Trivia question for Nov-03-2011

Olivia thinks these guys are so majestic.  She loves learning about them and their lifestyles.  These guys live in packs that has a complex social order, dominated by an adult male and female.

Though once abundant over much of Eurasia, North Africa and North America, they inhabit a reduced portion of its former range due to widespread destruction of its territory, human encroachment, and the resulting human-wolf encounters that sparked broad extirpation. Today, wolves are protected in some areas, hunted for sport in others, or may be subject to population control or extermination as threats to livestock, people, and pets.

These wolves are social predators that live in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair, their offspring and, occasionally, adopted immature wolves. They primarily feed on ungulates, which they hunt by wearing them down in short chases. They are typically apex predators throughout their range, with only humans and tigers posing significant threats to them.

So here are Olivia’s questions:  Tell us what kind of wolf this is and how large the largest recorded pack of these guys was?  Also, one of these wolves which was in the Chicago Zoo was so crippled by arthritis that it could not walk.  Tell us what the other pack members did?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to Hannah Almeida for being the first to answer our trivia. The wolf we featured os the Gray Wolf. The gray wolf, also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family. Though once abundant over much of Eurasia, North Africa and North America, the gray wolf inhabits a reduced portion of its former range due to widespread destruction of its territory, human encroachment, and the resulting human-wolf encounters that sparked broad extirpation.

The largest wolf pack ever documented was observed in Alaska and contained 36 members.  In the Chicago Zoo, there was a pack which had one member with severe arthritis.  The pack was regularly observed bringing food to the ailing wolf to ensure it survived.  Here is more on these awesome canines: Gray Wolf

Thanks for playing along 😉