wolf

In addition to the well-known gray wolf (Canis lupus), other types of wolves include the red wolf; the eastern wolf; the Ethiopian, or Abyssinian, wolf; the extinct Falkland Islands, or Antarctic, wolf; and the extinct dire wolf.

Wolves can live in packs of up to two dozen individuals, but groups numbering 6 to 10 are most common. A pack is a family group consisting of an adult breeding pair (the alpha male and alpha female) and their offspring of various ages.

A wolf pack’s territory can be 80 to 3,000 square km (31 to 1,200 square miles), depending on prey abundance. A wolf pack strongly defends its territory against neighboring packs.

Wolves can live up to 13 years in the wild, but most die long before that age. While diseases and parasites can affect wolves, in most areas of the world humans are the leading cause of death for wolves. In areas of high wolf density and declining prey populations, the major causes of death are killing by other wolves and starvation.

Wolves (Canis lupus) were first domesticated in northern Eurasia sometime between 14,000 and 29,000 years ago, and selective breeding produced dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).