What does the wolf eat. The wolf is a forest predator. Ideal habitat for them

One of the most enduring of the many myths about wolves is the unsubstantiated myth of the voracity of the wolf. According to the most conservative estimates of the layman, each animal needs 4 kg of meat per day, and one and a half tons per year! Moreover, meat of the highest category - venison, elk, wild boar, and, of course, lamb, beef and horse meat! This opinion was not created from scratch, because even in the literature one can find reports of wolves eating up to 12 kilograms of meat daily. But let's see if this beast is so voracious, and what does its diet consist of?

To begin with, let's make a reservation that, unlike a person, a wolf never kills for fun. It is not easy for him to catch and kill a large animal. And if the beast manages to get a significant amount of meat for his family, then he prefers to devote the rest of the time to rest, friendly meetings and games.

The wolf is a typical predator with an exceptionally wide range of food items, actively searching for food. We can say that in his diet there are no such vertebrates that would not serve as prey for him: all kinds of ungulates, hares and beavers, nutria and muskrats, small rodents and birds, fish and frogs, lizards and snakes. As well as a wide variety of plant foods - forest berries and fruits of trees. In the south - watermelons, melons and grapes, corn and sunflower seeds. Often they eat the leaves of sedges and cereals, as well as such poisonous plants, like lily of the valley and buckthorn, used by wolves for medicinal purposes.

In one of his works, Anatoly Onegov, a Russian naturalist writer and traveler, wrote: “Wolves are able to catch pike and bream when they, tired after spawning, roll down from the streams back into the lake. They hunt mice and frogs. Gray robbers visit raspberries and lingonberries, picking berries there. They can go hungry for weeks. And there is no way to compare the amount of food that a wolf receives daily in captivity with the food that these animals would get in the forest.

Information about the voracity of the wolf and the food he consumed at one meal is very contradictory and greatly exaggerated, as well as the assumption that the beast can eat up for future use. Being hungry, they eat meat in excess of the physiological norm, but soon after eating they are freed from it. The active lifestyle of the wolf (constant search, active pursuit of the victim) should be taken into account, which is difficult to combine with overloading the body with a large amount of food. If the mass of an adult Central Russian adult wolf is on average 45-50 kilograms, then it is difficult to even imagine that an animal can absorb up to 10 kilograms of meat at one time. This is the norm for a tiger weighing 250-300 kilograms. A number of studies have shown that a wolf cannot eat more than three kilograms of food at one time.

The wolves store the big game that they have caught. Scientists watched as five wolves stole a deer, weighing about 100 kilograms, during the night. At the place of death, only the contents of the stomach, shreds of wool and a skull remained. Eight pantries were found along the way of the pack, in which the wolves hid more than 30 kilograms of meat. This is a constant habit of the beasts, and their stocks are hard to find.

It is known that the wolf is able to utilize all parts of the body of large animals, including the entrails, skin and almost the entire skeleton. However, such complete exploitation of the prey is rare, as most of the rest of the carcass is taken away by other predators and birds. They also plunder the storerooms of the wolf.

The flock's prey search routes are constant; they pass through the locations and concentrations of prey in one or another season of the year. Wolves are very rational and follow not only richer game grounds, but also provide better opportunities to approach the prey.

The movement of the flock on the territory of the hunting area is aimed at its more uniform exploitation and the minimum possibility of meeting with neighboring flocks. Depending on the number of ungulates, the period for surveying the site may be different. So, if a flock controls several groups of reindeer over a large area, the animals consistently visit the herd in an average of 12-15 days. If the hunting area is small, then there the animals visit a certain territory every 5-7 days. Exits and surveys of lands adjacent to the site are rare and irregular. It is they that make it possible to carry out inter-school contacts in these buffer zones.

Buffer zones - territories up to 203 kilometers wide between areas of neighboring flocks - are visited by animals of different associations, however, such visits are short-lived. With an abundance of ungulates on the site itself and the availability of convenient hunting grounds, wolves do not need to go out of their territory in search of prey.

Attacking ungulate wolves is not always successful. According to scientists, it ranges from 4 to 10 percent. And the success of hunting would be even lower if it were not accompanied by various indirect factors. Very often the wolf completes what was started by hunger, disease, injury, adverse weather conditions, poachers.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

Systematics

Russian name - wolf, gray wolf, common wolf, Eurasian wolf, etc.
Latin name- Canis lupus
English name - Wolf
Squad - predatory (Carnivora)
Family - Canids (Canidae)
Genus - wolf (Canis), also includes a jackal and a coyote. Some taxonomists distinguish the dog as a separate species, while others consider it a subspecies of the wolf - Canis lupus familiaris.

There are a lot of subspecies of the wolf, some of them have become extinct by now.

Conservation status of the species

The wolf is a common predator in Russia, its population is regulated. In many regions of Europe and North America, it is taken under the protection of the law.

