The Gray Wolf “ Canis lupus”

1. The Gray Wolf“Canis lupus” Shelby Orr Shelby Dodd Katharine Benningfield Samantha Sedlock

2. Taxonomy • Domain: Eukarya Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Canidae Genus: Canis Species: lupus

3. Cladogram

5. Life Cycles of the Gray Wolf • Life Span: 6 -10 years • Mating Season: January and February • 9 week gestation period • One litter per year • Pups are born blind and deaf in litters of 5-7 • All wolves in the pack assist in raising wolf pups and group feeding strengthen social bonds

6. Habitat • Tundra • Deserts • Mountains • Grasslands • Temperate forests • Why do they need to live in THESE places??

7. Social Structure • Two Breeding Wolves • Beta Wolf • Omega Wolf • Size of Pack

8. Howling • Communication between the pack • Declaration of territory • Howl herd up to 10 miles away • Most often during twilight hours Wolf Growling Lone Wolf Chorus

9. Diet • Carnivores (meat eating) • Primarily feed on medium to large sized unregulates - “hoofed animals” • As predators, gray wolves help maintain balance in the food web. • Regulate populations of their prey animals.

10. TrophicHierachy Wolves Tertiary Consumers Secondary Consumer Primary Consumers Primary Producers Plants

11. Hunting • Wolf pairs strategize when attacking large prey • Kill large prey by tearing at their throat, severing the windpipe. • Pack status is reinforced during feeding.

12. Habitat Change • How are they effected if they change habitats? • Can they be domesticated?

13. Environmental Changes • Global Warming • Increase frequency and intensity of forest fires • Wolves are at the top of the food chain • Winters are shorter • Habitat Destruction • Yellow stone is being preserved • In the 1900’s Wolves and Bison were over hunted and disappeared from the Yellow Stone Area

14. Preserving the Wild

15. The Eeeeend