An interesting fact about wolves. Wolf and wolf

What do people know about wolves? What qualities of the wolf are the first to come to mind when it comes to these animals? Surely you think that they are dangerous and cruel, treacherous and treacherous. However, those who know almost nothing about the life of these animals think like that. In this article, we will try to talk a little more about them. Perhaps some interesting fact about wolves will force you to change your attitude towards them.

The genus Lupus (wolves)

This genus combines wolves, jackals, coyotes, dogs. These are the largest representatives of the wolf. All foxes, foxes, a mangy wolf and a raccoon dog belong to it .

Each wolf is endowed with its character - there are individuals cautious, self-confident and cocky, some of them behave freely and freely in the community of their fellow tribesmen, while others prefer to stay in the shadow of their more active relatives.

Wolves live in the plains of the northern hemisphere, as well as in the mountains and forests. Unfortunately, in some countries they are completely exterminated. And in the Antarctic, white wolves are on the brink of extinction. They are listed in the International Red Book. Hunting for these animals is prohibited.

These predators live in various landscapes - in forests, tundra, mountains and steppes. Mostly they are sedentary animals, but at the same time in search of food they roam for very long distances. As biologists say, in the wild they occupy their niche. In habitats, wolves are usually the largest group of predators that prey on large mammals.

External characteristics

A male wolf usually weighs about fifty kilograms, a she-wolf is five kilograms lighter. The height at the withers of an adult is 75 cm, and the length of the body can be up to two meters. This, of course, averaged data.

Wolves have thick and stiff wool with undercoat. Color can be different. There are gray, black, red, red, white wolves.

Lifestyle

Wolves are animals that prefer to live in families. Any flock of wolves has its own "charter", in which each has its own role. Aggressive and strong young leaders, and those who need a solid hand, obey them.

A wolf pack, in which animals are related by kinship, is led by a wolf and a she-wolf. The rest of its members, mostly their offspring (from quite unintentional puppies to 3-year-olds), they obey. Sometimes strangers nailed to a pack, for some reason left their pack. Usually there are up to 15 animals in this family.

Stamina and vitality of wolves

These qualities of the wolf deserve special attention. A hungry predator without food can remain active for up to ten days. The wounded animal leaves several kilometers from the hunters. Surrounded by hunting dogs, it is fiercely defended to the last breath. A wolf caught in a trap, nibbles its paw to hide from the pursuers.

There is a known case when a wolf, who broke a paw during hunting, lay motionless on the ground for 17 days, after which he got up and continued searching for the prey. The will to life of wolves is amazing.

But they have small weaknesses that experienced hunters know about. Surprisingly, these brave predators are lost from the kind of rag that flutters in front of their muzzle. This feature of them served as a hunt for wolves with flags. Hunters, having discovered a wolf pack, surround it around the perimeter with a rope with hanging rags of any cloth. Wolves, seeing flashing flags, do not dare jump for them, and hunters shoot at animals at point-blank range.

And one more fact. A wolf in the woods never attacks people first. He avoids man, prefers to stay away from him.

Wolf's Den

Nora the wolf is arranged quite simply. As a rule, it has one entrance. In the forest-steppe regions of Siberia they have a depth of about four meters, the diameter of the entrance is about 50 cm.

In Transbaikalia, researchers observed how the wolves in the autumn dig burrows, and in the spring they found wolf broods. One such burrow was a length of more than five meters, a width of forty centimeters and a height of twenty-five centimeters. The nest inside the hole was half filled with a dry litter of grass. In it there were skins of a tarbagan.

In the Far North, these predators build holes along the banks of streams and rivers. In these areas the soil is well drained, there is no permafrost, so the burrow is easy to dig.

Many burrows can be found in summer pastures of deer. As a rule, wolves roam for the herds of these animals. Before the appearance of the puppies, they leave forward, closer to their burrows, where deer come, but somewhat later.

