Wolf (Canis lupus)

[Shadow]

(01-01-2019, 12:05 PM)Wolverine Wrote:

(01-01-2019, 05:21 AM)Shadow Wrote:

(01-01-2019, 05:04 AM)Wolverine Wrote:

(01-01-2019, 04:55 AM)Shadow Wrote:

(01-01-2019, 04:38 AM)Wolverine Wrote:

(01-01-2019, 03:41 AM)Shadow Wrote: At this point I found some sites giving to wolves in Finland female average weightto be 32-35 kg (70,5-77 lbs) and to males 40 kg (88 lbs), but I couldn´t find to what that information is based. I will look closer with better time.

According to this source the average height of Scandinavian male wolf is 45 kg:
https://www.wildsweden.com/about/facts-about-wolves/


 I think this is the most precise data, since the males from South Europe are bit smaller than those from Northern Europe and their average is 40 kg.

So comparison of different subspecies should be:

1. Arabian wolf (the smallest) - average male - 20,41 kg
2. Indian wolf - average 25 to 28 kg
2. Wolves from Southern Europe - 38-40 kg
3. Northern Europe - 45 kg
4. West Canadian and Yellowstone wolves - 51 kg

I'm originally from South-East Europe (Bulgaria) when I came to Canada noticed that Canadian wolves are significantly larger, exactly their paws when I saw their traces in the snowy Rocky mountains was shocked ... huge beasts...

Also there are some differences in the coloration between European and North American wolves. While in the majority of Europe wolves are brown or brownish North American wolves are often black, grey or white, few of them are really brownish. Term "grey wolf" actually comes from America and its not very suitable for European wolves. Of course all polar wolves are white.

For example such coloration is hard to be found in Europe and is typical for Western Canada:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

While typical European wolf look like this:

*This image is copyright of its original author

Happy New Year by the way!

That 45 kg for males can be quite ok, I am not sure how accurate statistics there are. For instance Swedish site gives size range 35-55 kg and here in Finland have been bigger, I remember one shot wolf, which was told to be 65 kg and bigger have been observed as far as I know. We have that situation, that some packs come and go between Russia and Finland too. And even though we have big forests all over Finland, naturally in Russia there is so much more space for these animals.

Do you have any personal experience with wolves?

I live in area, where wolves are seen time to time. This year 2-3 times within 2-3 kilometers from my house. But there is no pack hunting in nearby forests, but time to time some wolves have been passing by, usually lonely ones. Wild animals are easy to see here and I often see those, but bears, wolves and lynxes are very difficult to spot :)

So Shadow this is the map of Carpenter lake where I made two wolf safaris. As you see the lake is very long - 40-45 kilometers and quite narrow. On the Northern coast is forest road (its not shown on the map). The trapper placed the meat on every 4-5 km close the opposite southern part of the lake to be further from the wolves in order to not scare them when you approach with the truck. Every pile of meat was at least 50 kilos (if pile is smaller coyotes and eagles will eat out everything before wolves come). The pack visited only one of the places on the neighbouring Dounton lake while the others were not touched. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Often wolf packs from surrounding mountains chase the deer intentionally on the frozen surface of the Carpenter lake because its slippery and wolves paws are more stable on ice surface than deer hoofs. So wolves push down the herbivores on the lake surface and hunt them down. Periodically on every 10-15 km you can see a ominous red circles of blood on the ice where wolves have killed their victims.

There are of course ways to get close to wolves to be able to see them, but that also might take time. Especially when terrain is covered, like here it often is. Forests and then fields, but wolves seem to like to move a lot inside forests here, where naturally prey animals are mostly. Moose and deer can be more often seen on fields near tree line. In Finland only up north are somewhat higher fells/hills, but nothing what could be called mountains :) Reply