View and person

The relationship between man and wolf is very complex. At first they formed quite peacefully. primitive people, paying tribute to the mind and strength of the beast, they often chose it as their totem, endowed it with mystical properties, in mythology the wolf personified militancy. Along with the fox and the bear, he was an indispensable character in folk beliefs and fairy tales. True, in Russian folk art he, oddly enough, more often acts as a half-wit, whom everyone deceives.

The constant proximity and intelligence of the beast, undoubtedly, served as the reason for taming it by ancient man. The domestication of this predator took place several thousand years ago, most likely independently, in Europe, in southern Asia, and possibly in Central America. Modern genetic studies have confirmed the origin of numerous breeds of dogs precisely from the wolf.

As modern civilization developed, primarily in Europe, the man-wolf relationship became more and more conflicted: the wolf was increasingly seen as an enemy, he was credited with the role evil spirit, werewolf. The main reason was the use of the same food resources by humans and animals, primarily domestic ungulates. In England, for example, the development of sheep breeding led to the fact that this predator was exterminated already in the 16th century. In Europe and in North America in the 18-19 centuries, a real war was declared on him, the number of the wolf began to rapidly decline everywhere. From the complete destruction of the beast was saved by the ability to quickly restore its numbers when the pursuit became less active.

Attitudes towards the wolf began to change radically in the middle of the last century due to contemporary view about the principles of organization natural communities. The important role of the regulator of the number of wild ungulates was recognized for the wolf, he began to be called the "orderly of the forest." Indeed, after the destruction of predators, the reproduction of wild ungulates occurs so rapidly that vegetation suffers, which makes it impossible for some tree species to regenerate. Artificial regulation of ungulate populations did not lead to the desired results, and a natural "regulator" - the wolf - had to be called in. In addition, the transition from natural grazing to intensive animal husbandry has made domestic animals less accessible to the wolf, which means that he has ceased to be a competitor and enemy.

At present, in some regions of North America and Western Europe work is underway to return the wolf to the wild. In such places it becomes a protected species.

In a special way, the relationship between a man and a wolf is formed near large cities. First of all, he is attracted to permanent, easily accessible sources of food - cattle burial grounds and slaughterhouses. Wolves willingly settle next to them, cease to be afraid of humans and technology. There is no trouble for the urban population from this, unless the wolves fall ill with rabies. However, these same places are often visited by stray dogs. Usually a dog for a wolf is a desirable prey, but it happens that large, strong dogs have puppies from their wild ancestors. These wolf-dog hybrids are more daring predators than wolves, they are dangerous even to humans, because they neglect the caution that makes a wolf stay away from a person. It is characteristic that mixed packs of wolf-dog hybrids, wolves and feral dogs most often appear where a person actively destroys wild predators: nature does not tolerate emptiness and fills the ecological vacuum with a kind of “surrogate”.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

It is this predator that is the progenitor of dogs of all breeds.

Distribution and habitats

Appearance and morphology

The wolf is the largest animal among the representatives of the canine family, powerful, proportionately built. Body length is on average 105–160 cm, shoulder height 80–85, sometimes up to 100 cm, body weight 32–50 kg. The maximum recorded weight of a wolf from the natural population is 79 kg. Males are always slightly larger than females, with a broader head. The legs of the wolf are slender, high, the paws are small and, unlike the dog's, the fingers on them are tightly compressed, which makes it possible to distinguish between the tracks of a wolf and a large dog. The head and neck are very powerful, the muzzle is strongly elongated and framed on the sides by “whiskers”. The tail is rather long, thick and, unlike the dog's, always straight. The teeth and jaws are so strong that they can crush the largest bones. The fur of the wolf is thick, rather long.

Contrary to the name "gray wolf", the coloration, as well as the size of this predator, are subject to great individual and geographical variability. In the extreme north of the range, light, almost white animals live. Timber wolves are smaller, gray-brown, of medium size. The inhabitants of the deserts are the smallest, in their coloring there are more fawn tones. In the highlands Central Asia the size of the wolves is the same as that of the forest wolves, but the color is bright ocher. In North America there are almost black wolves.

The wolf's sense organs are superbly developed. He combines well-developed higher nervous activity with strength, agility, speed of running and other physical data that greatly increase the chances of this predator in the struggle for existence. If necessary, the wolf develops a speed of up to 55-60 km / h, is able to make transitions up to 60-80 km per night, and on average cover more than 20 km per day (in the forest zone). A calmly walking or running wolf strikes with its ease of movement - it seems to spread over the ground, as if flying over its surface. Apparently, therefore, a group of wolves is more often called a pack, like birds.

Feeding and feeding behavior

The wolf is a typical predator that obtains food on its own, actively searching for and pursuing prey.

