Wolves are dangerous predators of quite large size and belong to the canine family. In terms of body parameters and weight, the animal is equal to the size of an adult.
The body length of an adult wolf can reach 180 cm (including tail), and the height at the withers is 90 cm. The weight of a wolf ranges from 30 to 50 kg, some of the largest animals can weigh up to 80 kilograms. Female wolves are usually smaller than male wolves.
The wolf's muzzle is elongated, its teeth are sharp and strong. The paws are quite long, the claws are not very sharp, as they wear off while running. The coat is usually light gray, sometimes with a black, white or reddish tint; there are wolves with completely black and completely white fur. As a wolf ages, its coat color can change greatly.
Appearance
The size of the animal depends on its habitat. The further north the latitude, the larger the individual. The head is large with a high forehead and a long muzzle. There are light spots near the eyes and almost white cheeks. The wolf has well-developed facial muscles, so it can express up to 10 feelings. Long muscular body, high strong legs and straight tail.
The fur consists of hard, spinous wool. It is impregnated with fat and repels water and dirt. Dense down makes up the undercoat, which protects the animal from the cold. In late spring, a change in the undercoat occurs - molting.
How I taught the wolf "tubo"
I decided that I should start teaching the wolf cub from an early age, and once the big beast grows up, nothing can be done about it. He’s still small, but there are so many teeth in his mouth. And if he grows up, then hold on. “First,” I thought, “we need to teach him tubo.” It means "don't touch." So that when I shout “tubo”, he will even let go of what he grabbed from his mouth.
And so I took the wolf cub to my room, brought a bowl with milk and bread, and put it on the floor. The wolf cub sniffed, smelled the milk and hobbled on his paws towards the bowl. As soon as he stuck his face into the milk, I shouted:
- Tubo!
And at least he’s chomping and purring with joy. Me again:
- Tubo! - and pulled him back.
And then he immediately barked at me, turned his head, clicked his teeth - like he struck me with lightning. And he acted so forest-like, animal-like, that for a moment I was terrified. I’ve never heard this from an adult dog - that’s what a wolf means...
“Well,” I think, “if he’s been like this since an early age, then what then? If you don't come near then, he'll eat you right away. No, I think, I need to take him with fear, let him get used to being afraid of my hand.”
I shouted “tubo” again and hit the wolf cub on the head with my fist.
He hit his jaw on the bowl and squealed, quite childishly. But he couldn’t tear himself away from the milk, licked his lips and returned to the bowl.
I shouted in a voice that was not my own:
- Tubo, such rubbish! - and hit him with his fist again.
The wolf cub bounced off the bowl and hobbled on thin legs along the wall. He ran and shook his head in pain. Milk flowed from his muzzle, and he howled offendedly.
He ran along the wall of the whole room, and his legs themselves carried him to the milk.
Although I was ashamed that I hit such a little guy so hard, I still decided to insist on my own.
As soon as the wolf cub started eating, I shouted “tubo” again. He snapped hastily and began to lament quickly. I punched him. He howled and rushed, and before I had time to grab him, he had already opened the door with his muzzle and ran headlong out. He ran to his mother, stuck his wet muzzle into her skirt and whined in a loud voice throughout the apartment.
Everyone came running and began petting the wolf, and they scolded me for torturing such a small one.
He stained his mother’s entire skirt with milk and slobbered on it.
Then he ran after his mother all day, and everyone scolded me so much that I went for a walk.
I was offended by everyone at home. I thought: “It’s good for them to say: “Little wolf, dear and poor thing,” but when the wolf beast with huge teeth grows up, then everyone in the house will start shouting: “Look what the wolf has done!” Your wolf, take him wherever you want.” Then everyone will blame me. “You’ve started a beast in the house,” they’ll say, “now get rid of it.” And I decided that I would leave home, rent myself a small apartment and live there with my dog, cat and wolf.
I did just that: I found a room with a kitchen, hired it and moved with my animals to a new apartment.
They laughed at me:
- Tell me, what kind of Durov we have got! He will live with the animals. And I thought: “Durov is not Durov, but I will have a tame wolf.” My dog was red and small. She had a secret and malicious character. Her name was Plishka. Plishka was a little larger than a wolf cub. The wolf cub, when he saw her, ran to her, wanted to play, tinker.
And Plishka bristled, bared her teeth, and snarled:
- R-raf!
The wolf cub was scared, offended and ran to look for my mother, but I already lived alone. He whined, ran around the room, searched in the kitchen and finally came running to me. I caressed him, sat him down next to me on the bed and called Plishka. “Let me,” I think, “let me reconcile you.” I made Plishka lie down next to the wolf cub. She, the piece of trash, kept raising her lip, showing her teeth and grumbling in a whisper - she was obviously disgusted to lie next to the wolf cub. And he tried to smell it, even licked it. Plishka was shaking with anger, but she didn’t dare bite the wolf cub in front of me.
