the-wolf-clan

The Grey Wolves
The gray wolf or grey wolf is a species of canid native to the wilderness and remote areas of North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. It is the largest member of its family, with males averaging 43–45 kg (95–99 lb), and females 36–38.5 kg (79–85 lb). It is similar in general appearance and proportions to a German shepherd, or sled dog, but has a larger head, narrower chest, longer legs, straighter tail and bigger paws.

      It is similar in general appearance and proportions to a German shepherd, or sled dog, but has a larger head, narrower chest, longer legs, straighter tail and bigger paws. Its winter fur is long and bushy, and predominantly a mottled gray in colour, although nearly pure white, red, or brown to black also occur .

      Within the genusCanis, the gray wolf represents a more specialised and progressive form than its smaller cousins the coyote and golden jackal, as demonstrated by its morphological adaptations to hunting large prey, its more gregarious nature and its highly advanced expressive behavior. It is a social animal, travelling in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair, accompanied by the pair's adult offspring. The gray wolf is typically an apex predator throughout its range, with only humans and tigers posing a serious threat to it. It feeds primarily on large ungulates, though it also eats smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage.

     The Arctic Wolf
The Arctic Wolf also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a mammal of the family Canidae. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the northern parts of Greenland.

     The Arctic Wolf inhabits the Canadian Arctic and the islands, parts of Alaska and northern part of Greenland. Their habitat extends from 70° North latitude and higher. They have lived in North America for more than two million years.When they find a den, they make a couple of chambers for food and young. The Arctic Wolf is the only subspecies of the Gray Wolf that still can be found over the whole of its original range, largely because, in their natural habitat, they rarely encounter humans.The Arctic wolf is also the only subspecies of wolf which is not threatened ,their remote home means that they are relatively safe from man's activities, both in terms of hunting and habitat destruction.

     Their habitat is extremely harsh and remote, and few scientists venture into that world during the long, dark winter , even the vast majority of Inuit live further south than the Arctic wolf. As a result, the details of their lives through much of the year are virtually unknown.

        The Eurasian Wolf
The Eurasian Wolf, also known as the European, Common, or Forest Wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf which has the largest range among wolf subspecies and is the most common in Europe and Asia, ranging through Mongolia, China, Russia, Scandinavia, Western Europe and the Himalayan Mountains. Compared to their North American cousins, Eurasian wolves tend to have longer, more highly placed ears, narrower heads, more slender loins and coarser, tawnier coloured fur.Compared to Indian wolves, Eurasian wolves are larger, and have longer, broader skulls. In Europe, wolves rarely form large packs like in North America, as their lives are more strongly influenced by human activities.Because of this, Eurasian wolves tend to be more adaptable than North American wolves in the face of human Expansion.

        The Arabian Wolf
The Arabian wolf is a subspecies of Gray Wolf which was once found throughout the Arabian Peninsula, but now only lives in small pockets in Southern Israel, Southern and western Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and probably in some parts of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.The Arabian wolf is a small, desert adapted wolf that stands at around 26 inches shoulder height and weighs an average of 40 pounds Their ears are proportionally larger in relation to body size when compared to other species, an adaptation needed to disperse body heat.

      Also, Arabian wolves do not live in large packs, and instead hunt in pairs or in groups of about three to four animals. This subspecies is unusual, as it is not known to howl.

    The Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States. Based on fossil and archaeological evidence, the original red wolf range extended throughout the Southeast, from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, north to the Ohio River Valley and central Pennsylvania, and west to central Texas and southeastern Missouri. Historical habitats included forests, swamps, and coastal prairies, where it was an apex predator. The red wolf being morphologically midway between grey wolves and coyotes, recent genetic research indicate it may actually be a hybrid species. The red wolf became extinct in the wild by 1980. 1987 saw a reintroduction in northeastern North Carolina through a captive breeding program and the animals are considered to be successfully breeding in the wild.

     The red wolf ,mostly brown and buff colored on the upper part of the body with some black along the backs. Muzzle long; nose pad wide and black; ears rufous; legs long; tail long, bushy, black tipped. Body is intermediate in size between the gray wolf and the Coyote.

     South Africa The Golden Jackal
The golden jackal , also known as the common jackal, Asiatic jackal, gold-wolf is a Canid of the genus Canis indigenous to north and northeastern Africa, southeastern and central Europe up to Austria and Hungary, Asia Minor, the Middle East and southeast Asia. It is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern, due to its widespread range in areas with optimum food and shelter.Despite its name, the golden jackal is not closely related to other jackal species, with morphological and molecular studies indicating a greater affinity to the grey wolf and coyote.It is a social species, whose basic social unit consists of a breeding pair, followed by its offspring. The golden jackal is highly adaptable, being able to exploit many foodstuffs, from fruit and insects to small ungulates.

      Unlike other jackal species, which are African in origin, the golden jackal likely emerged from Asia. The direct ancestor of the golden jackal is thought to be Canis kuruksaensis, a Villafranchian from late Pliocene to early Pleistocene canid native to Tadjikistan. Another prehistoric canid initially thought to be an ancestral jackal, Canis arnensis, which was native to Europe, was later classed as more closely related to the coyote. The golden jackal likely colonised the European continent during the late Pleistocene. The characteristics of the golden jackal's skull and genetic composition indicate a closer affinity to the wolf and coyote than to the black-backed and side-striped jackals.