Everywhere wolves prey on large mammals, mainly on ungulates. However, their preferences are determined by the degree of availability of food, and animals that prevail in each particular area become prey. In the tundra, these are reindeer; in the forest zone - elks or wild boars, in other areas - deer or roe deer; in the steppe zone - antelopes. Along with large animals, small animals play an important role in the nutrition of wolves - hares, ground squirrels, mouse-like rodents, especially during their years. mass reproduction. In the warm season, wolves catch a lot of voles, lemmings and other small animals, on this food they fatten well for the winter and even get fat. In summer, wolves do not miss the opportunity to eat the laying of eggs, chicks sitting in the nest, or birds feeding on the ground. Foxes, raccoon dogs, and also domestic dogs sometimes become the prey of wolves, for which wolves sometimes hunt on purpose, boldly kidnapping them on the village streets, right from the yard and almost in front of the hunters. They also eat carrion. Wolves hide the half-eaten remains of their own prey, burying them in the ground or filling them with branches, and when they are hungry, they return to them. During the period of a mass invasion of locusts, predators feed on it with pleasure.

Like other canids, wolves eat quite a lot of plant foods. In the south in summer they visit melons, in the forest zone they enjoy eating berries with pleasure. When the fruits ripen on wild-growing pears and apple trees, these predators eat carrion in large numbers.

Wolves are skilled and resourceful hunters, their behavior is very complex. Even when hunting together in the summer, wolves often practice the division of duties, when one becomes the beater, and the second hides in an ambush. The first of them acts very carefully, gradually, step by step, directing the intended victim to his partner. In a flock chasing an elk or a deer, often some predators run on the heels of the intended victim, while others run across, or trot slowly and, having rested, replace the front ones. At the same time, the animals show amazing indefatigability and perseverance. Still others sit in ambush and at the right moment make a decisive throw.

When choosing a prey among large ungulates, wolves are guided by a special instinct that allows them to assess the physical condition of potential prey. In the Canadian tundra, for example, wolves have been observed preying on musk oxen after running a "race" with them. During such runs, predators target their prey and then purposefully pursue only it. Scientists examined the remains of these victims: in many cases it was possible to establish that the animals were sick.

Vocalization

The vocal repertoire of wolves is very diverse: they growl, and snort, and whine, and squeal, and even bark. However, the wolf howl is best known - a means of communication over long distances. Males and females, adults and young, howl differently, which corresponds not only to their different voice data, but also to their social status. An adult male basses, females usually start with low tones and gradually increase them, wolves of other ages sing in a treble, out of tune, with a squeal. They howl alone and in chorus. With a group howl, the animals "adjust" to the "soloist" - the rhythm is synchronized, the tone is evened out. It's like a real choir. Wolf howling serves as a means of consolidation of the pack, which is why it is most often heard in autumn and winter.

In addition to the function of notifying neighbors that the territory is occupied, the howl carries a much greater information load. Thanks to the howl, the members of the pack always know where each of them is, and what he is doing, they know where the neighbors are hunting. Moreover, wolves seem to communicate information about the location of potential prey to each other. So researcher Farley Mowat observed in the Canadian tundra how wolves transmitted information over long distances along a chain that the caribou deer they expected had moved south and were in a certain place. In this case, the wolf first listens to information coming from another wolf, which may be several kilometers away. Then the transmitter throws his head back and howls in a vibrating howl: at first low, but ending on the highest note still perceptible to human hearing. Checking the wolf's report of finding the caribou confirmed this case. Wolves can also inform each other about the appearance of people.

Social organization, behavior

For most of their lives, wolves are kept in family groups. The basis of each group is a breeding pair, which most often persists for life, unless one of the partners dies. During breeding season (spring-summer), the pair stays isolated. Closer to autumn, adult non-breeding animals and young wolves of last year's litter join adults and cubs of the year, thus forming a pack of 6–12 animals. If the flock turns out to be too large, it splits into two, or individuals are forced out of it, which follow the flock for some time, and then go in search of new places.

The breeding female is the leader in the group, and all other females obey her. Among males, the main one is her "husband", who is dominant among other males. Within the same family group, the relationship between animals is very friendly. When they are full, they rest, lying close to each other, brushing their hair or just dozing.

Young people play a lot. The games are very mobile, they include jogging, ambush attacks, and power struggle. It is during game interactions that behavioral roles are distributed: one of the teenagers in the future will become a good beater, someone sneaks up better than others, someone has a lightning-fast throw. Fights often break out between young animals, which can even lead to serious injuries. This is how hierarchical relations are built, which in adults are no longer supported by open aggression, but by characteristic demonstrative behavior.

Different groups of wolves do not often contact each other, each group marks its sites with urine, and the neighbors know the boundaries well. While hunting and moving, groups avoid each other whenever possible. When meeting animals, they show alertness, but, as a rule, things do not come to fights, animals are limited to ritual poses. Under natural conditions, the plots of different families do not adjoin, between them there are rather wide buffer zones where young people can settle, and which can be used by wolves from different families in turn.

