The
Wolf is the largest member of the dog family. Wolves are expert hunters and
prey chiefly on large hoofed animals such as caribou, deer, elk, and moose.
Many people fear wolves. They believe wolves attack human beings, and the animal's
eerie howl frightens them. But wolves avoid human contact as much as possible.
Almost all wolves belong to a species called the Gray Wolf. There are two chief
types of gray wolves, the Timber Wolf and the Tundra Wolf. The Timber Wolf lives
in wooded, subarctic regions. The tundra Wolf, also called the White wolf and
the Arctic wolf, makes its home on the treeless plains of the Arctic. Some zoologists
believe that there is a separate species of wolves called the Red Wolf. This
animal once lived throughout the Southern States. By the mid-1980's, however,
only 75 Red Wolves remained, all of them in captivity. Wolves can live in almost
any climate, though they are seldom found in deserts or tropical forests. In
ancient times, they roamed throughout the northern half of the world. But wherever
large numbers of people settled, they destroyed wolves. As a result, wolves
have disappeared from many areas. Today, most wolves live in sparsely populated
northern regions, such as Alaska, Minnesota, Canada, China, and Russia. Small
numbers of wolves still inhabit wilderness areas of Greece, India, Mexico, Spain,
and other countries. Many people despise the wolf because it kills other animals.
Wolves provoke farmers and ranchers by destroying livestock such as sheep, cows,
and other such animals. Many hunters dislike the wolf because it kills game
animals, such as antelope and deer. These hunters mistakenly think that wolves
wipe out game in certain areas. It is, however, the hunters themselves who wipe
out the animal populations. Folklore also has contributed to the wolf's bad
reputation. In many old sayings, the animal is a symbol of badness or evil.
For example, "to keep the wolf from the door" means to prevent hunger or poverty.
"A wolf in sheep's clothing" describes a person who acts friendly but has evil
intentions. Fables and other folk tales pass on the misleading notion that wolves
attack people. In the story of Little Red Riding Hood, a wolf threatens to eat
a little girl. Hatred and fear of wolves have led people to destroy large numbers
of them. In the United States, organized hunts have killed thousands of wolves.
Bounties (rewards) have been offered for their pelts. In the mid-1980's, from
6,000 to 10,000 wolves lived in Alaska. There were only about 1,300 wolves elsewhere
in the U.S., most in Minnesota. The United States government had classified
the wolf as an endangered species in every state except Alaska and Minnesota.
Wolves are threatened in these states.
© Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1998.
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Wolf Howl 1 Wolf Howl 2 Wolf Howl 3 Wolf Howl 4 Wolf Howl 5 Wolf Howl 6 Wolf Growl Wolves Howling Serenading Wolves A Wolf with Red Roses |
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