“Well,” I think, “how can I leave them alone at home, how can I go to work? The wolf cub Plishka will eat it and have a bite.” And I decided to take Plishka with me in the morning. She was very well trained, and in the morning at the service I hung my coat on the hanger, and told Plishke to keep watch and not leave her place. When Plishka and I returned home, the wolf cub was so happy about Plishka that he rushed towards her with all his crooked legs and knocked the dog down with a flourish and fell on her. Plishka jumped up like a spring, and before I had time to shout, she grabbed the wolf cub by the ear. But what happened here was not the same: the wolf cub barked and clanged his teeth so quickly, like lightning, that Plishka fell head over heels into the corner, pressed herself and, opening her mouth, growled in a frightened wheeze.
The cat Manefa walked importantly through the door to see what the scandal was all about. The little wolf shook his sore ear and ran around the room, bumping into everything with his strong forehead. Manefa jumped up on a stool just in case. I was afraid that it would occur to her to scratch the wolf cub from above. No. Manefa sat down comfortably and only watched with her eyes as the wolf cub rushed about.
I brought oatmeal and bones for the wolf with me and gave it to the janitor Annushka to cook.
When she brought the hot pot, she immediately noticed the wolf cub:
- What is this ugly dog? - And squatted down. - What breed will it be?
I didn’t want anyone in the house to know that there was a wolf, and I was thinking about what kind of lie I could tell, when Annushka took a closer look and said:
- Isn’t it a wolf cub? Yes, that's right, it's a wolf cub. Oh my poor one! I look, he’s already stroking him. I said:
- Annushka, please, don’t tell anyone. I want to grow it, let it be handmade.
“Why should I tell you,” says Annushka, “but, you know, they just say: no matter how much you feed the wolf, he still looks into the forest.”
And I agreed with Annushka that she would clean and cook for me, and make a brew of oatmeal with bones for the wolf every day.
I gave all the animals food, each in his own corner, each from his own feeding trough. The wolf cub slurped his oatmeal, and Plishka quickly devoured hers and looked back at me. I was watching her in the mirror, but she didn’t understand it and thought that I wouldn’t see anything from behind. And now I see in the mirror how she quietly creeps along the wall towards the wolf. She looked back at me again and quietly turned towards the wolf. She bared her teeth with all her teeth, her eyes were angry and she was advancing step by step.
“Well,” I think, “you climb into his feeder, I’ll pull you out with a belt, you’ll know. I see everything, my dear.”
But it turned out differently. As soon as Plishka stuck her muzzle towards the feeder, the wolf roared! - and clanged his teeth, not just past, but right in Plishka’s face. She jumped back with a squeal, and then she had a real fit: she rushed around the room, around the kitchen, rushed into the hallway and howled so desperately, as if all her fur was on fire. I called her, but she pretended not to hear, and only gave in to an even shriller squeal. And the wolf cub was chomping in his bowl. I poured milk into it for him, and he hurried, lapped it, only having time to catch his breath. I kicked Plishka out into the yard and in the yard I heard her trying to make a fuss.
All the neighbors thought that I had accidentally scalded the dog with boiling water.
And I taught the wolf “tubo” every day. And now things have moved forward: as soon as I shout “tubo”, the wolf cub runs headlong away from the feeding trough.
Sense organs
A wolf's sense of smell is 10 times sharper than that of a human. The predator can smell the scent at a distance of 3 km. Through smell, the animal receives information about the surrounding world. The wolf also has excellent hearing. His vision is not sharp, but this does not prevent him from being a perfect hunter. The beast is very hardy. An animal can starve for up to 2 weeks without harm to its health. In search of food it can travel up to 100 km. Develops a speed of 65 km/h. Jumps up to 5 meters. The jaws are designed so that the mouth opens up to 180° and can withstand a load of 10 MPa. Can growl, bark, whine, howl, squeal, yelp and squeak. With the help of howls, wolves communicate their location, warn of danger, declare superiority, and also express emotions.
Nutrition
Wolves are predators. As a rule, they hunt sick or weak animals. That is why wolves are called orderlies.
A variety of animals can become game for wolves - moose, wild boars, rams, goats, deer, roe deer, beavers, bulls, hares, rabbits, badgers, squirrels, birds and others. But most often wolves hunt ungulates. They can also attack domestic animals. When food is scarce, wolves eat frogs, lizards and beetles.
Every day a wolf can eat about five kilograms of meat and drink a liter of water. In addition to meat food, wolves willingly eat fruits, berries, mushrooms, grass and leaves. Eating plant foods helps animals normalize digestion. Wolves are very hardy animals; they can live without food for about two weeks.
