Arctic wolf

The Arctic wolf is a medium-sized wolf of the gray wolf subspecies, with an average shoulder height of 64 to 80 cm; about 1 meter high from toes to head; 89 to 189 cm long (nose to tail), and an average weight of 35 to 45 kg. There have been cases of adult male wolf specimens weighing 68 kg. In captivity, Arctic wolves can live for more than 17 years. However, the average lifespan in the wild is only 7 years. The colors of this wolf are red, gray, white and black. Arctic wolves use the gray, green and brown in the forest as cover. Arctic wolves have a thick layer of fur and their teeth are very sharp, which helps them hunt prey.
Arctic wolves usually form a group of 5 to 10, and each family has about 20 to 30 members. In this small group, there is a leading male wolf, and all male wolves are often divided into A, B... levels in turn, and the same is true for female wolves. There is always a dominant wolf in a wolf pack. The others, male or female, are all sub-dominant and lower-leve

Arctic wolves are mainly distributed in the Arctic region, including northern Canada and northern Greenland, Melville Peninsula and Nunavut, Sverdrup Islands, Ellesmere Island, and possibly some neighboring islands. Arctic wolves live in the most desolate terrain in the world: tundra, rolling hills, ice valleys, ice fields, and green banks of shallow lakes. Tundra terrain is usually located in high latitudes, with low temperatures all year round, and the annual average temperature does not even reach above zero degrees. There are five months of darkness in the year, and during this time, the entire Arctic wolf tribe will face food shortages.

Among the animals living in the Arctic, polar bears and Arctic foxes are very famous, but the Arctic wolf is not well-known. It is also called the white wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf under the genus Canidae, and can only be regarded as a medium-sized wolf among the gray wolf subspecies.

The fur of the Arctic wolf is not white all year round. With the change of seasons, the fur color of the Arctic wolf may appear red, gray, black, etc. in addition to white. But most of the time, the fur of the Arctic wolf is white, which is a protective color that is conducive to their survival. The fur of pups is usually mixed with dark brown fur, and only turns pure white when they grow up. It can be said that beautiful white fur is a sign of adulthood. The white fur of Arctic wolves is not only very good at keeping out the cold, but also a natural protective color in the ice and snow of the Arctic, allowing them to blend into the endless ice and snow.

At birth, wolf pups have dark fur and blue irises in their eyes, which turn golden or orange between 8 and 16 weeks. Although very unusual, adult wolves may retain their blue irises.

      Arctic wolves do not run very fast, relying mainly on endurance to catch prey. Their narrow chests and strong backs and legs give them very efficient mobility. They can walk more than ten kilometers at a speed of about 10 kilometers per hour, and their speed can increase to nearly 65 kilometers per hour when chasing prey. When sprinting, each step can be up to 5 meters. It is a survivor of the Ice Age, originating in the late Pleistocene about 300,000 years ago.

The main natural enemy of the Arctic wolf is humans, and they have lost their habitat due to human logging, pollution and garbage. The Arctic wolf faces an endangered situation, and the main threat is poachers, at least 200 Arctic wolves are killed every year.

The Arctic wolf is listed as "Least Concern". The White Wolf Sanctuary is a sanctuary for Arctic wolves in Tideway, Oregon. The average number of wolves in the sanctuary is 8-10 acres, with more than 40 acres, some of which are rescued wolves, injured wolves, unwanted wolves or abandoned wolves.

Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.