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Canis lupus

File:Eurasian_wolf_2.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Canis lupus

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Also known as timber wolf, gray wolf, grey wolf, timber wolves, gray wolves, grey wolves, wolf

The wolf (Canis lupus; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey wolves, as popularly understood, include only naturally occurring wild subspecies. The wolf is the largest wild extant member of the family Canidae, and is further distinguished from other Canis species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, as well as a shorter torso and a longer tail. The wolf is nonetheless related closely enough to smaller Canis species, such as th

OverviewAI-generated

Canis lupus is a species within the family Canidae and the genus Canis. Classified as an apex predator and omnivore, it exhibits a cathemeral diel cycle. The organism is recognized by common names including Grey Wolf, Gray Wolf, common wolf, and loup. It is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List as of 2023.

The taxon’s range includes Canada, Russia, Finland, and Kazakhstan. Its diet primarily consists of European Rabbit, Lepus europaeus, Alces alces, and Bison. Biological characteristics include a gestation period of 62 days, a heart rate of 200, and a bite force quotient of 136. Litter size averages 6, with the longest observed lifespan recorded at 20.6 years.

Canis lupus is protected under Appendix I of CITES. It is an accepted species authority by Linnaeus, 1758. The subject is categorized as a vital article on Wikipedia and appears in various encyclopedic dictionaries.

Synthesized by Vinony from 55 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, iNaturalist, PubMed, Gbif Occ, IUCN Red List, iDigBio, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

Domestic Dog

Canis lupus

SPECIES

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassMammalia
  4. OrderCarnivora
  5. FamilyCanidae
Observations148,021
Observations recorded250,482

關於与「狼」名称相近或相同的条目，請見「狼 (消歧義)」。 「灰狼」重定向至此。關於与此名称相似的其他条目，詳見「灰狼 (消歧义)」。 「野狼」重定向至此。關於台灣的摩托車品牌，詳見「野狼125」。 狼（學名：Canis lupus），或稱為灰狼，哺乳綱，犬科，在生物學上與狗為同一物種，為現生犬科動物中體型最大的物種。狼這個物種曾是地球上分佈地區最廣的哺乳動物，包括北美和歐亞大陸，但如今在西歐、墨西哥與美國大部份地區已然絕跡。它們主要棲息在荒野或偏遠地區，但並不限於此。由於人類蓄意厌恶狼對豢養牲畜不顧一切的獵捕行為、以及害怕被狼攻擊的恐懼、棲息地大量的破壞，其棲息地已經縮減了三分之一。 目前，狼主要分佈於亞洲、歐洲、北美和中東（主要是北半球的溫帶區域）。它們是生態系統原有的一部分，各地不同生態系統的多樣性，反映了狼這個物種的適應能力。這其中包括而不限於森林、沙漠、山地、寒帶草原、西伯利亞針葉林、草地。 雖然就整個物種而言，狼被世界自然保護聯盟列為絕種威脅程度最小的等級，然而在某些地區，不同亞種的狼被列為瀕臨絕種或是受絕種威脅的動物。現今在很多地區，狼仍然因為運動或是被視為對牲口威脅的原因，而遭受捕獵。 狼是社會性的獵食動物，狼群以核心家庭的形式組成，包括一對配偶、及其子女，有時也包括收養的未成年幼狼。狼屬於典型的食物鏈上層掠食者。在它們的棲息地中，只有人類和老虎對它們構成實質威脅。它們通常群體行動，由於狼會捕食羊等家畜，因此直到20世紀末期前都被人類大量捕殺，一些亞種如日本狼、紐芬蘭狼等都已經絕種，雖然有一些其它亞種已經確認，但亞種的確切數量仍舊未定。 目录 1 特徵 1.1 解剖學特徵 1.2 體型 1.3 皮毛 1.4 感官 2 亞種分類 3 習性 3.1 社會結構 3.2 領域行為 3.3 繁殖行為 3.4 穴居行為 3.5 獵捕行為 4 溝通 4.1 肢體語言 4.2 狼嚎 4.3 其它聲音 5 生態 5.1 獵物 5.2 生存競爭 6 混血 6.1 狼與犬 6.2 郊狼與灰狼 7 分佈範圍與族群數量 7.1 亞洲 7.2 歐洲 7.3 美洲 7.4 非洲 8 與人類關係 8.1 捕獵牲畜與狗 8.2 獵狼 8.3 狼皮應用 8.4 馴化與豢養 8.5 文化中的角色 9 圖集 10 參考 11 相關條目 特徵 解剖學特徵 墨西哥狼頭骨，注意其牙齒比例大於狗 灰狼是體型瘦長，有力的動物。有大而深的肋骨架、傾斜的背、腹部內縮、頸部肌肉有力。四肢長而強健，和有點小的腳掌。每隻前掌各有五趾，後掌有四趾。前肢看起來像是壓入胸腔，肘部向內，而腳掌向外。雌狼的前額與嘴比較窄，頸部較薄、腿較短、肩部不如雄狼厚實。就這樣的體型而言，狼非常強壯，可以將冰凍的麋鹿翻轉。 狼的腳掌可以輕易適應各種類型的地面，特別是雪地。它們的足趾之間有一點蹼，使它們在雪地上行動能比獵物更為

via GBIF · IUCN

Museum specimens

Specimen records
9,572
With media
514
Family
Canidae
Collections
UTEP, CM, NHMUK, USNM
Recorded in
United States, United Kingdom
iDigBio →

Bird sounds

  • call· Italy· quality A
  • social call, hunting· France· quality A
  • social call, aggresive· Poland· quality A
  • call, song· France· quality A

via Xeno-canto

Research

3,885 papers

via PubMed

~59 min read

Encyclopedic overview

35 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Taxonomy
  • Subspecies
  • Evolution
  • Admixture with other canids
  • Description
  • Pelage
  • Ecology
  • Distribution and habitat
  • Diet
  • Interactions with other predators
  • Infections
  • Behaviour
  • Social structure
  • Communication
  • Reproduction{{anchor|Reproduction_and_development}}
  • Hunting and feeding
  • Intelligence and cognition
  • Status and conservation
  • North America
  • Eurasia
  • Relationships with humans
  • In culture
  • In folklore, religion and mythology
  • In fable and literature
  • Conflicts
  • Predation on livestock
  • Competition with dogs
  • Attacks on humans
  • Human hunting of wolves
  • Wolves as pets and working animals
  • Notes
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • External links

The wolf (Canis lupus; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey wolves, as popularly understood, include only naturally occurring wild subspecies. The wolf is the largest wild extant member of the family Canidae, and is further distinguished from other Canis species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, as well as a shorter torso and a longer tail. The wolf is nonetheless related closely enough to smaller Canis species, such as the coyote and the golden jackal, to produce fertile hybrids with them. The wolf's fur is usually mottled white, brown, grey, and black, although subspecies in the arctic region may be nearly all white.

Of all members of the genus Canis, the wolf is most specialized for cooperative game hunting, as demonstrated by its physical adaptations to tackling large prey, its more social nature, and its highly advanced expressive behaviour, including individual or group howling. It travels in nuclear families, consisting of a mated pair accompanied by their offspring. Offspring may leave to form their own packs on the onset of sexual maturity and in response to competition for food within the pack. Wolves are also territorial, and fights over territory are among the principal causes of mortality. A carnivore, the wolf is an apex predator that feeds on large wild hooved mammals as well as smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage. Single wolves or mated pairs typically have higher success rates in hunting than do large packs. Pathogens and parasites, notably the rabies virus, may infect wolves.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Canis lupus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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