---
title: "What the sources say about the Gray Wolf | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "55 claims from the Gray Wolf profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/gray-wolf-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/gray-wolf/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Gray Wolf (*Canis lupus*)

> 55 claims from the Gray Wolf profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Gray Wolf](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/gray-wolf/)

## Canis lupus (gray wolf). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Canis_lupus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| whose packs hunt down elk and moose | Wolves primarily hunt in packs for large prey such as moose, elk, bison, musk oxen, and reindeer. |
| and beavers | Smaller prey such as beavers, rabbits, and other small mammals are usually hunted by lone wolves, and they are a substantial part of their diet. (note: "usually" qualifies who hunts beavers (lone wolves), not whether they are eaten; the diet line makes no claim about how they are caught) |
| The Pack Runs on Rank | There is a strong dominance hierarchy within each pack. ... Rank within the pack hierarchy determines which animals mate and which eat first. |
| every member of the pack helps care for the pups | Pups are cared for by all members of the pack. |
| marking territory for other packs to hear | Vocalizations, such as howling allows pack members to communicate with each other about where they are, when they should assemble for group hunts, and to communicate with other packs about where the boundaries of their territories are. |
| Gray wolves once ranged across the majority of the Northern Hemisphere | The original range of Canis lupus consisted of the majority of the Northern hemisphere |

## Gray wolf. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/gray-wolf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A keystone predator | The gray wolf is a keystone predator and is integral to the ecosystem in which it is found. |
| to pull the pack back together | Howling functions as a way to keep the pack back together |
| males run 65 to 175 pounds (30 to 80 kilograms), females 50 to 120 pounds (23 to 55 kilograms), and nose to tail an adult measures 4 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 9 inches (130 to 205 centimeters) | male wolves weigh males between 65 and 175 pounds (30 to 80 kilograms) and females weigh between 50 and 120 pounds (23 to 55 kilograms). They measure from 4 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 9 inches (130 to 205 centimeters) in total length. |
| In the wild it can live seven to eight years, and up to 20 in human care | In the wild, gray wolves can live between seven and eight years and up to 20 years in human care. |
| Size alone will not catch dinner | High speeds help wolves catch up to their prey while a wolf's sharp teeth and claws finish the job. |
| by working together a pack can take down prey larger than themselves, including caribou, moose, deer and bison | Gray wolves hunt cooperatively in packs and are able to take down prey larger than they are including caribou, moose, deer and bison. |
| A wolf pack is usually five to eight animals, though groups as large as 36 have been reported | Wolf packs typically have five to eight wolves, but packs with as many as 36 wolves have been reported. |
| Typically only the dominant pair breeds, sometimes staying together for life | A wolf pack's dominant pair sometimes mate for life. They are typically the only wolves that mate within a pack |
| A Howl Built to Travel | Howling functions as a way to keep the pack back together, stimulate a hunt and as a long-distance form of territorial expression. |
| keeping a scattered pack together, kick-starting a hunt | Howling functions as a way to keep the pack back together, stimulate a hunt |
| Even where wolves are common, attacks on people are extremely rare | Even in areas with large wolf populations, attacks on humans are extremely rare. (note: body; the sentence stats.dangerLevel: High rests on (tiers are capabilities: attacks have occurred, none reported fatal, so High, not Deadly)) |
| they have happened in Eurasia, and North America has had only four reported attacks, none of them fatal | While attacks have occurred in Eurasia, there have only been four reported attacks in North America, none of which resulted in death. (note: body; stats.dangerLevel) |
| keeping scattered wolves together and kick-starting a hunt | Howling functions as a way to keep the pack back together, stimulate a hunt (note: vibe.reason (women artists, round 2)) |