The Wolf Howl

Each hole is inhabited by one pair of wolves, and in a pack they gather, using the means of communication available to them - howling. It's not just the voice of a predator, it's a coded message with certain signals. Howling is attracting (especially in the mating season), calling. It can be heard when the leader summons a pack to hunt. Howling can be a response when the members of the pack respond to the call of the leader. He may be dying and, finally, entertainment. Oddly enough, wolves often howl for no apparent reason, probably, they are asked by their wolf's soul.

Public mode of the pack

The strongest wolf becomes the leader of the pack. Helping him helps a faithful friend - a she-wolf. To be subordinated to the members of the pack, leaders must have a strong character. All decisions that concern the life of the family, the wolf and the she-wolf take together. In a flock where the leader follows the order, the males never fight with each other. But the strangers who violated the border of their possessions are usually severely punished. The wolf pack goes hunting only on its own, limited territory. The hosts are very jealously guarding and tagging it. This is a warning to neighbors that they should stay away from this land.

An interesting fact about wolves

Sometimes, in large flocks of a single wolf, for unknown reasons, all his brothers poison him. Sometimes an outcast animal finds it difficult to live in a family, and he leaves it. He becomes a wandering loner. True, he has a chance to create his flock, if he meets the same lonely wolf. If these animals want to rule the flock, they must completely subordinate all its members to their will and make them comply with the laws of the family.

How does the leader manage?

A flock of wolves assumes the leadership of the leader unconditionally. He dominates the males, and his girlfriend watches the order among the she-wolves. The leader does not tire of reminding his subordinates who in the pack is the master - he growls at them, bites, even knocks down, doing it in front of the whole family.

As a rule, one stern and stern look of the leader or his she-wolf is enough that those on whom he is aimed, submit. Grinning, and quite ingratiatingly, the wolves fall to the ground, and then, if they succeed, they steal away from the place of punishment. Sometimes they lie on their backs, as if saying: "We agree that you are the most important."

An interesting fact about wolves - the position of the predator in the pack can be judged by the way it holds the tail. At the leader he is always high. In ordinary "subjects" - omitted. And those individuals that stand on the lowest step in the pack, tail press.

Family members show their love and respect to the leader and his girlfriend in a welcoming ceremony. With their ears pressed together, crawling and with a smooth wool, they creep up to them, lick them and gently bite their muzzles.

Wild wolves are faithful animals

Probably, not everyone knows that wolves are one of the most faithful animals. These powerful predators are very attached to the comrades in the pack. Their emotions and feelings they express body movements and facial expressions. Thanks to the "wolf tongue" the pack rallies, operates at the same time. Their tenderness and sympathy they express, licking each other, while they rub their muzzles.

Why does the wolf need a tail?

Not everyone knows that the tail of a wolf is a kind of indicator expressing his feelings. If it is high and the tip is slightly curved, it means that the wolf is quite confident in his abilities. The tail is friendly to the animal, but its tip is raised. The wolf, pushing the tail, either is afraid of something, or reports about his submission.

The wolf-family man

This interesting fact about wolves is known only to specialists. These dangerous predators have the strongest emotional attachment. They are monogamous - they choose their couple once and for life.

I must say that the wolf is the ideal family man. He does not arrange scandals, does not change his wolf, does not disagree with her, does not start a young "mistress" on the side, brings all the prey to the family.

Wild wolves love their young very much. About the cubs are taken care not only by their parents, but also by the whole flock.

The ratio of the ancients to the wolf

This beast is sometimes called mythical. In ancient times he was revered and respected for his courage, endurance, and ingenuity. Many warlike tribes perceived him as their ancestor. In the heyday of the patriarchy, he was compared to the bridegroom, bride kidnapper.

For our ancestors, the wolf was as it were an intermediary between gods and people. He was considered an amulet of evil. When the wolf became a faithful companion of George the Victorious, he began to be perceived as a solar deity.

Apollo, the ancient Greek god of light, was sometimes called Apollo Wolf. The ferocious predator was the sacred animal of the god Upaaut in ancient Egypt.

In the myths of Scandinavian peoples, wolves are called "Odin's dogs". Romulus and Remus, who founded the Great Rome, nurtured the wolf, which Mars sent.