scientific name is Canis lupus arctos

Arctic Wolf ADVERTISEMENT IMAGE SOURCE The Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus arctos), also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a mammal of the Canidae family and a subspecies of the Grey Wolf. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic and the northern parts of Greenland. The Arctic Wolf and the Timber Wolf are the only subspecies of the Grey Wolf that still can be found over the whole of its original range, largely because in their natural habitat they rarely encounter humans.

Wolves are carnivores (meat eaters) but they will eat other foods as well. Their diet ranges from big game, such as elk and moose, to earthworms, berries and grasshoppers. To avoid using too much energy catching their food, wolves prey on weaker members of a herd, such as old, young or sick animals.

General body size Largest, non-domestic canine (Mech and Boitani 2004) Similar to a German shepherd dog except with longer legs and larger feet (Mech and Boitani 2004) Length comparable to the average height of a human, slightly shorter c. 5-6.5 ft (Mech 1970) Tail length included in larger size range Standing, shoulder height: 26-36 inches (Mech 1970) Weight Highly variable Adult range: 13-78 kg (29-172 lb) (Mech and Boitani 2003) Smallest subspecies inhabits the Israeli desert Largest subspecies inhabits the northern tundra See subspecies table below for details on selected Eurasian subspecies; note highly variable size within and between subspecies

Wolves are ready to mate at about two years of age. However, that doesn’t mean they are going to. It can be up one year after they are actually able to do so. Here is the reason why that occurs. When it comes to the actual mating, only the lead male and female will actually do so. This is why it is often hard to get the number of wolves to increase. While a pack may have up to twenty members in it, only two of them are actually taking part in the mating process.

Pack Behaviors Wolf pack populations can number from a few individuals to several dozen members. Packs usually consist of an alpha pair and their offspring. The alpha pair, contrary to popular belief, does not lead the pack. Rather, the alpha pair is free to breed and is given free choice of resources. An alpha pair is generally selected by psychological strength, rather than physical strength If a wolf pack is large enough, it will also have “beta” ranked wolves, which are direct subordinates to the alpha pair. These wolves may breed but do not have the resources necessary to raise pups successfully. Finally, a wolf pack may have one or more “omega” wolves. Omega wolves are lowest in rank. The omega wolf may be involved in raising the alpha pair’s pups or may be the one that bears the brunt of the other wolves’ ill will. Family Behaviors A female wolf will give birth to 1 to 11 pups after eight weeks of gestation. The alpha pair produces the only litter that the pack will raise each year. The freedom and resources available to this pair enables them to raise pups to maturity and gives the pack a better chance at future survival. However, the entire pack is responsible for raising this litter. Betas and omegas babysit the pups when the parents are out hunting. After the pups are weaned, other pack members also carry additional food back to the den for the pups. This food is regurgitated when the pups nip at the adult wolves’ faces to signal their hunger. Associations with Other Animals Wolves have a combative relationship with other predators, such as mountain lions and grizzly bears. Although they are known to kill foxes, particularly in the arctic, wolves will typically leave them alone. Wolves and ravens appear to share a symbiotic relationship, however. Ravens will follow a hunting wolf pack in the hopes of stealing bits of food from the kill. In addition, hunting wolves also look for ravens circling in the air above them, knowing that the ravens are watching sick or injured deer or elk in hopes of scavenging a meal. Howling Behaviors Wolves howl for a variety of reasons, including family bonding, hunting, and communicating with wolves outside the pack. Although all wolves will howl in the same key, each wolf has his or her own specific voice. Wolves will typically join in when a single wolf starts howling. Wolves howl in different pitches and the pitch of each wolf’s howl starts low and rises as the howl continues, creating an illusion that the pack is larger than it really is.

Arctic wolf lives in packs of 5 to 7 (occasionally up to 20) members, or rarely on its own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWl3OKKUDlE