Wolf tattoo is the choice of strong-willed strong people with a strong character and principles. Wolf tattoos are chosen by independent people who do not change their interests. The wolf tattoo will become the talisman of its owner, will protect him in difficult times and give self-confidence.
Wolf Tattoo - Meaning
The wolf is a proud and noble animal, with which many legends, beliefs and signs are associated. Wolves have a dual character: the wolf is both devoted and independent loner, both cautious and aggressive. These features make the wolf tattoo popular and in demand.
wolf tattoo is symbol of courage, intelligence, stamina, strength of character . Since ancient times, people of different nations and cultures have treated wolves with respect.
Loyalty to your brethren. One partner throughout life and the willingness to endure all the difficulties for the well-being of their pack bring this predator closer to a person who is ready to make a wolf tattoo for himself.
A wolf tattoo can have many meanings and different interpretations, however, the person who chooses it must understand that a wolf tattoo does not harmonize with a soft, slow and pliable character.
Wolf Tattoo - Subtleties of Wolf Tattoo
Each of the wolf tattoo variations has its own details and subtleties.
For example, a tattoo wolf howling at the moon- a symbol of a lonely person who has experienced loss or betrayal, as well as connections with another world.
Tattoo White Wolf - a bright non-standard personality, able to go against the rules. This is a brave lone warrior.
Tattoo wolf and she-wolfit is a symbol of devotion and fidelity to your partner. Family values.
Tattoo wolf familyor a wolf pack tattoo applied on the body speaks of the strong-willed qualities of a person, his patronage and desire to protect people who are important to him.
She-wolf(especially next to wolf cubs) is a symbol of fidelity, devotion, care and support.
Tattoo Wolf grinsymbolizes cruelty, rage and fearlessness in any situation. The struggle for life and their aspirations, firmness in intentions, moral principles. If the wolf's mouth is ajar, this means that the person with this tattoo is ready to attack first. A wolf tattoo with a closed mouth symbolizes that the owner of the tattoo is a strong and dangerous person, but he will never attack first (before the enemy jumps).
Tattoo wolf pawmeans the power and steadfastness of the tattoo wearer.
Tattoo dream catcher wolf. A dream catcher is an Indian amulet against interference in a person's life by evil spirits during sleep. A dream catcher combined with a wolf tattoo embodies protection from evil spirits and reports that the owner of the tattoo believes in mystical powers.
Tattoo Wolf with feathers or Indian wolfbears no doubtmagical sacred meaning. Such a tattoo means the harmony of inner strength and wisdom with external bodily strength. As a rule, such tattoos depict a calm, peaceful animal, without an expression of aggressiveness.
Tattoo wolf and ravenis a key figure in Indian lore. In this combination, they can also mean cunning, wisdom, strategic thinking and the ability to keep secrets.
Tattoo Wolfand skullsymbolizes the understanding that life is not eternal. You are fearless in the face of death, just like the wolf.
Tattoo Wolfand rosemeans pure and only love for your partner.
Tattoo Wolfin a jumpor on the runspeaks of the owner's willingness to overcome any obstacles, about the love of risk and the ability to take revenge if circumstances lead to this.
Tattoo Girl with a wolf on her head – wolf skincan suit a strong spirit and mysterious people in whose life mysticism and mystery take place. The wolf in this combination is the patron. A gentle, loving and caring person, who puts on the skin of an animal at the right time, reincarnates into a wolf and is endowed with his strength and power.
Tattoo wolf in the forestsymbolizes the maturity and independence of man. The owner of such a tattoo demonstrates leadership qualities and knows perfectly well what he is doing and what he is striving for.
Tattoo werewolf, depicted after the transformation or in the process of transformation, tells about the presence of a dark side in the owner, which he knows, which he tries to subdue.
Tattoo A wolf on fire or a wolf with red eyes, most often applied by those who identify themselves with the dark forces, the unknown and witchcraft. Ancient people believed that the wolf was endowed with the ability to be a guide to other worlds.
wolf tattoo for girls
Wolf tattoo for girls represents loyalty to your loved one, love for children, guardianship, justice.
