Mammals · Carnivora · Canidae

Gray Wolf

Canis lupus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A social predator that lives in family packs with a clear hierarchy, and a keystone species for the balance of many ecosystems.

Weight

30 kg – 80 kg

Size

1.1 m – 1.6 m

Lifespan

13 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Hierarchical pack

Lives in an organised hierarchical group, typical of cooperative hunters.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Between 200,000 and 250,000 animals across its whole range (2018 figure), of which some 65,000-78,000 were in North America at the start of the 21st century. It occupies around two thirds of its historic range: its current distribution is 30% smaller than the original

Temperate forestTundraCarnivore Variable activity In packs Temperate forest Tundra Mammal

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Fun facts

It can cover up to 50 km in a single night's hunting.
It howls to communicate with the pack over several kilometres.
Its reintroduction to Yellowstone changed the park's entire ecosystem.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: A wide range of habitats across the Northern Hemisphere: tundra, forest, grassland and arid country
Birth weight: ~450 grams
Size at birth: Blind and deaf at birth; the eyes open at 11-15 days
Sexual maturity: Female: 2 years | Male: 3 years (though whether they actually breed depends on their social standing within the pack)
Gestation / incubation: 60-63 days
Litter / clutch size: 1 to 14 pups per litter (average 4-6)
Lifespan in captivity: Up to 20.6 years documented in captivity

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; Animalia.bio; Smithsonian National Zoo; Britannica; National Wildlife Federation; IUCN Red List: catalogado como Preocupación menor con población estable desde 1996; las poblaciones del sur de Europa y Escandinavia son pequeñas pero van en aumento || IUCN Red List, evaluación de Canis lupus (2018); Encyclopaedia Britannica, estado de conservación del lobo gris