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Overview |
Wolves range widely across a great variety of open to wooded habitats.
Conservation Biology
- Special Protection Status
- Rangewide:
The wolf is on the federal Endangered Species
List in the 48 contiguous states, but will
probably be delisted by 2001.
- In Park:
All plants and animals are protected within
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection
requires a permit which is usually granted only
for research or educational purposes.
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Identification |
- Adult total length:
50 - 65 in. (1,270 - 1,670 mm)
- Tail:
11 - 18 in. (280 - 450 mm)
- Hind foot:
8 - 10 in. (200 - 250 mm)
- Weight:
45 - 100 lbs. (21 - 45 kg)
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Physical Characteristics:
The largest wild dog, the gray wolf is usually mottled
gray but may be black or white or any grade
inbetween. It is distinguished from its nearest
relative, the red wolf, by being 10 - 50% larger
and by having a broader snout and proportionately
shorter ears, and from the coyote by being 50 - 100%
larger and having a broader snout and proportionately
larger feet.
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Names |
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Phylogeny |
| Taxonomic Category |
Scientific Name |
Common Name |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
Chordates |
| Class |
Mammalia |
Mammals |
| Order |
Carnivora
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Dogs, Cats, Bears, etc. |
| Family |
Canidae |
Wolves, Foxes |
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Geographic distribution |
The gray wolf was formerly distributed throughout the Northern
Hemisphere. However, deliberate extermination has restricted
the wolf's current North American range to Canada, Alaska,
Montana, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan (including
Isle Royale in Lake Superior). Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and
North and South Dakota support sporadic individuals, and Mexico
may have a few.
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Range Maps
| North America |
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park:
The first mention of the status of wolves in this
area came in 1844 when a letter to a member of the
House of Representatives (Lanman, 1849)
stated that sheep were destroyed by wolves "which
have not yet been entirely eliminated."
The following account of the history of the gray wolf
is taken from Linzey and Linzey (1968):
"The gray wolf once occurred in the Great Smoky
Mountains in fair numbers but became increasingly
less common as more of the land was settled. Buckley
(1859) reported that wolves were
"troublesome" to the mountain farmers of North Carolina
and Tennessee. In 1887, C.H. Merriam (
1888) noted that wolves "still occur" in the Great
Smokies. John Oliver, a former resident of the Park,
remembered hearing wolves howling in Cades Cove when
he was a boy (1880-90). A resident of Gatlinburg
recalled seeing one of these animals that had been
caught in a bear trap near the Sugarlands during the
1890's. He also heard two wolves howling near the area
that was formerly Chimneys Campground. Brimley
(1944) wrote that wolves were
"apparently finally exterminated in or about 1890,
up to which time they still occurred sparingly in the
mountains." Hamnett and Thornton (1953)
stated: "In the Mountain Region, wolves existed in the
more remote sections until the late 1800's and possibly
until the very early 1900's."
"There have been occasional unconfirmed reports of
wolves in the mountains after 1900. The Knoxville
News-Sentinel (Brewer, 1964) printed
a column indicating that wolves were seen on Mt. LeConte
as late as 1925. Ganier (1928)
speculated that a few might still be present in the
"wilder mountainous sections." An animal that was
reported to be a gray wolf was killed near Waynesville,
Haywood County, North Carolina, Feburary 27, 1933.
Official verification is lacking for all of these reports."
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Natural history |
- Reproduction
After a courtship that may last from days to months,
wolves copulate during estrus, which occurs once per
year and lasts 5-14 days. The receptive period may be
as early as January in low latitudes or as late as
April in high latitudes. During copulation the pair
remains coupled for as long as 30 minutes, during which
ejaculation occurs many times. Gestation lasts 63 days,
and litters average six young. The young are born blind
and helpless, usually in an underground burrow. The
same den may be used year after year (
Mech, 1999).
The female usually stays near the young for at least
three weeks. During this time, the male and other pack
members hunt and feed her and the pups. The pups' eyes
open between 11 and 15 days of age, and they are weaned
when 9 weeks old. Healthy pups join adults in their
travels as early as October. In the wild, wolves do not
breed until they are 2, 3, or 4 years of age. Both sexes
may continue to breed through at least 10 years of age
(Mech, 1999).
- Longevity
In the wild, wolves can live to be about 16 years of
age (Mech, 1999).
- Terrestrial Ecology
The wolf is a social animal, usually living in packs of
5-10 members, although packs of up to 36 have been reported.
Generally wolf packs contain a set of parents (the "alpha
pair") and some of the offspring of their past 2-3 litters.
Wolves are primarily predators on ungulates, beavers, and
hares, although almost any species of animal may be eaten,
including any type of domestic animal.
- Predators and Defense
Humans are the only enemy of gray wolves.
- Parasites
None recorded from the park.
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Links to other sites |
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References |
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Brewer, C. 1964.
Hike recalls tales of tall guide, panther wrestling.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel. June 28.
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Brimley, C.S. 1944-46.
The mammals of North Carolina. Eighteen installments
in Carolina Tips. Carolina Biological Supply Co., Elon
College, North Carolina.
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Buckley, S.B. 1859.
Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. American
Journal of Science and Arts, 2nd Series 27: 286-294.
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Ganier, A. F. 1928.
The wild life of Tennessee. Journal of the Tennessee
Academy of Science 3 (3): 10-22.
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Hamnett, W. L., and D. C. Thornton. 1953.
Tar Heel Wildlife. North Carolina Wildlife Resources
Commission, Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Lanman, C. 1849.
Letters from the Alleghany Mountains. New York: George P. Putnam.
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Linzey, D. W. 1995a.
Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.
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Linzey, D. W. 1995b.
Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update.
Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1):1-81.
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Linzey, D.W. 1998.
The Mammals of Virginia. Blacksburg, Virginia:
The McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company.
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Linzey, D. W. and A. V. Linzey. 1968.
Mammals of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 84 (3): 384-414.
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Mech, L. D. 1999.
Gray Wolf. Pages 141-143. In: D. E. Wilson, and S. Ruff (eds.).
The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals.
Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
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Mech, L. D. 1981. Canis lupus.
Mammalian Species No. 37. American Society of Mammalogists.
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Merriam, C.H. 1888.
Remarks on the fauna of the Great Smoky Mountains;
with description of a new species of red-backed mouse
(Evotomys Carolinensis). American Journal of Science.
3rd Series 36 (216): 458-460.
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Stupka, A. 1935-63.
Nature Journal, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
28 vols. (years) each with index. (Typewritten copy in
files of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)
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Acknowledgements |
- Text
- Photographs
- Map development
- Web page design & coding
- Denise Lim, University of Georgia, Athens
- John Pickering, University of Georgia, Athens
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