Girls often choose colored bright wolf tattoos. A wolf tattoo is applied in tandem with other elements, most often choosing botany. A wolf tattoo on a female body looks good on the forearm, chest, leg, in the area of the shoulder blade. The symmetrical image of a wolf on the back looks harmonious and bold.
wolf tattoo for men
A man with a wolf tattoo inspires reliability. This tattoo for a man means protection and courage. He is the leader of his pack. Wolf tattoos for men are most often done as realistically as possible, while using one color. Men, as a rule, in such a tattoo tend to emphasize the strongest sides of the beast. With the help of shadows and highlights, the drawing turns out to be more realistic, and with the help of bright colors they emphasize the eyes or other elements and subtleties that allow us to show the difference that we wrote about above.
wolf tattoo -Sketches of the wolf tattoo
For many centuries, the word "zooanthropy" has been around. This is not the supposed ability of a human being to transform into an animal through witchcraft, but pathology. Over time, more and more people consider themselves animals, they think that they can behave like animals, gaining all their abilities. Pathology aside, the question is: Has this ever happened? Did wolf people, or lycanthropes, inherit zooanthropic magic?
ANIMAL INSIDE US
It seems that the wolfman is the perfect synthesis of the transformation of a man into an animal. But there are not only wolf people, there are facts confirming the existence of coyote people, hyenas and even bears.
When the so-called wolf people first appeared in history is unknown. Experts believe that in reality we are talking about totemic forms of manifestation of primitive shamanic magic. Herodotus said that both the Greeks and the Scythians considered the inhabitants of the shores of the Black Sea to be magicians, who had the ability to turn into wolves on certain days of the year, and at the request of acquiring a human appearance. Were there people who really knew how to do it?
WOLVES AND WIZARDS
Beginning in the 15th century, lycanthropy gradually gained some popularity in rural settings. It is believed that magicians and sorcerers had the ability to conclude contracts with evil spirits, and through these entities they managed to turn into wolf people. Especially often this happened on a full moon. On this occasion, the demonologist Lancret, one of the most famous of his time, stated: “The devil takes more pleasure in turning into a wolf than into another animal, because the wolf is a predator and causes more harm than other animals. And also because the wolf is the mortal enemy of the lamb, in the form of which Jesus was portrayed.
With the support of the church, wolf people began to be hunted in the same way as witches. Even the rulers of large European countries believed in the existence of those who suffered from the so-called wolf disease. Let's not go far: the king of Hungary, Sigismund, at one time the ruler of the Roman Empire, did everything possible and impossible for the church to recognize the existence of wolf people. And at the Ecumenical Council in 1414, it was recognized that lycanthropes really exist. Thanks to this recognition, the hunters of the church set to work: in France alone in the years 1520-1630, more than 30 thousand cases of clashes with wolf people were recorded. It is worth recalling some terrible cases related to that time.
GARNIER THE EATER
In 1573, a group of peasants seized Gilles Garnier, who confessed to having eaten more than a dozen children. He died at the stake after he said that on the night with the growing moon, as well as on the full moon, he felt a strong rage inside him. He felt like his body was thirsty for blood, and the only way out was, according to him, to hunt people.
ROLLET: FOUND WITH HUMAN FEATHER
In 1598, the peasants found the corpse of a young man in a sown field, which was devoured by wolves. Seeing the peasants, the wolves tried to run away to the nearest forest. The peasants chased the predators and eventually found a naked man squatting among the foliage. He was stained with blood, and in his hands were pieces of human flesh. The killer was the demented Jacques Rollet, who claimed to have the ability to transform into a wolf. Only the fact that he was declared insane saved him from death at the stake.
GRENIER THE YOUNG WOLF
In 1790, the mentally retarded Jean Grenier was 13 years old. There was clearly something suspicious in his face: there were pronounced canine features, his cheekbones were very outlined, his fangs were pointed, and, moreover, he considered himself a wolf man. One day, he warned several girls that he passionately wanted their blood and flesh, and when the sun went down, he would come to eat them. Unfortunately, he fulfilled his promise and attacked one of the girls, but she managed to escape, although she was badly injured. Grenier was captured, and during the trial, he said that he had only freed the wolf that was inside him. He claimed that he had the ability to turn into a wolf due to an encounter with the devil in the forest, where he signed a pact with him and received the skin of a wolf.
In court, the young lycanthrope confessed that he committed many crimes in the guise of a wolf.
edited news VENDETTA - 27-07-2012, 13:13
Wolf - personifies ferocity, deceit, cruelty, evil, but also courage and victory. In addition, under certain circumstances, the wolf could become a powerful protector of helpless creatures. Common to many mythologies of Eurasia is the story about the upbringing of the ancestor of the tribe (and sometimes his twin) by a she-wolf. There are many stories about the progenitor wolves: the Roman legend of the Capitoline she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus; ancient Iranian - about the she-wolf who nursed Cyrus, etc. Among the steppe Turkic peoples, the wolf was perceived as a generic totem, hence the banners and standards with a wolf's head. The hero-ancestor, the leader of a tribe or squad could be called a wolf or having a "head (body) of a wolf."
