The Indian wolf, it is Asian or Iranian - a species that once flourished, but is currently quite small. Like many other animals around the globe, he is threatened with extinction due to the extermination by hunters and the destruction of human habitat due to land development. Where does the Indian wolf live? What does this animal eat, what lifestyle does it lead? All this will be briefly described in the article.
View description
The Indian wolf, also called the landga (Canis lupus pallipes), is a subspecies of the gray wolf. He is smaller than his more famous fellow. The weight of this animal is from 25 to 32 kilograms, and at the withers it grows up to 45-75 centimeters (for comparison: the weight of an ordinary gray wolf can be 80 kilograms, and the height at the withers is 90 centimeters). The length of the body is up to 90 centimeters, the tail is 40-45.
The color of the coat of the Indian wolf (photo is presented in the article) is not gray, but brown, it can vary to rusty-reddish. This protective coloring allows the animal to merge with the surrounding landscape and be invisible to enemies and prey. The hairs on the back of the animal have black tips, so this part of the body visually looks darker. The fur is thick and short, and the whitish undercoat is very thin, practically absent, which allows the wolves to avoid overheating in a hot climate. On the inner parts of the limbs and belly, the color is lighter.
The ancient small Indian wolf and hovowart - a domestic breed of dog, common in the Middle Ages, are considered the progenitors of German shepherds.
Habitat
Indian wolves are common in India, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon. Several hundred individuals live in Saudi Arabia. In India, their number reaches two thousand, in Turkey - seven.
In Israel, these animals are protected by law. Their number in this country is only 150-200 individuals. In Turkey since 1937, Indian (Asian) wolves were officially considered pests, and hunting for them was not limited. This led to a significant decrease in the population, and since 2003 the species has been compelled to be protected, and hunting for it has been banned.
In India, hunting and trapping of wolves has been officially banned since 1973. All Indian wolves in the country are protected by law.
Habits
Indian wolves are social animals. Usually they gather in flocks of 6-8 pieces, but can be kept alone. Unlike gray wolves, howls are extremely rare, sometimes they can bark. Most of the time, these animals make no sounds.
These predators prey on almost any mammals and birds, but prefer ungulates - sheep, antelopes, goats. Flocks living close to human settlements can attack cattle and dogs. But their main part of the diet is still wild animals. They do not disdain landgas and marmots, and sometimes - large carrion. There are known cases of attacks by Indian wolves on humans, although they are rare.
In total, according to research results, a wolf needs from 1.08 to 1.88 kilograms of food per day. They hunt most often in a flock, and a strict distribution of roles is observed: one part of the wolves drives the prey, the other waits for it in ambush. But hunting can take place in pairs, as well as alone, when the animal, according to local residents, patiently watches the prey for hours, waiting until it approaches the throwing distance.
The life expectancy of representatives of this species in the wild is 10-12 years.
Breeding
These animals become sexually mature at the age of one to two years. The breeding season of Indian wolves is October – December. Cubs are born blind. Their ears are hanging at birth, gradually straightening. Mother breastfeeds them for up to a month.
The color of the fur in the cubs is brownish, their breasts are milky white. At the age of about six weeks, it begins to darken, and gradually the white color disappears. From four months old, the wolf cubs no longer remain in the den, but accompany their parents everywhere, including hunting. A family usually consists of parents and the youngest of the last litter.
