In zoos, Grey Wolves may live up to 17 years. In the wild, Grey Wolves live about 6 to 8 years and sometimes up to 13 years. Wolves can live to be between 8 – 13 years. Though extremely unusual, it is possible for an adult wolf to retain its blue-colored eyes. Their eyes will change to a yellow-gold or orange color when the pups are 8 – 16 weeks old. At birth, wolf pups tend to have darker fur and blue eyes. The female wolfs gestation period is 63 days. However, the reintroduction still provides a sharp divide between industry and environmentalist. Through negotiations between livestock ranchers and Defenders of Wildlife, the reintroduction of wolves has been a great success and number recovery goals have been met. The reintroduction of wolves is still in ongoing debate and is sometimes heated about already introduced wolves and the possibility of reintroducing more. Today, there are over 300 wolves in Yellowstone Park and over 500 in Idaho. The front paws are larger than the hind paws and feature a fifth digit, a dew claw, (a claw that grows higher on the leg so that, when the animal is standing, it does not make contact with the ground) that is absent on hind paws.īristled hairs and blunt claws enhance grip on slippery surfaces, and special blood vessels keep paw pads from freezing. Wolves are digitigrades, so the relative largeness of their feet helps to better distribute their weight on snowy surfaces. There is a slight webbing between each toe, which allows wolves to move over snow more easily than comparatively hampered prey. Wolf paws are able to traverse easily through a wide variety of terrains, especially snow. It also helps the wolf to eat nearly all of its prey, leaving very little waste. This enables them to grasp their prey in their teeth and chew down to the soft marrow in the bones. A wolfs canine teeth can be as long as 1 inch long.Ī wolfs teeth are extremely sharp, strong and slightly curved. These consist of: 12 incisors, 4 canines, 16 pre-molars and 10 carnassials and molars. Because their chests are narrow, their left and right footprints are closer together than those of a dogs. A third of this length is the length of its tail.Ĭompared to a large dog, a wolf has a narrower chest and longer legs. The length of the Grey Wolf varies between 50 and 70 inches long from nose tip to tail tip. The hairs in their mane can be as long as 4 – 5 inches long and when stood upright, this makes them appear taller. In winter when their fur is fully grown, their fur can be as long as 2 – 2.5 inches on their backs and sides. Wolves can appear much larger than they already are, this is because of their long fur. Grey Wolves stand between 27- 32 inches at the shoulder. Male Grey Wolves are larger than the females and can even grow to weigh as much as 175 pounds in some cases. Adult Grey Wolves weigh around 75 – 125 pounds.
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