Wolf - a symbol of warriors
The wolf could serve as the emblem of warriors and act as an attribute of the god of war. An important role was assigned to the wolf in the cult of Mars in Rome and Odin in Scandinavian mythology. In the Hittite, Iranian, Greek, German and other Indo-European traditions, warriors, reflecting the idea of a wolf pack as a symbol of a single squad, were called wolves and often dressed in wolf skins.
In Egyptian mythology, the god in the form of a wolf, Upuat, was revered as a god-guide, scout, and also the patron of the dead. His epithet is "counselor" ("one who leads"). Upuat was called "the first fighter of Osiris" and was sometimes identified with him.
In the Greco-Roman tradition, the wolf (sometimes chthonic, three-headed) was dedicated to Mars (Ares); it symbolized valor and served as an omen of victory. Romulus and Remus, the children of Mars and the legendary founders of Rome, were suckled by a she-wolf. According to legend, the sacred animals of Mars - the woodpecker, the horse, the bull and the wolf - led young men born in the spring, showing them places for settlements. The ancient holiday of Lupercalia, a holiday of purification and fertility, was also associated with the cult of the wolf, possibly associated with the rite of initiation. One of the epithets of Apollo - Lycian ("wolf") - connects him with a wolf or points to him as a protector from wolves.
In Scandinavian mythology, Odin, sitting on a high throne at a banquet table, drinks only wine and does not touch food - he throws it to two wolves, who lie at his feet instead of dogs. Their names are Geri and Freki - "Greedy" and "Gluttonous". These wolves were wonderful helpers of Odin, a symbol of the fighting squad.
Another giant wolf is located on the western wall of Valhalla - this is Fenrir, bound by magical bonds. The clan of Fenrir - "many giant sons, they all look like wolves" - gave birth to the giantess Angrboda and ace Loki. According to the prophecy, the last battle of the gods and the death of the world following it begins with the fact that chthonic animals break free. “And then a great event will happen: the Wolf will swallow the sun, and people will consider this a great destruction. Another wolf will steal the moon, but will do less evil. The stars will disappear from the sky ... And now Fenrir the Wolf is free. In the last battle, the wolf swallows the supreme ace Odin. Only Odin's son Vidar manages to avenge his father: with a wonderful shoe, he steps on Fenrir's jaw and tears his mouth. Here the wolf is a symbol of chaos and evil inclination.
Christians
In Christianity, the wolf is evil, cruelty, cunning and heresy, the devil threatening believers. Only the saints were given the power of loving conviction to tame the wildness of a ferocious beast, as, for example, Francis of Assisi did, whose attribute was the wolf. This idea is based on the famous story of the wolf, which was hunted by the inhabitants of Gubbio, as it brought great harm. But St. Francis of Assisi, who met him, addressed him as "Brother Wolf" and defended him as a friend who knew nothing better before.
In medieval heraldry, the wolf is mentioned in a positive sense: “The wolf has the meaning of vigilance and prudence, and as such, the name of this animal and its image are used in coats of arms; the wolf gets his prey with such intelligence that the hunter rarely catches it.
Slavs
The symbol of the wolf is also associated with the lower world; in some mythologies, it acts as a conductor of souls. In the Slavic folk tradition, chthonic symbolism is inherent in the wolf, the dead appear in the guise of a wolf; in Russian fairy tales, the wolf can deliver the hero to another kingdom, he is related to underground treasures. In many fairy tales, the wolf is a guide through the enchanted forest, the embodiment of the underworld. The guide, however, is not disinterested, for his services the wolf always took a fee - a horse or cattle. In this wolf feature, echoes of ancient justice are heard, “taking - give in full”, now we know it as the law of conservation of energy. The wolf, from the mythology of the Slavs, to this day, inspires fear and respect. Like any totem animal, the wolf had several nicknames that replaced the real name - “hort”, “fierce”. The word "wolf" was not pronounced aloud. The wolf by its nature is not an evil creature, and if it attacks not people like that, but those dark qualities that have grown together with the human body, but this is not the fault of the wolf, he is just an orderly.
wolf howling at the moon
The dark essence of the wolf, strangely associated with the moon and frosty clear nights, frightened the Slavs. It was believed that the wolf belongs to the world of the dead and knows its secrets. The dull wolf howl made our ancestors shudder and was considered a bad sign. Thus, in the view of the Slavs, the wolf is a two-in-one creature. On the one hand, he is closely associated with solar deities, a wise and faithful companion, a powerful soothsayer. On the other - a predatory demon, a strange beast from the world of the dead. The wolf is the Beast of the Dazhbogs, and Dazhdbog (the star of the Rassen) was among the pagan Slavs the god of the Sun.
wolf people
People - wolves are individual by nature. They solve all their problems on their own, but can gather in a large community (spontaneous flocks) to solve great problems. These people live in their own interests, they make their decision on any issue only after they check everything on their own skin. The Wolf Man is inherently a social orderly, he has a sense of justice and strict order. As a rule, Wolf People live in their own, and not in someone else's mind, do not take advice from the outside, but with all this, they have a "wolf greed" for knowledge. They strive to explore and inhabit the entire nearby territory, which they will subsequently defend without sparing their own lives. Their only weak point is “heart problems” (love), but a sense of duty and justice is above all for them.