## Wolf. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/wolf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| whose howl can carry up to ten miles across Arctic tundra | On the Arctic tundra, wolf howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. |
| A sprint of up to 38 miles per hour (61 km/h) | When hunting, wolves can spring up to 38 miles per hour (61 kilometers per hour). (note: the source's "spring" is read as "sprint") |
| paired with a howl that can carry up to ten miles across Arctic tundra | On the Arctic tundra, wolf howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. |
| to rally the pack | They howl upon waking up from a long sleep and to rally the pack prior to a hunt. |
| Hunting wolves can reach up to 38 miles per hour (61 kilometers per hour) | When hunting, wolves can spring up to 38 miles per hour (61 kilometers per hour). |
| Packs often go after the old, young or sick in a herd, since they are easier to kill | Wolves work as a team to attack herds of these large animals. They often go after the old, young, or sick, since they are easier to kill. |
| When it finds food | When they find food, they eat as much as they can, because they may go for many days before eating again. |
| a wolf can "wolf down" 20 pounds (9 kilograms) in one sitting | Wolves can "wolf down" 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of food in one sitting. |
| because the next meal might be days away | Many times it is feast or famine for wolves. When they find food, they eat as much as they can, because they may go for many days before eating again. |
| Depending on habitat and prey, a pack's territory can range from 40 to 1,000 square miles (about 100 to 2,600 square kilometers) | Depending on their habitat and prey availability, wolf territories can range from 40 to 1,000 square miles (10,360 to 258,999 hectares). (note: square kilometers converted from square miles: 40 sq mi is 104 km2, 1,000 sq mi is 2,590 km2) |
| wolves constantly patrol and scent-mark it | wolves constantly patrol and scent-mark their home turf |
| On Arctic tundra a gray wolf's howl can carry up to 10 miles | On the Arctic tundra, wolf howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. |
| Depending on habitat and how much prey is around, a pack's territory can range from 40 to 1,000 square miles (about 100 to 2,600 square kilometers) | Depending on their habitat and prey availability, wolf territories can range from 40 to 1,000 square miles (10,360 to 258,999 hectares). (note: square kilometers converted from square miles: 40 sq mi is 104 km2, 1,000 sq mi is 2,590 km2) |
| Wolves patrol and scent-mark their home turf, and howling also marks the pack's boundaries | wolves constantly patrol and scent-mark their home turf. Howling also establishes territorial boundaries. |
| A gray wolf's jaws are strong enough to bite through tough hide, and it can break open hard bones in just a few bites | Wolves can kill their prey effectively because they have incredibly strong jaws, which can bite through even the toughest of animal hides. They can break hard bones in just a few bites. |
| On Arctic tundra, a howl can carry up to 10 miles (16 kilometers) | On the Arctic tundra, wolf howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. (note: 16 kilometers is a converted unit (10 miles = ~16.1 km), not stated by the source) |
| Wolves howl to rally the pack before a hunt and to keep in touch when separated, and howling warns other wolves to stay away from a pack's boundaries | They howl upon waking up from a long sleep and to rally the pack prior to a hunt. ... Wolves also howl after intense play and social interactions or to communicate positions or keep in touch when separated. Howling creates an acoustic barrier to warn other wolves to stay away, outlining boundaries |
| a pack whose howl can carry up to 10 miles on Arctic tundra | On the Arctic tundra, wolf howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. (note: vibe.reason (women artists, round 2)) |

## Gray Wolf (Canis lupus). U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, FWS Focus.

https://www.fws.gov/species/gray-wolf-canis-lupus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Temperate forests, mountains, tundra, taiga, grasslands and deserts across the Northern Hemisphere | Gray wolves have a circumpolar range including North America, Europe and Asia. The wide range of habitats in which wolves can thrive reflects their adaptability as a species and includes temperate forests, mountains, tundra, taiga, grasslands and deserts. (note: "across the Northern Hemisphere" paraphrases FWS's circumpolar range through North America, Europe and Asia) |
| Moose, elk, caribou, deer, bison | wolves are primarily predators of medium and large hooved mammals, such as moose, elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, caribou, muskox and bison |
| A Body Built to Run Far and Fast | Gray wolves have long legs that are well adapted to running, allowing them to move fast and travel far in search of food |
| is the largest wild member of the dog family, and its size shifts with geography | Gray wolves (Canis lupus) are the largest wild members of Canidae, or dog family, with adults ranging in weight from 18 to 80 kilograms (40 to 175 pounds), depending on sex and geographic locale. |
| Tundra to Desert, and a Comeback in the Rockies | includes temperate forests, mountains, tundra, taiga, grasslands and deserts. ... The Northern Rocky Mountains population was delisted due to recovery in 2011 |
| the species still circles the globe through North America, Europe and Asia, in habitats from tundra and taiga to mountains, grasslands and deserts | Gray wolves have a circumpolar range including North America, Europe and Asia. ... includes temperate forests, mountains, tundra, taiga, grasslands and deserts |
| Predator-control programs wiped wolves out of most of the contiguous United States in the early 1900s | During the early 1900s, predator-control programs resulted in the elimination of wolves throughout most of the conterminous United States, with the exception of northeast Minnesota. |
| In 1978 the government reclassified the gray wolf as endangered across the contiguous states and Mexico, with Minnesota's wolves listed as threatened | In 1978, we reclassified the gray wolf as endangered at the species level (C. lupus) throughout the contiguous United States and Mexico, except for gray wolves in Minnesota which were classified as threatened. |
| It delisted the Northern Rocky Mountains population in 2011 (Wyoming followed in 2017) | The Northern Rocky Mountains population was delisted due to recovery in 2011, except for Wyoming which was delisted in 2017. |

