Wolves are carnivorous mammals that feed on medium to large animals such as sheep, goats, chamois, pigs, deer, antelope, reindeer, horses, elk, yaks or bison.
When they fail to find such large food sources, they feed on smaller animals like reptiles, amphibians, hares, fish, seals and stranded whales, birds and even some types of fruits and plants.
A single wolf can eat around 3 to 3.5 kg of food in a single meal, but this quantity can reach 13 to 15 kg if it is very hungry.
Characteristics of wolves
Wolves are wild mammals that live in woods, mountains, tundras, taigas and grasslands. They have a sturdy body, a large head, short triangular-shaped ears, slender legs and a long tail. They have a thick coat on their body and their color can range from white to black, with shades of gold, brown and russet.
They are very sociable animals, living, traveling and hunting in very organized groups called packs and made up of 6 to 12 individuals. Hunting in packs allows them to kill much larger and more powerful prey than themselves. When the pack goes out to hunt, some wolves stay behind to protect the cubs from predators. When the pack returns, it feeds the Cubs and their protectors; the adults who have already eaten regurgitate the meat for the younger ones to eat.
Wolves communicate with each other by howling and mark their territory by walking (using glands located on their feet, which deposit their scent), by means of their droppings and urine, by clawing the ground and by rubbing their bodies against plants, trees and rocks.
The average lifespan of wolves in their natural habitat is six to eight years, and in captivity they can live up to approximately 16 years.
