Introduction Wolves are fierce and beautiful creatures With their strong jaws and sharp teeth they are deadly hunters but wolves can be gentle and playful too Wolves are creatures of the north Once they were found throughout the northern hemisphere Earth north of the equator Since people have hunted them for centuries they are now much rarer Wolves from different parts of the world look a little different from one another 3 Wolves have long snouts and pricked-up ears
The red wolf Red wolves are found in the southeastern United States Smaller than gray wolves they get their name from their reddish fur Red wolves were once quite common but now there are very few left They were once thought to be a separate species of wolf but scientists now think they are crossbreeds between coyotes and gray wolves 2 Captive-breeding programs have helped increase the population of red wolves 5 WOLVES Despite their different looks wolves are all one species type gray wolf or Canis lupus Wolves are members of the dog family Jackals coyotes and foxes are in the same family So are the domestic dogs we keep as pets All breeds of tame dogs are descended from wolves Pack hunters Most wolves live together in a group called a pack The main purpose of the pack is for hunting A group of wolves hunting together can kill prey animals much larger than a wolf hunting alone Moose and caribou may fall victims to a wolf pack but a wolf on its own must be content with hunting smaller prey Wolf cubs also stand a better chance of surviving if they are born in a pack because all the members of the pack help rear them