## Woodford, Riley (2004). Alaska's Salmon-Eating Wolves. Alaska Fish & Wildlife News, Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=86

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The Wolves That Fish for Salmon | In late summer, when pink and chum salmon are running, Person has spent hours watching wolves actively fishing - catching, killing and eating salmon. |
| Some of Alaska's coastal wolf packs fish for salmon | He's monitored this fishing behavior with three packs of wolves over the past five years. ... Researchers are finding that Alaska wolves also eat salmon. And they aren't simply scavenging salmon carcasses. |
| A biologist studying wolves on Prince of Wales Island watched them wade into shallow tidal streams to catch pink and chum salmon as the runs came in | The wolf puppy was fishing in the intertidal zone, working the riffles where salmon were exposed in the shallow stream. She waded into the water to grab a fish ... It's a scene Dave Person has witnessed many times. The Alaska Fish and Game biologist has been studying wolves on Prince of Wales Island for 12 years ... In late summer, when pink and chum salmon are running, Person has spent hours watching wolves actively fishing |
| Chemical analysis of wolf bone showed salmon makes up around 20 percent of the diet for wolves on the coastal mainland and the island, and about 25 percent for some of the island's wolves, against about 10 percent for wolves in Alaska's Interior | Szepanski was able to take small bits of wolf bone and trace what percent of that wolf's diet came from terrestrial sources ... Salmon made up about 20 percent of the diet of wolves on the coastal mainland and on Prince of Wales Island, 15 percent of the diet of wolves on Kupreanof Island and about 10 percent of the diet of Interior wolves. ... Szepanski found for some wolves on Prince of Wales Island, salmon was about 25 percent of the diet. (note: "chemical analysis of wolf bone" is the source's stable isotope analysis of small bits of wolf bone; "the coastal mainland" is the source's coastal mainland Southeast Alaska) |
| That bonus food is especially important for pups | Salmon is an important seasonal food source, but it is especially important for the pups, Person said. ... So salmon is a real bonus food supply. |
| In Southeast Alaska he has noticed 90 percent of pups surviving, against half dying in their first summer in places like Minnesota, and he thinks salmon may play an important part in that | That pays off for the wolf pups that Person has observed in Southeast Alaska. "Salmon allows them to have a very high survivorship," Person said. "In places like Minnesota, half the pups die in their first summer. Here, we've noticed a 90 percent survivorship; I think salmon may play an important part in that." |
| A biologist studying wolves on Alaska's Prince of Wales Island watched them wade into shallow tidal streams to catch pink and chum salmon | The wolf puppy was fishing in the intertidal zone, working the riffles where salmon were exposed in the shallow stream. She waded into the water to grab a fish ... It's a scene Dave Person has witnessed many times. The Alaska Fish and Game biologist has been studying wolves on Prince of Wales Island for 12 years ... In late summer, when pink and chum salmon are running, Person has spent hours watching wolves actively fishing |
| Chemical testing of wolf bone found that salmon makes up around 20 percent of the diet for wolves on the island and on Southeast Alaska's coastal mainland, and about 25 percent for some of the island's wolves, against about 10 percent for wolves in Alaska's Interior | Szepanski was able to take small bits of wolf bone and trace what percent of that wolf's diet came from terrestrial sources ... Salmon made up about 20 percent of the diet of wolves on the coastal mainland and on Prince of Wales Island, 15 percent of the diet of wolves on Kupreanof Island and about 10 percent of the diet of Interior wolves. ... Szepanski found for some wolves on Prince of Wales Island, salmon was about 25 percent of the diet. |

## Boitani, Werhahn & Smith (2026). Canis lupus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2026: e.T3746A226161232.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2026-1.rlts.t3746a226161232.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Globally, the species is now rated Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |