In the eyes of a child, a wolf is an animal from a fairy tale; for adults, a wolf is a character in films about werewolves. This is based on the fact that now people have captured the continuous television. You just need to watch more than just an entertaining movie, sometimes you should pay attention to documentary programs about life. Then you can learn a lot of interesting, most important, reliable information about wolves. For example, how they behave in their natural habitat, how long a wolf lives in nature, what enemies threaten ... By reading this article, you can make sure that this is not such a terrible and unprincipled animal, as shown in horror movies and fairy tales.
Wolf is a typical predator
In the animal world, the wolf is considered the most typical predator. Together with their closest "relatives" - coyotes, jackals, wild dogs, they honorably occupy their place in the wolf family. Real wolves in the world are only 2 species - red and gray.
It will not take much time to describe the appearance of this predator, there is no person who does not know what a wolf looks like. There are all the signs of a real predator! The body is slim and at the same time tightly knocked down, legs are long, designed for long transitions and fast running (a wolf can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h), the muzzle is elongated. All this is accompanied by the obligatory “decoration” of a predator - two rows of large and sharp teeth (with one bite, a wolf gnaws a sheep’s throat). The claws on the paws are dull, they grind from walking, these animals move a lot. It’s not in vain that the people say: “Wolf feed the feet!”
The size and color of predators depends on their location. The northern representatives of this genus are rather large, with wool of light gray almost white color. Predatory inhabitants of the middle strip are of usual gray color, but among them there are rare handsome men whose fur is completely black. Wolves from the southern area are brown and red, in size they are noticeably inferior to their relatives. Their weight and size are very small compared to the northern "brothers".
In what area does the wolf live in nature?
Life of wolves is quite possible in any locality, it would be so, but man applied his evil will to this. People persistently exterminated these predators in order to drive them away from their homes. So it turns out that the lifespan of a wolf in nature largely depends on human activities.
These hardy predators live in different places and in any climate. It is possible to meet them in the wild in the mountains, forests, steppes and tundra. Unfortunately, only in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and France, our contemporaries cannot see the wolf in the wild, in these countries animals are simply exterminated. You can admire them only in zoos. Here is such a sad fact.
Wolf lifestyle in the natural environment
A wolf pack usually consists of 10-30 predators; these are pack animals. At the head of each family, as expected, is an older couple of parents. Life of wolves in the wild very interesting! Animals live in their community according to “wolf” laws, only in the good sense of this definition. The leader maintains strict discipline, distributes duties in an equitable manner and shares the loot. Beasts “talk” among themselves with the help of facial expressions and gestures. A simple grin of an alpha male and alpha females can replace a naughty relative.
The life of wolves can tell us another interesting detail. A dominant couple always proudly holds their tail up, showing others their superiority. The members of the pack, standing one step lower in rank, try to make the tail an even extension of the body. The lower the position of the animal in the family, the lower the tail falls. The weakest hold him tight, despite his low position, no one dares to offend them. On the contrary, they can count on protection and a share of production, unless they themselves run into rudeness.
The mating season and procreation
The life expectancy of wolves is not so long, given all the dangers that await them in nature. During their life, animals must have time to leave offspring, so that their race continues. This is the law of nature! Wolves bring puppies once a year.
The mating season begins in winter, the race of one pair lasts for 5-10 days, pregnancy lasts 60-64 days. In the spring in the hole a pair of wolves already screaming wolf cubs. Usually in a brood there are from 3 to 5 babies, they are born blind and helpless, for a whole month and a nose they do not show from the den. From 1.5 months they become real predators and begin to eat meat, however, it is semi-digested, for the puppies it is belching the father of the family. The wolves create their pairs for life, only in the event of the death of one of the spouses does the remaining one look for a new life partner, parents take care of the growing babies on equal terms.
Life span of wolves in nature
Wolves have few enemies among animals, they are brave and hardy, they have excellent hearing and keen eyesight, they don’t have much to fear. If this beast enters the battle, then fights until the last breath. His main enemies are man and hunger! During a feedless diet many young inexperienced animals die, those older ones also suffer losses from this invisible enemy. As for people, it is they who kill the largest number of animals.
Life span of wolves in nature about 6-10 years, but rarely the animal rarely survives to a very old age. Nature lovers know the Arctic wolf, which was called the Sword, scientists have watched his life. They recorded this beast as a long-lived wildlife, he managed to survive to 13 years. But there are very few such "grandfathers" in the wolf family.
Life expectancy of captive wolves
Wolves, like many other animals, live in captivity. They can be seen in zoos, even in our time there are many private possessions, in the territory of which wolves run as pets. They are well tamed, but they hardly give in to training, keeping in captivity the wild pride of the beast. The wolf will not suck up to the owner, as the dog does.
Under the protection of man, being in captivity, a wolf can live up to 15 years. In this case, he is not threatened by his worst enemies - hunger and the man himself. Under good conditions, with good nutrition, including everything necessary for a predator, a wolf can live 17-18 years.