More Wolf Facts

Wolves, in the past, have been typically regarded as villainous creatures, depicted as the “bad guys” in countless fairy tales and stories.

From the big bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood to the huffing and puffing wolf in The Three Little Pigs, the status of the wolf as a bad guy has changed over the years, with movies like Balto: Wolf Quest, released in 2002, making wolves as the good guys this time around.

As members of the animal kingdom, wolves are known to have their own share of distinct and unique personalities, and given their genetic ties with the domestic dog, these wolf characteristics are typically banded with their homestead-based cousins.

However, though the two species do share similarities, they are actually quite different from each other.

For one, wolves are instinctively tuned for wide spaces, which means that keeping them as pets is not as feasible as one would imagine, particularly in a urban closed-quartered habitat. Cases of wolves being raised as domestic pets are known to exist, but such successful cases are known to take place in farm or open-space habitats, ones which allow wolves to roam free without any of the risks of vehicle traffic or wolves encountering people from time to time when they are prowling about.

Another wolf trait would be in their natural inclinations to form packs or groups, with packs typically populated by six to ten wolf members. Typically, a wolf pack could cover spaces as large as 20 kilometers or 12 miles per day, a trait that falls in line with the wolf’s need for wide spaces.

Wolves are also known to have only one mate for life, and in such situations, a wolf pack leader, a male, and his mate are the only members of the pack who are actually “allowed” to mate. The wolf cubs born in packs are typically taken care of by every individual member, as and new members of the group are born, they eventually break out from packs to form their own as they grow older.

Incredibly intelligent and highly organized, wolves are loyal to their packs, committed in doing what they can in cooperatively surviving the harsh realities imposed on them by their habitats.

Far from being nature’s natural villains, the wolf’s standing as a bad guy has changed over the years, shedding some light on the truth of just how amazing and wonderful they are as creatures.

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Timber Wolf

Timber wolves, as a wolf classification, have long been misunderstood, thought of by many as a particular wolf type or wolf species.

Featured in the 1987 classic Benji the Hunted, the name timber wolf actually refers to a general classification of wolves, not a specific wolf species. As an antagonist in the story, the timber wolf’s tenacious attitude towards prey was highlighted in the movie. Though not exactly a species with a bone to pick with domestic animals, the depiction of a timber wolf in Benji the Hunted can be described as exaggerated, but not entirely inaccurate.

As a wolf classification, the timber wolf name applies to what is known by taxonomists as subspecies of Canis lupus or the “common wolf”, along with wolf species belonging to the “grey wolf” classification, specifically those which inhabit forested areas.

With forests being their native habitats, the origin of the timber wolf’s name is quite easy to pinpoint and figure out. Generally, timber wolves are grayish in their hue, with their physical attributes very similar with that of German Shepherds. Their thick fur affords them extra warmth during winter, as their strength and speed allows them with the capacity to hunt for prey larger than them.

Being wolves, timber wolves are social animals, running in packs.

Though their capacity for domestication remains to be challenging, certain breeders have successfully bred timber wolf hybrids, resulting to pups which are not as liable to go wild as their wild ancestors are.

Closely related to coyotes, the timber wolf is not classified as an endangered species, with its conservation status pegged to be a “Least Concern”. Found in parts of Asia and North America, timber wolves continue to stand as icons of steadfast strength, with different sporting teams and organizations ascribing timber wolves as their mascots or “animal totems”.

Timber Wolf Video

 

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