Behavior
The wolf is an animal with complex behavior, loyal to its relatives. A large predator whose existence depends on mutual assistance within the pack.
A pack is not a random gathering of hunters, but a family with close family ties. Everyone is connected by caring for each other and a common goal. It shows a clear social structure:
- below - young litter - puppies up to 1 year;
- slightly higher are one-year-old teenagers. They take care of the young;
- the next level is three-year-old wolves. They form the backbone of the pack, a fighting unit capable of coordinating actions on the hunt;
- at the top is the dominant couple. These are parents of all generations. They have a dominant position.
Grows up
And the next day, when I was returning, I saw Annushka in the yard: she was washing clothes in a tub, and next to her, curled up in a ball, a wolf cub was basking in the sun.
“I took him out into the sun,” says Annushka. “Really, the animal doesn’t even see the light.”
I called:
- Wolf! Wolf!
He reluctantly stood up, spread his legs like a broken bed, and began to stretch, just like a dog. Then he wagged his rope tail and ran towards me. I was so happy that he was answering the call that I immediately fed him a bun without any “tubo”. I was about to take him into the room, then Annushka said:
“I just finished, but there’s water left, so let’s get him and me.” Otherwise he has a very wolfish spirit.
She picked him up under her arm and put him in the tub. She washed him as she wanted, and he stood there funny, covered in white foam. He never even growled at the janitor when she doused him clean with warm water. Since then it has been washed every week. He was clean, his fur began to shine, and I didn’t notice how the wolf cub’s tail had become fluffy from a bare rope, he himself began to turn gray and turned into a pretty, cheerful dog.
Hunting
Wolves on the hunt
Wolf hunting is a complex system of techniques that wolves perfect throughout their lives. The pack hunts down the prey. He clearly calculates her strength and his own. Distributes roles during the drive and attack and, of course, takes into account a strict hierarchy when distributing prey. Chasing prey, wolves organize organized raids. The leader and assistant lie on the intended path of the victim. The beaters come from the rear, surrounding the prey. A large animal is starved to death. Changing each other, they pursue until exhaustion and attack.
Learned
He was completely tame, and when his friends came, they stroked him and patted him on the back, like a simple dog.
And then one day I was sitting in the park on a bench. A wolf sits on the ground between my knees and breathes a hot spirit, hanging his long tongue through his teeth.
Little children played in the sand, and nannies husked sunflower seeds on a bench.
The guys started coming up to me.
- What a good dog! Fluffy and red tongue. Doesn't bite?
“No,” I say. - She's quiet.
-Can I pet you a little?
I said “tubo” to the wolf. He already knew this well, and the children, who were braver, began to carefully stroke it. I stroked them at the same time, so that the wolf knew that my hand was there too.
The nannies came up and asked:
- Won't it bite?
Suddenly one nanny came up and looked and groaned:
- Oh, mothers, a wolf!
The children squealed and jumped around like chickens. The wolf was so frightened that he turned like a top on the spot, hid his muzzle between my knees and laid his ears down.
When everyone calmed down a little, I said:
- They scared the wolf themselves. See how meek he is.
But where is it going? The nannies pull the kids away by the hand and don’t tell them to look back. Only two boys, who were without nannies, came up to me, stood a meter away and said:
- That's right - a wolf?
“That’s right,” I say.
- Real?
- Real.
“Well,” they say, “take care.”
“By God,” I say, “it’s real.”
“Yeah,” they say, “that’s why you tied it to your hand.” Well, let me pet you some more. The real one.
It was really like this: I tied the chain from the wolf with a belt to my left hand - if he jerked or rushed, he would not tear himself away from me. Even if I fall off my feet, it still won’t go away.
Reproduction
Wolves are monogamous animals. They form a pair forever. The rut begins at the end of January and beginning of February. The dominant male and female retreat to mating. In the most secluded corner of the territory, wolves make a den. After two months of pregnancy, the female gives birth to up to 13 puppies. Wolf cubs are born blind. In the first weeks, the she-wolf does not leave the den. Only the male gets food. By the end of the second week, the puppies begin to see. Puppies grow and develop quickly. By 4 months they reach 25 kg. Wolves are caring parents. Hunting is taught from birth. The life expectancy of these animals is up to 15 years.
Popular message topics
- Belka and Strelka
In 1960, for the first time, people sent two wonderful dogs Belka and Strelka into space. Their flight was quite successful, and the animals returned home safe and sound. Despite the fact that the dogs spent the whole day in space, - Why it is important to follow the laws
In order to answer, you need to understand what the law is. So, law is a kind of rule that allows you to create order in society. As you know, people are very different, everyone has their own views on life, - Willow
is an extremely common plant in central Russia. It has a simpler name - Willow. Belongs to the willow family. It looks like an ordinary tree up to 25 meters in height, but when young it has the appearance of a bush,
Missed
Annushka trained the wolf so well that he would never leave the gate alone. He comes up to the gate, looks out into the street, sniffs the air with his nose, sniffs, growls at passing dogs, but doesn’t step his paw over the threshold. Maybe he himself was afraid to jump out alone.