The repertoire of demonstration postures and facial expressions that wolves use when communicating with each other is very wide. Importance has the position of the ears, head, tail, lips, coat - all that the domestic dog inherited from the wolf. The tail of a wolf is not as mobile as that of a dog, however, its signal value is approximately the same: wagging means joy and greeting, tucked between the legs expresses submission and fear, extended at the same level with the back - a sign of strength, independence. The combination of different elements of poses is important: for example, if a wolf turns up his lips and presses his ears with a growl, this is a threat, if the same thing, but with a squeal, it is a greeting. These are those expressive postures and actions that a person can notice. Researchers who have studied wolves note that wolves often communicate simply by looking: for example, the leader approaches one of the members of the pack and looks into the eyes, after which he goes and does what he was "ordered." An observer from the outside can only be amazed at how members of the same family understand each other.

Reproduction and education of offspring

The rut of wolves occurs in late winter - early spring and lasts about a month. From the very beginning of the rut, the couple tries to retire, the male drives away other members of the family, who move away, but continue to stay in their native territory. For hunting, the family often gathers together, but, having had enough, the couple departs. Closer to the middle of the rut, wolves can form rutting packs: attracted by the smell of a she-wolf, the pair is followed relentlessly by 1–3 more males from neighboring territories. Feature racing flocks - the presence of only one female. Such a flock is on the move most of the day. Despite stubborn persecution, the couple from time to time manages to retire, and then mating occurs. Young animals that have formed a couple for the first time play a lot, chasing each other and gently biting their partner. Females participating in the rut for the first time may travel far from the parental territory with their "escort", and often do not return, staying in a new place and developing new areas.

After the end of the rut, life returns to normal. The family unites, with the small exception of young wolves that left during the rut.

Puppies, usually 2-6, appear after 62-65 days in the den, where now the mother does not even allow the father. They are born blind, with closed ear openings, covered with sparse brown hair, and begin to see in 9-12 days. Within 3 weeks, while the cubs are in the hole, the mother practically does not leave them. The father all this time brings and leaves food for his girlfriend at the entrance to the lair. Meat food gradually appears in the menu of babies from the age of one month, and within 2-3 months they lack enzymes, and parents burp half-digested meat for them. Milk feeding lasts for a long time, almost 4 months, at this age the wolf cubs already hunt rodents. Later, they begin to take part in group hunts for larger animals, but remain on the sidelines for another year.

She-wolves reach puberty in the second year of life, males only by the age of three, but, as a rule, at this age they still do not find a mate.

Lifespan

In nature, wolves rarely live longer than 8–10 years; in captivity, life expectancy is twice as long.

Keeping animals in the Moscow Zoo

Wolves are permanent residents of our zoo. As a rule, they come to us as puppies and live life to a ripe old age. A few years ago, wolves were kept not only in the exposition area of ​​the zoo, but also in the visiting section - they went to lectures with other animals in schools, kindergartens, and lecture halls. Now there are no wolves among the "exit" animals for several reasons. Firstly, no one believed us anyway that these were wolves, not dogs - they behaved completely like a dog. Secondly, it turned out that the wolves were terribly sick in the car, and the third reason, following from the second: discomfort on the road caused animals negative attitude not only to trips, but also to people who forced them to go, and this is already very dangerous.

Now gray wolves live only in a special enclosure located opposite the Skating Circle. Animals are very happy with people who care for them, meet them with tail wagging and smiles, just like dogs.

Sometimes they howl: more often at night, but sometimes in the evening. The wolf song is mesmerizing. Once upon a time, wolves, jackals and foxes lived in neighboring enclosures at the zoo. The wolves usually started the "singing", picked up by the jackals, and then the foxes joined. Everyone sang in their own way, but the choir was amazing. For some reason, this coincided with the work of the zoo's loudspeaker, so it was possible to “turn on” this choir on purpose.

A pair of wolves currently living in the zoo are young animals that arrived in 2013 from the Zoo Nursery, where they came from different places. The male was born in the zoo of Veliky Ustyug, and the female was picked up by people as a puppy and, having grown up, was transferred to the Zoo Nursery. Rada (that's the name of the female) turned out to be very calm and friendly, the male, on the contrary, was afraid of everything and tried to avoid contact with people. They named him Tarzan for his high jumps. After the prescribed quarantine, they were introduced, and Tarzan was replaced as if. The panic behavior disappeared, and from the incredulous beast became just cautious. Soon the animals were released into the exposition enclosure, where they settled in perfectly.

The couple is very friendly, if you have to put one of the partners away, the other is bored: he eats poorly, walks a little. It is very easy to distinguish a wolf from a she-wolf: Rada is smaller, more elegant, and the very tip of her right ear is white - light hair has grown in a place damaged in childhood. Tarzan is a large, big-headed animal. He keeps his tail lowered almost all the time, like an insecure dog. When large cars pass by the enclosure (and this is inevitable during the reconstruction), he is very nervous and hides.

Zoo employees devote a lot of time to wolves: animals must learn to enter the interior on command, allow themselves to be closed there, let them be touched, examined, and even allowed to be given injections (vaccinations). The training is carried out in a "protected contact", through the grate. Thus, on the one hand, the territory of the animal is not violated, on the other hand, the person is protected from large predator.

