wolf

wolf

Wolf (Canis lupus) is the largest wild member of the Canidae family. It is a survivor of the Ice Age, originating from the Pleistocene, about 300,000 years ago. DNA sequencing and genetic studies reaffirm that the gray wolf is the ancestor of the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), but some aspects of this statement have been recently questioned. A number of other subspecies of the wolf have been identified, though the actual number of subspecies is still under discussion. The gray-wolves are typically apex predators in the ecosystems they occupy. Although not as adaptable to human presence as usually occurs with other species of canids, wolves have developed in different environments, such as temperate forests, deserts, mountains, tundra, taiga, fields and even in some urban areas. The gray wolf, the red wolf (Canis rufus) and the Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) are the only three species classified as wolves. The other wolves belong to subspecies.

At birth, the wolf pups tend to have the most dark blue eye iris, which will change to a yellow-gold or orange color when the pups have between 8 and 16 weeks old. The powerful long snouts are striking characteristics of wolves, distinguishing them easily from other canids such as coyotes and golden jackals, which have the most narrow, pointy snouts. In lobes, the anterior notch of the nasal bone does not have a medial ridge, the opposite was observed in coyotes. While there is only a small expression of the cingulate on the outer edge of the upper first molar in wolves, this is wide and clearly marked in jackals.