This is a subspecies of the familiar gray wolf. It lives in the north of Greenland, in the Arctic regions of Canada, in Alaska. In a harsh climate with snowdrifts, icy winds, crackling frosts and permafrost, the animal has lived for hundreds of years. The polar wolf has completely preserved its natural habitat, unlike its gray, red and other counterparts. This fact is explained by the rare appearance of man in these harsh lands.
Arctic Wolf: Description
This is a large, powerful animal - the height of the males at the withers reaches one hundred centimeters, the body length is one hundred eighty centimeters, and the weight is within ninety kilograms. Females are on average 15% less. The Arctic polar wolf has a thick light coat with a reddish tinge, small erect ears, long legs, and a fluffy tail.
For months, this animal does not see sunlight. He is used to the polar night. In search of food, he can scour the snowy plain for a week. Eats ten kilograms of meat in one go. From its production is not a trace. Even bones fall into the predator’s stomach, which he gnaws at forty powerful two teeth. At the same time, he practically does not chew food, but swallows it in whole pieces.
Pack life
It has long been known that the wolf is a social beast. He lives only in a pack. Typically, this is a family group of seven to twenty individuals. It is headed by a male and a female. All the rest are cubs and young wolves that have remained in the pack from previous litters. Sometimes a lone wolf can “beat” to a pack, but it strictly obeys the leaders.
To give birth to puppies in the pack is the priority right of the female leader. Cubs of other females are destroyed immediately. The polar wolf of the tundra adheres to such harsh laws - it is difficult to feed a large number of mouths.
The survival of the flock depends on how large its hunting grounds are. That is why for their territory they are fighting to the death. This territory can be from fifty to one thousand five hundred square kilometers.
South migration
In autumn or early winter, the flock moves south, where it is easier to find food. She follows the reindeer. They, as well as musk ox, are the main large game hunted by the polar wolf. They do not refuse from lemmings, and from polar hares.
Food
The polar wolf is omnivorous. He eats everything that he manages to catch, and those who are significantly weaker than him. In the summer, predators feed on birds, frogs, and even beetles. Do not give up berries, fruits and lichens. In winter, their diet contains more meat - deer, musk ox.
The polar wolf is a born hunter. He pursues his prey skillfully, uses a change of racers, an ambush. Hunting in spring is especially successful: when the snow crust melts a little, the deer falls through, and the predator quickly catches up with it.
A strong and healthy ungulate has nothing to fear from a wolf. Therefore, the flock tries to find old and sick animals or young and inexperienced deer. Having attacked the herd, the wolves seek to disperse it in order to drive off their future victim and quickly fill it up. In cases when the herd has time to regroup and surrounds its offspring with a dense ring, strong hooves and sharp horns will frighten off predators, and they ingloriously leave the battlefield.
If the hunt succeeds, the leader begins the meal first, he eats the best pieces, and at that time the flock stomps nearby, waiting for his turn. If the polar wolf catches a small animal, he will eat it whole, along with the skin. He needs to thoroughly satisfy his hunger, because only ten percent of his hunting trips are completed with success.
Breeding
Puberty occurs in females by three years, in males - by two. Shortly before birth, a she-wolf prepares a hole. Since it is impossible to dig it in permafrost, childbirth occurs in a cave, a crevice between the rocks or in an old den. Pregnancy lasts from sixty to seventy five days. There are no more than three puppies in the litter, although there have been cases when five and seven puppies were born, but this happens very rarely.
Newborns are born completely helpless and blind, weighing about four hundred grams. They are in the den for a month, after which they begin to make their exits "to the light." All this time, the she-wolf feeds them with milk. A few months later, she begins to feed her cubs with her food.
The white polar wolf is a very good and caring parent. The whole flock takes care of the kids. When the she-wolf goes hunting, young wolves look after the kids. Even when there is very little feed, all members of the pack try to feed the babies. Thus, a stable population is maintained. In this case, human influence is practically not felt - there are few who want to hunt in the Arctic.