They feed the wolves from the hands, through the grate 1 time per day with meat, give hydroponic greens and various vitamin and mineral supplements. Like all predators, 1 day a week is hungry. You can often see how wolves arrange pantries: they bury pieces of meat in the ground and tamp it down with their noses. Usually, crows are closely watching their actions - when the animals leave or lie down to rest, the birds are right there. During the day, wolves rest, often indoors, so it’s better to “visit” them in the morning or late afternoon.

The search for an answer to the question "what do wolves eat" leads to the conclusion that they are omnivores. They say that hungry animals driven to despair attack even bears wintering in dens.

Features of the diet of wolves

The wolf, like all canids, is carnivorous, but, although it is considered a pronounced predator, from time to time it adjoins scavengers.

The composition of the diet

The main food of wolves are ungulates, whose availability and abundance determine the survival of the wolf population. Its lifestyle also adapts to the specifics of the life of ungulates in a particular region.

Wolves, except for ungulates, prey on such animals as:

• hares, foxes, and others;
• and domestic dogs;
• rodents, including voles, and hamsters;
• waterfowl, more often during their molt;
• chicken birds, especially young and masonry;
• geese (domestic and wild);
• snakes, lizards, frogs and toads (rare).

This is interesting! Sometimes predators switch to very strange food - in the Kizlyar steppes (when locusts bred there) they found wolf droppings, which consisted entirely of its remains.

Cannibalism

Eating their own kind is not uncommon in a wolf pack, whose members do not hesitate to tear a wounded / weakened comrade into harsh winters. Hungry predators often kill weaker ones when they have to fight for food. Often they tear apart competitors who have received bloody injuries in the struggle for a female.

Wolves absorb the tendency to cannibalism with their mother's milk. In one of the zoos, large wolf cubs tore apart and ate a weak wolf cub when they were transferred from meat to dairy-vegetarian food. Wolves not only kill and eat their wounded animals, but also do not disdain the corpses of their relatives. In the famine season, animals willingly consume other carrion, finding slaughterhouses, cattle burial grounds, salotopni or hunting bait. In winter, the route of the wolf pack often runs through places where rotten carcasses are constantly thrown out.

Hunting, prey

The wolf goes hunting at dusk, finishing it in the morning. If the hunt was successful, the wolves sleep or continue tracking after a bad night.

wolf hunting

In search of prey, wolves travel up to 50 km (even in deep snow). They follow each other, because of which it is impossible to calculate how many predators are in the flock. As a rule, there are no more than 15 of them - young animals from the last 2 broods are taken for hunting.

This is interesting! The heart, liver and lungs are considered a delicacy, which is why they always go to the most powerful male, the leader, who takes on the role of "beater" on the hunt.

Having looked out for the herd, the wolves start chasing until one of the roe deer starts to fall behind. Having overtaken the target, the predators surround it: some - in front, the second - from the rear, the third - from the sides. Having knocked down a roe deer, the flock attacks en masse, tormenting the victim to its last breath. Large and healthy ungulates often confront wolves, one of which often dies in a skirmish. The remaining predators ingloriously retreat.

How much does a wolf eat

The beast knows how to starve for 2 weeks, but gorges itself in reserve, having obtained game. But even a starved wolf is not able to swallow 25 kg of meat, as some sources attribute to it. In the wolf's stomach, 1.5–2 kg of food was found, since at one time it absorbs no more than 3 kg, and what is eaten in excess of this simply burps. Eyewitnesses told how 7-10 predators gnawed a horse during the night, and a wolf in Turkmenistan single-handedly dealt with a young argali weighing 10 kg. But these figures do not speak of a one-time amount of food eaten, because part of the carcass is hidden and taken away. In addition, animals slaughtered by wolves are loved by scavengers - jackals, hyenas and vultures.

seasonality

The diet of wolves varies (and quite significantly) depending on the time of year. Fluctuations in food preferences are reflected in the way of life of the wolf pack - a settled existence in the warm seasons is replaced by a nomadic one by winter.

Summer diet

The summer menu of wolves is the most appetizing and vitamin-rich, as it is based on a wide range of plant/animal food, with a variety of species and quantitative composition. In summer, ungulates, as a rule, fade into the background, giving way to medium and small mammals.

In addition, in summer, animal protein in the wolf diet is supplemented with vegetable components:

• berries of lily of the valley and mountain ash;
• blueberries and lingonberries;
• nightshade and blueberry;
• apples and pears;
• other fruits (in the southern regions).

This is interesting! Wolves inspect melons, where they taste melons and watermelons, but often they do not eat them so much as spoil them, causing damage to melon growers. In the steppes of the Urals, predators chew sweet cane shoots, and do not refuse a variety of cereals.

In the south, in the year of the increased harvest of steppe cherries, its bones were constantly found in wolf feces.

