Polar wolf: description, habitat, photo

This is a subspecies of the gray wolf that we are accustomed to. It lives in the north of Greenland, in the Arctic regions of Canada, in Alaska. In a harsh climate with snow drifts, icy winds, cracking frosts and permafrost, the animal lives more than one hundred years. The polar wolf has completely preserved its natural habitat, unlike its gray, red and other brethren. This fact is explained by the rare appearance of man on these harsh lands.

Polar Wolf: description

This large, powerful animal - the height of the males at the withers reaches one hundred centimeters, the length of the body is one hundred and eighty centimeters, weight within ninety kilograms. The average number of females is 15% less. Arctic polar wolf has a dense light wool with a rusty hue, small standing ears, long legs, a fluffy tail.

For months this animal does not see sunlight. He was used to the polar night. In search of food, he can scour the snow for a week. In one step, easily eats ten kilograms of meat. From its extraction there is no trace. In the stomach of a predator, even bones fall, which he gnaws through forty two powerful teeth. At the same time, he practically does not chew food, but swallows whole chunks.

Life in a pack

It has long been known that the wolf is a social beast. He lives only in a pack. Typically, this is a family group, numbering from seven to twenty individuals. Its head is headed by a male and a female. All the rest are cubs and grown-up young wolves, who stayed in the pack from previous litters. Sometimes a single wolf can "beat" to a pack, but he strictly obeys the leaders.

To give birth to puppies in the pack is the priority right of the female leader. The young of other females are destroyed immediately. Such severe laws adhere to the polar wolf of the tundra - a large number of mouths are difficult to feed.

The survival of a pack depends on how large its hunting grounds are. That's why they fight for their territory to the death. This territory can be from fifty to a thousand five hundred square kilometers.

Migration South

In autumn or early winter, the pack moves south, where it is easier to find food. She follows the reindeer. They, as well as musk oxs, are the main large game that the polar wolf hunts. They do not refuse from lemmings, and from polar hares.

Food

The polar wolf is omnivorous. He eats everything he manages to catch, and those who are much weaker than him. In 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 oxen.

The polar wolf is a born hunter. He preys his prey skillfully, uses a change of riders, ambushes. Especially it is possible to hunt in the spring: when the snow melt a little thaws, the deer fails, and the predator quickly overtakes it.

A strong and healthy hoof has nothing to fear from a wolf. Therefore, the pack tries to find old and sick animals or young and inexperienced deer. Attacking the herd, the wolves seek to disperse it to drive away their future victim and quickly overwhelm her. In cases where the herd will regroup and a dense ring surrounds its offspring, strong hooves and sharp horns will scare off predators, and they will ignominiously leave the battlefield.

If the hunt is successful, the leader begins the first meal, he eats the best pieces, and at this time the flock stumbles nearby, waiting for its turn. If a 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 end with success.

Reproduction

Sexual maturation occurs in females to three years, in males - to two. Shortly before the birth of a she-wolf is preparing a hole. Since it is impossible to dig it out in permafrost, childbirth occurs in a cave, a cleft between rocks or in an old lair. 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, with a weight of about four hundred grams. They are in the lair a month, after which they start making their exits "into the light." All this time the she-wolf feeds them with milk. After a few months, she begins to feed the cubs with the food they extracted.

White polar wolf is a very good and caring parent. The whole flock takes care of the kids. When the she-wolf leaves for the hunt, the young wolves look after the babies. Even when the feed is very small, all the members of the pack try to feed the kids. Thus, a stable population size is maintained. The influence of man in this case is practically not felt - there are few who want to hunt in the Arctic.

Beginning of independent life

Having reached puberty, young wolves leave the pack, try to create their own. They find an empty territory and mark it. How their lives will develop is unknown. If a free female appears on its territory, a new pair is formed, which will eventually give birth to puppies. As a result, a new flock will appear. But there can be a different outcome of the situation - the polar wolf, pokrivshis in solitude, is adjacent to another flock. However, in this case, he has no chance to become a leader - he will always remain on the sidelines.

Clever and cunning predator - polar wolf - tries not to meet a man. Their interests can be crossed only on the reindeer, which the person carefully protects. But in any case, one should not allow a wolf to become a sworn enemy of people, and they would completely destroy it, as happened in Mexico, Japan, Iceland.