Canis LupisArctic Wolf
Canis Lupis
By Miles
Appearance: The arctic wolf and sometimes called the gray wolf or tundra wolf, is a carnivore. 3 1/4' long is the average but big ones can get to 6 ft. Females can be 3-5 ft. long. They also can be as much as 175 pounds. At first glance, an arctic wolf will look like a german shepherd but if you look close it is larger and has a stronger jaw bone and much sharper teeth. Also it has a thicker coat. Females weigh 55-90 pounds.
Habitat: They live in North America in Alaska and northern Canada also a few live in New Zealand. They have lived in North America for more then 2 million years. When they find a den they make a couple of chambers for food and young.
Food: In the summer they eat lemmings, birds, arctic hares also they sometimes catch fish. The cubs catch insects, ground squirrels and other small animals. Sometimes full grown wolves will attack musk oxen. When this happens the musk oxen will form a circle around the younger ones and when a wolf attacks a bull will charge and toss the wolf up in the air and trample it under its hooves. They also eat elk mountain sheep and sometimes they eat berries.
Enemies: Sometimes a grizzly will challenge a wolf. It will steal a pack's kill and sometimes will eat the pups. Also eagles and hawks will eat the pups. Sometimes hunters kill the wolves' prey and then wolves will eat cattle. But they will not finish it all because the animals are all fenced up and they do not have to work very hard to catch their prey. Humans also kill wolves for their pelts and also they think the wolves will eat people but this is not true.
Life cycle: First the caribou will move to their birthing grounds then the wolves follow them to their own birthing grounds. Usually they go to a valley with well drained ground or a beaver dam or sometimes log and sometimes they dig their own den. After a couple months of waiting the pups are born and they cannot see for a couple of weeks. The pups will probably grow to 15 years old.
Other facts: Canis lupis is the wolf's scientific name. Arctic wolves can talk to each other with their faces and their tails. Wolves can run 30 mph and caribou can go 40m.p.h. and that is why they alway eat the old and weak. Sometimes wolves rely on ambush and they can eat up to 20 pounds of meat in one meal. Wolves can smell from more then a mile away.