the Ecological Society of America (2000). https://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/pdf/tek-salmon-2000.pdf
  4. An Interview with Dr. Allen “Chuck” Ross from Alternate Perceptions Magazine (2008). http://mysterious-america.com/dr.chuckross.html
  5. Šung'manitu-tanka Oyate from Lodge of Šung'manitu-Išna of Lakota. http://davestarn.com/lakota/Wolf/folklore.htm
  6. How Our Societies Work from First Peoples Worldwide. http://firstpeoples.org/how-our-societies-work.htm
  7. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy from American Wilderness Philosophy. https://www.iep.utm.edu/am-wild/
  8. The Myth of a Wilderness Without Humans from The MIT Press Reader. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-myth-of-a-wilderness-without-humans/
  9. The Trouble With Wilderness by William Cronon. https://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Cronon_Trouble_with_Wilderness_1995.pdf
  10. Wolves 101 from National Geographic Wild. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXMo5w9aMNs
  11. Wolf Wars: America’s Campaign to Eradicate the Wolf from PBS (2008). https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-wolf-that-changed-america-wolf-wars-americas-campaign-to-eradicate-the-wolf/4312/
Want to Learn even more about wolves?
Learn More