Autumn-winter diet

At the end of summer and early autumn, wolves continue to hunt wild ungulates, track down grazing cattle, dig out muskrat huts/burrows, hunt small animals (including hares), and catch waterfowl along the banks of reservoirs. The forage base is noticeably impoverished as soon as the first snow falls. At this time, wolves almost completely switch to ungulates, including moose.

In winter, animals roam the swept roads and reluctantly go to the side of the road when they see a convoy or a single sleigh.. In the most severe cold, wolves lose their fear, approaching human habitation. Here they climb into the barn for livestock, hunt guard dogs and look for carrion, tearing up cattle burial grounds.

spring diet

Most notably, the bony hand of hunger grabs the wolf by the throat. in early spring when predators turn into the worst enemies of livestock breeders, especially those whose farms are located in the steppe. With the approach of spring, the proportion of livestock in the wolf diet increases noticeably, reaching a peak at the top of summer, when the ever-hungry wolf cubs begin to grow stronger in the pack.

This is interesting! With the onset of warm weather, predators living in the steppe, desert and tundra begin to drive pregnant ungulates - saigas, deer, goitered gazelles and roe deer. And by the time the offspring appears, the wolves cluster near the places of calving, where both young and adults are slaughtered.

After snowmelt and the beginning of the rut in most animals (April-May), wolves reorient themselves from ungulates to small/medium vertebrates.

Diet depending on the area

The nutrition of predators is also determined by the region of habitat. Wolves living in the tundra hunt wild / domestic animals in winter, with an emphasis on calves and females. Along the way, they cut smaller animals, for example, and hares. Wolves roaming along the sea coasts in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, rob hunting traps and traps, pick up carcasses thrown out by the wave marine mammals, fish and commercial waste.

In the forests of Tatarstan, wolves in snowy winters prey mainly on mammals - livestock / carrion (68%), hares (21%) and mouse-like rodents (24%). The main food objects of predators living in the central chernozem forest-steppes are domestic animals, small rodents and hares.

This is interesting! The steppe populations of wolves in southern Russia specialize in mouse-like rodents (35%), carrion (17%), as well as calves, dogs, goats, sheep and pigs (16%).

In the stomachs of Caucasian wolves, in addition to animal food, grains of corn were found, and in Ukrainian (near Kiev) even mushrooms. In summer, in the northern regions of Kazakhstan, wolves massively exterminate:

• small rodents (more water);
• young white and black grouse;
• young and molting ducks;
• and sheep (rare).

The wolves that have settled in the Betpak-Dala desert feed mainly on saigas, goitered gazelles and hares, not forgetting turtles, jerboas, gerbils and insects.

The wolf is an amazingly sensitive and attentive predator. Possessing an excellent sense of smell and sharp hearing, it is surprisingly well oriented in any terrain. Although vision is less developed, it is significantly superior to that of domestic dogs. Developed the ability to adapt. For example, wolves easily distinguish a hunter (danger) from a mushroom picker.

wolf food

There is no need to guess what the wolf eats. This has been studied for a long time. The wolf is a typical carnivorous predator. Traditionally, its menu includes deer, elk, livestock, partridges, hares and black grouse. Because of hunger and desperation, wolves may dare to attack a bear sleeping in a den. In times of famine, in the absence of live prey, they can eat carrion or plant foods - berries, fruits, and even mushrooms. More than two weeks the wolf is able to do without food.

Hunting and trophies

The "working day" of a predator begins at dusk and ends in the morning. If the night went well, then the wolves sleep, otherwise the hunt does not stop during the day. At one time, an adult wolf is able to eat 2-6 kg of flesh, while a hungry one - twice as much - up to 10 kg. The current belief that wolves kill more than they can eat is unfair. Leftovers are never wasted, but buried for the next meal. Everything that the wolf eats will be placed in the "natural refrigerator" and will be perfectly preserved.

Seasons Features

With the onset of spring, the share of domestic animals in the diet of wolves increases. The peak of growth occurs after the middle of summer, when the ever-good brood grows up in wolves. The liver, heart and lungs are considered a delicacy. They go to the "beater" - the strongest wolf in the pack. This is the leader. Contrary to existing stereotypes that wolves eat people, there is no documented case when a wolf of its own free will attacked a person.

In winter, a hunting pack of wolves reaches 15 individuals: young animals from the last two broods are attracted. Sometimes the flock meets resistance from large forest animals. It happens that the skirmish ends with the death of one of the wolves and the retreat of the survivors. In search of prey, they are able to walk in deep snow up to 50 kilometers. At the same time, it is impossible to determine the number of individuals in a flock by the trail, since predators follow each other.

Feeding puppies

Up to eight weeks, the female feeds the puppies with milk every three hours for 1-4 minutes. Starting from three weeks, the whole flock takes part in this process, bringing meat from the hunt and burping the puppies. At eight months of age, puppies see the sun for the first time. At the age of five or six months, they follow the pack to hunt and eat fresh meat. Wolf cubs have natural enemies, but today there is simply no unequivocal answer to the question of whether they eat wolves.

