Scientific Name and Taxonomic Classification
Scientific Name: Canis lupus
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: Canis lupus
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: Canis lupus
Geographic Distribution
- Since there has been so much habitat destruction and a lot of environmental changes in the past, the Gray wolves are only found in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Eurasia.
- The habitats that Gray wolves are found in are in places such as the savannas, tundras, taigas, plains, steppes, and all forest habitats. They can not be found in the tropical rainforest or deserts.
Important Information
- Existing Population Numbers: It is estimated that there are about 7,000 to 11,200 Gray wolves in Alaska, 3,700 wolves in the Great Lakes region, and about 1,675 in the Northern Rockies.
- Diet: These wolves eat large mammals such as deer, elk, bison, and moose. They also eat smaller mammals such as beavers, rodents, and hares.
- They are the ancestors of domestic dogs, so their fur ranges from brownish gray to all black or all white.
- They travel in packs of 2-12 at a time.
- Only the dominant male and the dominant female breed together. This means that if you are not the dominant male or female, you do not get to breed. There are six pups per litter.