In the summer of 2012 there will be a transition from the hall of the Fox to the hall of the Wolf. After that, people's self-consciousness and world outlook will noticeably change. Interestingly, this event is a kind of transition from "dark" to "light". Incredible changes will take place in the familiar world of all mankind. Namely, during this period, we will witness the manifestation on Earth of a different type of consciousness.
ODE TO THE WOLF
(Sergei Borodin)
The wolf is an image equally manifested both in the animal world and in the human community. The image of the Wolf is so pure in its fundamental principle that reproach, slander and other false inventions constantly rushing towards him fade rather quickly, turn into past dust before the true power of the phenomenon, the generalized name of which is the Wolf. Nobility, incorruptibility and uncompromisingness - this is the core of the Wolf's nature. He is revealed to our sinful world, mired in lies and vice, as a visible embodiment of a great cleansing power. His image embodies a great essence, the main task of which is to accelerate the transformation of the earthly world.
Sensitively reacting to the internal vices of the human soul, the Wolf appears on our life path as either a formidable harbinger, or a direct executor of the will of the lords of Fate. Weak, intoxicated, lustful people are insanely afraid of the Wolf, because his appearance always initiates cardinal changes in the life of a person who crosses the path with the Wolf.
The animal wolf is a manifestation in the animal kingdom of the noble principle of supreme justice. This is an objective judge, a guardian of the purity and purity of the life path of the entities of the era of transformation, the first stage of which is the distinction between “grains from chaff”. The wolf is called upon to administer justice to the wicked of the animal world.
If a person falls into the sphere of its influence, then he, like his “smaller” brothers, has to pass a test for the righteousness of his soul with an infallible wolf instinct. And woe to the villain who met on the forest path with the Wolf judge! The righteous man may not worry about his life: the Wolf will give way to him with dignity.
The many-faced Wolf-essence comes in human form. The responsibility of the man-Wolf is the human community. It is foolish to think that this is just a werewolf tearing apart lonely passers-by on moonlit nights. So writers and directors in low-grade Hollywood films try to discredit his noblest mission in our world before the general public. For what? The shadow bosses of modern civilization, forcing filmmakers to play by their rules, are well aware of this mission of the Wolfman in the social processes currently taking place on the planet. To fulfill their own misanthropic plans, Wolves are dangerous in any form. That is why the image of the Wolf is “brutalized” by all means of defeating the mass consciousness, reduced to just a carrier of bloodthirsty instincts. Thus, a conditioned reflex is formed in the layman to destroy the Wolves wherever there is even the slightest opportunity for this. Such a life-giving attitude of people towards themselves has to be experienced by the Wolves of both the animal kingdom and the human community.
Why are Wolves so dangerous for the forces that impede the further evolution of earthly humanity? First of all, it is necessary to clearly understand that the Wolf-man is the guardian of the moral laws of society. He also punishes immoral individuals for their obscene behavior. On the other hand, it contributes in every possible way to the fulfillment by people of the evolutionary laws of the universe. The secret forces of the New World Order seek to rebuild the world community so that morality completely disappears from the motivational attitudes of an earthly person. The wolves, defending the morality of the life manifestations of people, interfere with such a restructuring of society. Therefore, the emissaries of the New World Order are painstakingly searching for and destroying the human-Wolves, creating unbearable living conditions for them, provoking various diseases in them, arranging accidents for their physical elimination. “There is a hunt for Wolves…”, V. Vysotsky predicted at one time. And he turned out to be completely right in his prophecy.
But coping with the Wolves is not as easy as it might seem at first glance, since in their actions they rely on the full power of the light forces of the evolutionary plan. The wolf is fearless nobility in the flesh. He knows no fear. He is always on the attack. This is a fighter for the purity of thoughts. And always a new fighter with evil spirits comes to the place of the fallen. So it has always been, so it will be until the completion of the transition of the Earth to a new evolutionary cycle of development.
