Wolf Anatomy



The gray wolf is the largest of the canidae family. They are very intelligent and form strong bonds with their family members and pack mates.

They have strong muscled necks with wide foreheads. They have powerful jaws in long muzzles. They have smaller ears facing forwards.

Size
Wolves tend to be larger the more north they are from. Yukon and Arctic wolves are the largest (120lbs). North African wolves are the smallest (30lbs). On average, males weigh 70-110 pounds and females weigh 60-80 pounds. (The largest wolf every recorded was almost 200 pounds!)

Wolves are usually 4-6 feet long, and tend to be about 3' tall at the shoulder. They tails are usually 2/3 the length of the body and head.

Wolves can get as old as 13, but rarely make it past 9 or 10. Loners usually don't live past 8 without help.

Coat
They have thick fluffy coats with coarse guard hair over top, occasionally of a different color. Much of the undercoat is shed in the spring and regrows in the fall. The longest fur is around the neck and shoulders, called the ruff.

Females usually have smoother coats than males. Both have tufts of longer fur on their cheeks, in their ruff, and on their legs. Coat color can lighten during summer, and change completely gradually through the life.

Wolves can be white, cream, pale gray, dark gray, and brown. Black wolves result from wolf-dog hybredization, often from many generations previous. Females tend to have more redish tones in their coats.

Coat color ideas: black, obsidian, sable, slate, coal, ebony, charcoal, fawn, tan, ecru, sand, umber, bay, chesnut, cocoa, ginger, hazel, ochre, sorrel, chocolate, brown, amber, cinnamon, mahogany, russet, auburn, bronze, tawny, gray, silver, ash, pearl, smoky, oyster, slate, peppered, white, ivory, cream, yellow-white, alabaster, blanche.

Eye Colors
Wolves are born with blue eyes which change color in the first few months. Most wolf's eyes are gold, but can be brown, yellow, gray, and green. Blue eyed wolves do not occur in nature but can result of hybrids, just like black coat colors.

Wolves cannot cry water tears. But they do have a gland in their eyelid that secretes oily tears.

Eye color ideas: Blue, azure, cobalt, indigo, navy, sapphire, ultramarine, cerulean, beryl, turquiose, gray, silver, granite, lead, pearl, slate, stone, mousy, smokey, gold, honey, caramel, ochre, tawny, wheat, yellow, orange, apricot, citrine, tangerine, brown, umber, henna, hazel, ginger, bronze, chesnut, coffee, copper, sepia, amber, mohogany, tan, chocolate, green, emerald, grass, jade, olive, chartreuse, malachite, moss, sage, viridian



Speed & Strength
Wolves are very strong and fast. They can run up to 34-38 mph for sprints. However, over long distances they run at about 5 mph. They can travel up to 50 miles a day looking for prey.

Senses
Wolves have relatively weak sense of smell compared with domestic dogs. They can smell prey up to 2 miles away (no further) if the wind is right. They are excellent at following tracks. Their sense of hearing is very powerful. Their sense of sight is average, but their night vision is especially impressive.