For most people, the wolf is not just a wild animal, but an archetypal image familiar from childhood. He became a character in fairy tales for a reason. People have long feared and revered this beast. They scared naughty children with a wolf, called the elder brother of a man, composed fairy tales and legends about him.

in tongues different peoples world, the word wolf is consonant. It is worth noting that it was born in the Old Slavic language and means “to drag” or “drag”. Apparently, the name came from the manner of dragging prey (drag in front of you).

Habitat and distribution in the world

In past centuries, the wolf was the most common animal on earth. To date, the habitat has been significantly reduced. The reason for this is the widespread extermination of the animal by man. Today, most of the species lives on the territory of the following states: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Georgia, China, Korea, Iran, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Scandinavian and Baltic countries, South American countries, Italy, Poland, Spain , Portugal, Mexico, USA, Canada.

The wolf adapts to life in any terrain, but tries to settle in places with a small number of trees. Often lives in close proximity to human settlements. In the taiga, for example, it invariably follows people, choosing to live in places cleared of trees.

In mountainous areas they live up to the border of meadows, choosing slightly crossed areas.

The wolf is one of the territorial animals. In the cold period, flocks lead sedentary life. The habitat of the flock is marked with marks. The area of ​​such territory can reach up to 44 km2. With the onset of warm months, the animals form pairs.

The strongest individuals continue to live in their territory, while the rest disperse. It is worth noting that wolves accompany herds of deer and domestic animals.

Wolf ancestors and evolution

The likely ancestor of the modern wolf is Canis lepophagus. This is a representative of a canine breed that inhabited the territory of North America during the Miocene period.

The first true wolves appeared during the early Pleistocene period. Among the species was Canis priscolatrans, distinguished small size. It is believed that this species is the ancestor of the red wolf, which migrated to Europe and Asia.

Subsequently, Canis priscolatrans changed and evolved, which led to the appearance of C. Mosbachensis, a species that has many things in common with modern representatives. Over time, C. mosbachensis evolved into Canis lupus.

Types and features of each type

About 32 species and subspecies of wolves are known to science. The following will describe the most interesting views.

Arctic (polar)

The rarest subspecies of the gray wolf. Distributed in Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska. The absence of a person in a cold, snowy area made it possible to preserve the habitat in its original form.

The Arctic wolf is distinguished by its large and powerful body build. The male at the withers can reach 1 m, with a weight of 100 kg. This species is characterized by sexual diformism (males outnumber females by 15-16%).

The animal is ideally adapted to life in the conditions of the polar night, overcoming great distances along the snowy plain to search for prey. An adult can eat up to 12 kg of meat at one time. Often there is nothing left of the prey, because the polar wolves do not chew the meat, but swallow it along with the bones.

Representatives of this species live in packs that number 12-15 individuals. The head of such a group can be not only a male, but also a female. There are times when a pack takes in lone wolves (if they obey the leader).

Ruffed

The species got its name from the long fur that covers the neck and shoulders. The skin resembles a horse's mane. The main place of residence is South America.

The maned wolf has a red color. A distinctive feature of the species are large ears and an elongated head. In appearance, the animal looks lean. The body weight of an adult does not exceed 25 kg.

The maned wolf is a lone hunter. As prey, he chooses small livestock, birds, reptiles. It also eats fruits.

INTERESTING! A few years ago, the threat of extinction of this species was observed. Today the problem has been solved, but the animal continues to be in the Red Book.

Mackensensky

The most common species found in North America. The weight of the animal can reach 80 kg, and the height - 90 cm. An individual hunts deer, musk oxen, elk and bison.

Mountain (red)

The mountain wolf is distinguished by its beautiful appearance. Its coat is similar in color to fox fur. The weight is slightly over 20 kg. The length does not exceed 100 cm. The color depends on the region of residence. In the cold period, the fur becomes softer, more fluffy and thick. With the onset of heat, it takes on a dark color and begins to coarsen.

Predators of this species live and forage in a flock of 12-15 individuals. There is rarely a clear leader in their community. Deer, antelopes or large rodents are chosen as prey. A strong flock can attack a bull and even a leopard. In case of food shortage, the red wolf may feed on carrion.

INTERESTING! A distinctive feature of the mountain wolf is the method of attacking the victim. Unlike other species (and indeed all canines), it attacks prey from the back, without trying to bite into the neck.

The animal lives secretly, trying to arrange parking away from people. It hinders learning.

Ginger

The appearance of the red wolf is similar to the appearance of gray individuals, only the red ones are inferior in size and weight, and also have shorter ears and hair. The body can reach a length of 130 cm and a weight of 40 kg. The color is not uniform, the muzzle and legs are red, and the back is dark.

Predators settle in swamps, steppes and mountains. There are individuals in the flocks different ages. In a group, there is almost never aggression towards individual members.

