Arctic Wolf

 

 

Arctic Wolf Description

The Arctic Wolf is a survivor – one able to live cold and isolated areas of the world. This is a small wolf but definitely one that makes up for it in strength and beauty. Ranging in weight from 100 to 175 pounds they can hold their own in the wild. They vary significantly in length. Some of them are six feet long but others are barely three feet in length. The white coloring mixed with some yellow, black, and gray

Arctic Wolf Anatomy

The body of the Arctic Wolf is well designed to keep it warm. For many months out of the year it can be below zero temperatures. It can also be completely dark for long stretches of time. This wolf have two layers of fur that protect it from the cold and the wind. It also protects them from the reflections of the UV rays that the sun produces.

The first layer offers an invisible shield around the actual body. It prevents water, cold, and the elements from changing the body temperature of the wolf. The top layer helps to protect from wind and other aspects out there in nature that the come into contact with. Many people notice that the Arctic Wolf has smaller ears than other species. This is so that they are able to stay warm as well. The long tail allows them to have something they can cover their face with as well.

Arctic Wolf Evolution

It isn’t really understood how these animals are able to live in this area of the world. It is speculated that evolution has played a vital role in it. More than 50 million years ago some wolves were stuck there due to the natural elements. These canines were able to survive due to their bodies changing so that they could handle the cold and the open range.

Arctic Wolf Behavior

The Arctic Wolf does spend time individually away from the rest of the pack. This is done to find food and shelter. They will use their howling and barking to let their other pack members know where they are at. Generally they are all within close proximity to each other. The pack may only have a few members if it is newly formed. It can also have up to twenty of them including the offspring.

These wolves depend upon their social interactions with each other to help them to survive. Not only to help them be able to hunt for food successfully but to help them learn about survival in such areas. These wolves seem to get along very well with the others in their pack. They definitely realize they are all dependent upon each other.

The Arctic Wolf can spend up to 10 hours a day moving around in its home territory. They are able to do so due to the way their paws are designed. They don’t sink down into the snow or slide on the ice. They will mark their territory with scent as they move around. This is to help ensure other wolf packs don’t invade their territory.

Arctic Wolf Habitat and Distribution

A few Arctic Wolf packs are found in Canada. There are also a handful of them around Greenland. Yet the numbers of these animals in both areas has continued to drop very low. Experts feel this is due to their habitat being taken over by humans. As a result it is more difficult for them to find enough food to survive.

Due to the isolated nature of Alaska, this is one place where these wolves have plenty of area to roam around. It isn’t unusual for the home range of an Arctic Wolf pack to span hundreds of miles. This also allows them to follow the herds of animals that they feed upon throughout the year.

Even though their habitat areas do often overlap, there doesn’t seem to be too much conflict between packs. When it is hard to find food though the aggressive nature of protecting a given area will increase. Should one wolf pack not back off and go another direction then a physical confrontation can ensue.

Arctic Wolf Diet and Feeding Habits

Being strong and being fast allows the Arctic Wolf to be able to take down prey for food. They must work as a team to be able to do so. That is why smaller packs of them find it harder to survive, so they increase in numbers. Of course the more wolves in the pack the more food they have to hunt for survival so there is a trade off.

Their diet consists of caribou and the muskoxen. These are animals much larger than them. Yet with careful planning and precision they are able to successfully take them down. If they let potential prey get away from them it can be a long time until their next meal. Even so, the Arctic Wolf is able to survive even with out food for a couple of weeks.

Knowing that they may not get to feed again for a long time, they will consume all that they can when they are a successful with the hunt. They can consume up to 20 pounds each. Nothing on the animals that they take down goes to waste. They have powerful jaws and teeth that allow them to easily crush through bones and other body parts.

The pups will need to be fed from about three months of age to six months of age by the adults. They will come back from a kill with regurgitated food that has been partially digested. The young will consume it quickly and they will get it from all of the different pack members. When they are about six months old they too will help with the hunting process.

Arctic Wolf Reproduction

While there are many healthy members of the wolf pack, only the alpha male and beta female get to mate. This helps to ensure inbreeding doesn’t occur. The young do have the option of remaining with their own pack forever. Yet that means not mating so the urge to do so can encourage them to leave when they are about 1 ½ or 2 years of age. They will venture out to find other lone wolves and form their own packs.

After successfully mating, the female has the job of finding a good place for her young to be born. She will try to dig in the thick ice to make a den. If it is too hard she will find a den that has been abandoned. The young are born about 63 days after conception. She will stay in the den with them for about three months.

During this time she may need to leave to feed herself, especially if she has a large litter of pups. They will drink milk from her body for their own survival. They are born deaf as well as blind. Barely one pound each at birth, they grow very quickly. When they are about three weeks old they will come out of the den to join the rest of the wolf pack. The introduction is welcoming and all of the members of the pack will care for them.

Arctic Wolf Predators

Arctic Wolves don’t have too many problems with predators. Occasionally they may encounter a problem with a bear. They can have their conflicts with other wolf packs as well for food and for territory. This particular wolf doesn’t have the concerns with humans like other species though. It is simply too difficult for humans to be in the regions where these animals are found.

 

Arctic Wolf Related Arcticles

– Gray Wolf 

 

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