That's when I returned home.
Annushka was sitting in the yard, sewing in the sun under the window, and the wolf lay in a ball at her feet - a big gray animal.
I called out; the wolf jumped up to me. And then I remembered that I didn’t buy a cigarette. And the peddler stood ten steps from the gate with a tray. I jumped out of the gate, the wolf followed me. I take change from the delivery man and hear a dog barking, barking, and squabbling behind me. I looked around - oh, trouble! My wolf is sitting, pressed into the corner of the gate, and two large dogs pounced, pinned him down, and advanced. The wolf turns its head, its eyes are burning, and its teeth are clanging, fast, like shots: whip! whip! Right left!
The dogs are pressing, looking for a place to grab, and the barking is so loud that my scream can’t be heard. I rushed to the wolf. The dogs apparently realized that a man was running to their aid, and one rushed at the wolf.
Before she could blink, the wolf pulled her by the scruff of the neck and threw her onto the pavement. She rolled and ran away with a squeal. The other one jumped for me.
The wolf rushed and knocked me off my feet, but I managed to grab his collar, and he dragged me two steps along the pavement. The hawker with the tray quickly to the side. And the wolf is eager, I flounder on my back, but I don’t let go of the collar.
Then Annushka ran out of the gate. She ran in front and buried the wolf's muzzle in her lap.
“Let me go,” he shouts, “I already took it!”
That’s right: Annushka took the wolf by the collar, and the two of us took him home.
When I later went out the gate, I saw blood. A bloody trail ran across the square where the dog ran. I remembered that a lot of people had gathered to watch our scandal, and residents were leaning out of the windows. And someone shouted:
- Mad! Mad!
It was the general’s wife who lived above me who screamed.
Trouble
I didn’t let the wolf into the yard for two days, only in the evenings I took him for a walk on a chain. On the second night he howled, and howled unbearably: loudly, like a trumpet, and so desperately, so sadly, as if he was roaring over a dead man. There was a knock on my ceiling.
I jumped out with the wolf into the yard. I saw light flash in the windows and a shadow flicker. Apparently, the lady was alarmed.
The next morning I heard her screaming at the janitor in the yard:
- Disgrace! Where is it allowed to keep mad dogs in the house? Howls like a wolf at night. I didn't sleep all night. I'll tell you now. Now!
Annushka brought porridge to the wolf, all in tears.
- What's happened? - I ask.
“What’s worse,” the lady makes a scandal. He says I’ll report it to the police! So this janitor, my husband, means he’s out of the house: he’s hiding mad dogs, he’s not looking after anything, he says. And he is like family to me.
- Who is this? - I say.
- Yes, Wolf! - And sat down next to him, stroking him. - Eat, eat, dear. My little orphan!
When I was walking home from work, a police bailiff stopped me on the street:
- Excuse me, are you the one holding the wolf?
I looked at the bailiff and didn’t know what to say.
“But I’ve known for a long time,” says the bailiff. He grins and twirls his mustache. “There, you see, a complaint was received.” General Chistyakova. But you know, I’ll advise you this: give me your beast, by God. - And the bailiff smiled pleadingly. - By God, give it to me. I have sheep on my estate, and shepherd dogs guard them. Here they are. - And he pointed almost a meter from the ground. - So your wolf will produce good children - evil ones, first grade. And he will become friends with the dogs and will live in freedom. A? That's right. And in the city you will only have scandals with him. I guarantee that there will be scandals. - And then the bailiff frowned. - There is one complaint: keep this in mind. So how? Hands down, or what?
“No,” I said. - I feel sorry for giving. I'll arrange it somehow.
- Well, sell it! - the bailiff shouted. - Sell it, damn it! How many you want?
“No, I won’t sell it,” I said and quickly walked away.
- So I’ll steal it! - the bailiff shouted after me. - Hear: oo-kra-du!
I waved my hand and walked even faster.
At home I told Annushka what the bailiff said.
“Take care of the wolf,” I said.
Annushka didn’t answer, she just frowned.
In the courtyard I ran into General Chistyakova. She suddenly blocked my way. He looks me evilly in the eyes, and his lower lip trembles. And suddenly the umbrella hits the floor.
“Will we be out of danger soon?”
- From which one? - I ask.
- From a dog, from a mad one! - the general’s wife shouts.
“Apparently, madam, you were bitten, but it’s not mine.” And I went through the gate.