The red wolf eats not only meat, but also vegetation. It mainly preys on rabbits, rodents and raccoons. Very rare, but attacks large mammals. There are times when the predator itself becomes the prey of a lynx or an alligator.

common wolf

This type is collectively referred to as gray wolf. It is the most common animal in the family. Body length reaches 160 cm, weight - 80 kg.

The animal lives in North America, and on the territory of Eurasia. Behind last years the total number has been greatly reduced. The reason for this is the extermination of man. And only in North America the population remains at a stable level.

What do wolves eat

The wolf is a predator. Most often chooses the following animals as prey:

• Roe.
• Antelope.
• Boar.
• Deer.
• Hare.
• Elk.

Small species, as well as single individuals, attack smaller animals - rodents, ground squirrels, birds. Very rarely it can choose a victim in the face of a large predator, although there are cases when flocks attack wounded or sleeping bears, foxes.

In the hungry period, they can return to half-eaten carcasses. At such a time, predators do not disdain carrion.

In addition to meat, they eat forest fruits, berries, grass, watermelons, melons. Such food allows you to get the required amount of fluid.

Reproduction and rearing of offspring

A pair of wolves, as a rule, is formed for life. If one of the partners dies, the other does not look for a replacement. Animals live in packs of 12 to 45 individuals (depending on the species).

In the wolf community, there is a clearly built hierarchy. The head is the alpha animal (it can be either a male or a female). Then come adults, lone wolves, and puppies. Very often, single individuals are accepted into the flock. The main condition is a tolerant attitude towards other members of the pack. When the puppies reach the age of three, they are driven out of the conglomerate. It's time to find a mate on your own, and start a family.

INTERESTING! It should be noted that puppies born in the same litter will never mate with each other.

The busiest time in a pack's life is mating season when alpha males and females try to fight off other members. Often fights between animals end in death.

For one litter, a she-wolf has from 3 to 15 puppies. The offspring is hatched for more than two months. Puppies are born blind. The eyes open 10-14 days after birth.

Wolves in zoos - features of captivity

Wolves in zoos live longer than wild relatives (the former live 20 years, the latter from 8 to 15). This is due to the fact that in the wild, old individuals, unable to get food, die or become victims of relatives.

For a full life in captivity, special conditions must be created. The point is that the animal natural environment runs up to 20 km daily. This is a normal and necessary load, so there must be an aviary of the appropriate size. It is not bad to recreate the conditions of the area in which the animal should live.

An adult should consume up to 2 kg of fresh meat daily. IN winter period the norm increases to 3 kg.

Periodically, live food should be brought in to maintain the hunter's instinct.

The history of the domestication of the wolf into a dog

Very often, small wolf cubs fall into the hands of hunters. They don't always take animals to the zoo. Someone brings them home, someone sells them. Such a product is in demand, there are risky people who want to get a predator. And the desire to raise a pet from a wild beast fuels the excitement even more.

In most cases, such solutions are erroneous and unsafe. The wolf is primarily a predator. Starting it at home is like planting a time bomb. Sooner or later it will explode.

If such a predator appeared in the house, then first of all it is necessary to create all the conditions that ensure safety. The wolf is a smart, freedom-loving and cunning animal, so everything free time he will spend on trying to get out of the cage. In addition, he is able to learn primitive actions from a person. In other words, he can remember how a person opens the cage, and do it himself.

Another point that everyone who wants to tame a wild animal should know. He will never serve as a dog. The wolf is a predator, and a man is an enemy for him, he will always be afraid of him. Therefore, when a stranger tries to enter the territory of the house, he will try to hide.

Video information

• Numerous experiments by breeders made it possible to breed mixed breeds of a wolf and a dog. Today, two mixed breeds have gained recognition - the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog and the Saarloos.
• In the Middle Ages, he personified the servant of the devil. Many stories, fairy tales, legends were composed, in which the image of a wild animal appeared.
• Many coats of arms belonging to the noble families of Europe had the image of a wolf. Representatives of ancient families claimed that their family originated from werewolves (a mixture of man and wolf).
• Before the battle, the Scandinavian Vikings put on wolf skins and drank the blood of predators. In their opinion, this ritual was supposed to bring good luck.
• In the 16th century, Ireland was called the land of wolves. The reason for this was the numerous flocks of predators that lived on these lands.
• In a calm animal can hear a sound at a distance of 17 km.
• Wolves are excellent swimmers. They are able to swim a distance of 10 km at a time.
• Hitler was an admirer of these animals. For this reason, many Wehrmacht headquarters had names associated with predators.
• It was customary among the Aztecs to puncture a dying person in the chest with a wolf bone. In their opinion, with the help of the ritual it was possible to escape from death.
• In Japanese, the word wolf means "great god".

Watching wolves for centuries, man realized that a predator is a disciplined and intelligent animal, and not just a hunter and killer. The image of survival wild nature, life in a pair, building a hierarchical ladder in a flock, allows us to talk about the uniqueness of this mammal.