Wolf Facts

Height
The average height of a wolf at the shoulder is between two and three feet.

Weight
Female wolves weigh between 40 and 85 pounds, while males weigh between 50 and 120 pounds.

Food
Small animals and birds are the common prey of wolves, which also eat berries, but a pack may sometimes attack reindeer, sheep, and other large mammals, usually selecting weak, old, or very young animals for easier capture. When no live prey can be found, wolves feed on carrion.

Life Span
The wolf lifespan averages 8 to 9 years, but they can live up to 13 years.

Reproduction
The breeding season is in the spring, and the female has a litter of three to nine pups. The pups normally stay with the parents until the following winter but may remain much longer.

Colors
Most are gray, but wolves may be black, brown, white, yellow or red.

Habitat
Wolves are equally at home on prairies, in forestlands, and on all but the highest mountains, but they are not found on desert lands.

Interesting Facts
Parents and young constitute a basic pack, which establishes and defends a territory marked by urine and feces. Larger packs may also assemble, particularly in the winter; the pack leader is called the alpha male, and its mate is the alpha female.

The biting power of a wolf is 1,500 pounds of pressure per square inch. The strength of a wolf's jaws makes it possible to bite through a moose femur in six to eight bites.

Sub Species
There are three species of wolves in the world: the gray wolf, the red wolf and the Ethiopian (or Abyssinian) wolf. Some researchers believe the Ethiopian wolf is not truly a wolf, but actually a jackal.