The Searching Wolf



The Gray Wolf Course

2. Physical Features

  1. Size
    1. Length and height
    2. Weight
  2. Fur
    1. Colors and color patterns
    2. Layers and shedding
  3. Head features
    1. Face
    2. Muzzle
    3. Ears
    4. Eyes
      1. Placement
      2. Color
    5. Skull
      1. Size and general features
      2. Teeth
      3. Auditory bullae
      4. Orbital angle
    6. Muscles of mastication
  4. Senses
    1. Hearing
    2. Smell
    3. Vision
    4. Social
      1. Secretory glands involved in communication
      2. Jacobson’s organ
  5. Travel adaptations
    1. Narrow, keeled chest
    2. Long legs
    3. Large, flexible, blocky feet
      1. Size
      2. Toes
      3. Webbing
  6. Digitigrade posture
  7. Wolf tracks and wolf tracking

    Resources

    Articles and Reports

    Asa, C. S. and L.D. Mech. 1995. A review of the sensory organs in wolves and their importance to life history. Pages 287-291 In Carbyn, L.N., S.H. Fritts, and D.R. Seip, Editors. Ecology and Conservation of Wolves in a Changing World. Canadian Circumpolar Institute: Edmonton, AB.

    Mech, L.D. 1974. Canis lupus. Mammalian Species 37:1-6.

    Harris, R.B. and R.R. Ream. 1983. A method to aid in discrimination of tracks from wolves and dogs. Pages 120-124 In Carbyn, L.N., Editor. Wolves in Canada and Alaska. Canadian Wildlife Service Report Series 45:1-135.

    Dekker, D. 1999. Is "gray" wolf a misnomer? International Wolf 9(3):3-6.

    Books, Monographs, and Proceedings

    Evans, H.E. 1993. Miller's Anatomy of the Dog. W.B. Saunders Co.: Philadelphia.

    Mech, L.D. 1970. The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species. Natural History Press/Doubleday Publishing Co.: Garden City, NY. (Chapter I - "The Wolf Itself")

    Mech, L.D. 1991. The Way of the Wolf. Voyageur Press: Stillwater, MN. (Chapter - "The Wolf Itself")

    Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker’s Mammals of the World, Volume I. The Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore.

    Videos

    Was That a Wolf? A Video Guide to Wolf Identification. 1992. 16 minutes. Montanans for Quality Television: Missoula, MT.

    Tracking: Basic Gaits. Classroom Video. 1997. 105 minutes. A Naturalist's World: Gardiner, MT.

    Slide Shows

    Halfpenny, J.C. Tracking Wolves: The Basics. A Naturalist's World: Gardiner, MT.

    Demonstrations

    Artifacts: Skull, fur-hide samples, and latex and plaster casts of tracks.

    Measurement and comparison of the orbital angle of wolf and dog skulls.