Dedicated to Dr. L. David Mech known as Dave when we were fellow wildlife ecology classmates and friends at Cornell University beginning in 1953. He was smart and curious a good student despite working 30 hours a week in a grocery store to put himself through college Then he began a distinguished career of wolf research not just in the United States but in Europe and in the far northern Arctic To this day he advises others in research of wolves and their prey writes about wolves and is modest about his many accomplishments LP In grateful and loving memory to Mrs. Marceil Pultorak my first art teacher and mentor and to Bob Craven my first agent They started me on my path MH The author and illustrator wish to thank the following for their invaluable help in vetting the manuscript and art resources Dr. L. David Mech senior research scientist U. S. Geological Survey and adjunct professor University of Minnesota for his careful review of text and illustrations Jack Gladstone enrolled citizen of the Blackfeet Nation Aaron Leggett senior curator Alaska History & Indigenous Culture Anchorage Museum John Thomassen deputy collections Manager at the American Numismatic Society the Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History
Just for fun howl like a wolf Throw your head back and let out a long loud wolf howl AR WOOOOOOOOOO You have probably heard a sound like that in movies and television programs Filmmakers sometimes use it in night scenes They know that a wolf's howl can send a powerful message of wildness of mystery of danger For thousands of years wolves have inspired legends myths and scary stories Sometimes they've sparked feelings of fear Since the mid 1990s however scientists have studied the lives of real wolves not imaginary creatures Thanks to their discoveries people's ideas and feelings about wolves have changed
Wolves and their ancestors have lived mostly in the northern half of Earth the Northern Hemisphere for several million years They are canines related to such other wild mammals as coyotes jackals and also to domesticated dogs Dingoes of Australia African hunting dogs and dholes of Asia are also canines Most wolves are gray wolves and have one scientific name Canis lupus but they are not all exactly alike Those that live in the far north have smaller ears and thicker fur than wolves that live in warmer climates Some have common names that are based on where they live For example in the far north Canis lupus is called the tundra or Arctic wolf The Mexican wolf and the Rocky Mountain wolf are also Canis lupus One North American wolf is different enough from the others and it has a separate species name Canis rufus the red wolf The Latin word rufus means red in English Gray wolves often have coats that are a mix of tan black brown and white but can also be pure white or black They are most abundant in Russia Canada and Alaska They also live in such northern states as Minnesota Michigan Idaho Montana and Wyoming Small numbers live in Italy France Poland Germany and other European countries
Red wolves have reddish fur on their sides and legs Centuries ago thousands of red wolves lived in what is now the southern United States Today about two dozen remain in protected areas of one state North Carolina Ethiopian wolves are not real wolves but only a similar relative Canis simensis like the coyote Canis latrans Only a few hundred survive in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia in eastern Africa
