Externally, the common gray wolf looks very much like a dog, which is not surprising, because these animals have common ancestors. However, the wolf looks significantly larger. Wolf body length can reach 110-160 cm, tail length - up to 52 cm, height at withers varies from 60 to 90 cm, and body weight of this wild predator can reach up to 80 kg.
There were cases when the weight of individual wolves exceeded 92 kg. The average weight of wolves ranges from 30 to 65 kg. The size and weight of wolves depend on geographic location. The colder the climate, the larger the animal. Males are always larger than females.
The wolf animal has thick, rather long and warm fur, which consists of two layers, in connection with this wolf looks larger. The first layer of wolf fur is tougher and protects from dirt. The second is a waterproof undercoat, which protects the wolf from the cold and various extremes of nature. Animal gray The wolf looks menacing and dangerous and has a strong muscular body, tall, strong legs, and a large, broad-bellied head with pointed ears. The wolf's elongated and large muzzle with dark stripes is combined with almost white cheeks and light spots in the eye area. The wolf's massive muzzle is also very expressive. The tail of the gray wolf is quite long and is usually downward. Its movement and position allow us to judge about the predator's mood.
The wolf looks menacing and has a large muzzle.
The common wolf has a completely different coloration, depending on the habitat. In forests, it is gray-brown in color. In the tundra it is lighter, almost white. In the desert, it is grayish reddish. There are even white individuals, which are found in the Arctic, as well as red or almost black. The undercoat of the animal is always gray.
The wolf can be colored in different colors.
How is a wolf different from a dog? The wolf differs from the dog not only externally, but also by its tracks. The gray wolf's tracks are smoother than those of dogs and form an almost straight line. Also the wolf has a different length of trace, which is 9-11 cm and 6-7 cm wide, in wolf it is 7-9 cm and 5-6 cm. The wolf's two middle toes are more forward, the toes are not spread out and form a much more embossed footprint than in a dog.
The wolf is an animal that is the most common terrestrial predator. This wild animal has a wide range of habitat. The wolf lives mostly in cold countries and in different landscapes. In forests, steppes, deserts, taiga, tundra, forest-steppe and at the foot of mountains.
The wolf inhabits forests and steppes
Wolves live in many areas of Europe (from Russia to Portugal), Asia (from Korea to Georgia), and North America (from Alaska to Mexico). Larger wolves inhabit the tundra and smaller ones inhabit the southern regions. Curiously, in Russia the wolf is absent only on Sakhalin Island.
Wolf lives in the mountains
The common wolf is a territorial animal. Wolf packs live in conquered areas, the boundaries of which are marked with marks. In summer, when a wolf pack breaks up, the occupied territory is divided into several plots. The best of them is occupied by the main pair, and the rest of the wolves switch to a nomadic lifestyle.
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