The wolf usually acts alone. But in a period of formidable danger for unsuspecting ordinary people, Wolves can unite in a pack: it is easier to repel the threat of general death. This is not even a flock, but a squad of professional warriors against world evil. So, Wolves are a tough nut to crack for the world behind the scenes. In their actions they are flexible, unconventional, courageous and ready to do anything for the sake of Light on the path of humanity to new heights of the evolutionary pyramid of world order. And most importantly, they are the future. The attempts of those who push humanity onto the path of degradation and self-destruction are, by and large, doomed to failure. And the Wolves are called to play the main party in this failure. Because of this, their adversaries hunt them so diligently.
Being next to the Wolf in human form, with all the fibers of your soul you feel reverent respect for this person. Unfortunately, such a man-wolf can be admired and revered only at a distance: it is impossible to get close to him for a short time due to his superhuman mission among us mere mortals. Such people seem to the layman to be completely heartless, devoid of the warmth of feelings. In fact, this is not so: the task that they realize in life requires them to have iron restraint and a sober assessment of the situation, and this, in turn, does not allow them to let anyone into their souls. The grandiosity of the problems they solve can simply crush an ordinary person who, for one reason or another, decides to get to know the Wolf-man better. Moreover, a person who is not very scrupulous of himself in terms of moral standards of behavior experiences a sharp internal discomfort in the presence of the Wolf. The wolf feels this and applies this or that system of punishment or prevention to such a person. Therefore, most people who have many sins behind their souls do not like Wolves at the household level either.
The wolf (canis lupus), also called the gray wolf or common wolf, is a predatory mammal belonging to the canidae family. The wolf belongs to the genus of wolves, which also includes the coyote and the jackal. In the canine family, the wolf is the largest animal.
Here are its dimensions: the length of the wolf is up to 150 cm, including the tail - 2 m, the height at the withers - 90 cm, body weight - as the mass of an adult, can be up to 90 kg.
According to recent wolf DNA studies, it has been established that the wolf is the ancestor of the dog. Probably a long time ago, wolves were domesticated and a breed of domestic wolf, a dog, was bred.
The wolf was previously distributed quite extensively throughout the world, especially in Eurasia and America. At present, as a result of the mass extermination of the wolf, and due to the spread of cities and villages, the habitats of the wolf have been drastically reduced.
Moreover, in some regions now this predator is not found at all. In other regions, it appears less and less often, because there are areas in which hunting for it is still not prohibited. They continue to exterminate it, since this predator still kills livestock, can attack a person, and besides, hunting for a wolf is a long-standing human pastime.
However, the wolf brings great benefits - it regulates the balance of the ecosystem, for example, in the taiga, in the steppes and mountains, in the tundra, the wolf helps nature get rid of dying or sick animals, thereby healing the gene pool of nature.
In total, there are 32 subspecies of the wolf in the world. In Russia, you can meet an ordinary and tundra wolf.
Why is a wolf called a wolf
The word wolf, which in the Slavic peoples sounds almost the same, for example, in Bulgarian the wolf will be “vlk”, in Serbian “vuk”, in Belarusian - voyuk, and in Ukrainian “vovk”.
It is believed that this word is closely related to the word “drag”, “drag”, because when a wolf dragged away living creatures, he dragged it in front of him. Hence the origin of the word "wolf".
Wolf Ancestors - Evolution
The ancestor of the wolf is the canis lepophagus, an ancient coyote-like mammal. The ancestor of the wolf lived in North America.
When the ancient canids - wolf's rivals - borophages, died out, the ancestor wolf increased its body size. The skull of the wolf also increased. The found remains of a wolf tell us about this.
A wolf that looks like a real wolf was first discovered during the study of the early Pleistocene, which existed more than 1.8 million years ago.
For example, a wolf was found called canis priscolatrans, which resembles the appearance of a real red wolf. This ancient wolf lived in Eurasia. It later evolved into the subspecies canis mosbachensis, which was already much more similar to the modern wolf.
This wolf was distributed throughout Europe and only 500 thousand years ago it evolved into the modern wolf.
When geneticists began to study the DNA of the wolf, they found that there are at least 4 family trees of the wolf. These are the African genealogical line of the wolf, the Himalayan, Indian and Tibetan lines.
The most ancient is the Himalayan genealogical line. That is, the Himalayan wolf is considered the most ancient species, but appeared about a million years ago, then comes the Indian wolf - this is a branch from the Himalayan line, the Tibetan wolf is already a descendant of the Indian wolf, it appeared only 150 thousand years ago. The Tibetan wolf line is otherwise called Holarctic, it is common in Europe and North America.
The extinct Japanese wolf is a descendant of the Himalayan wolf, it was previously very large, but subsequently natural changes that led to the disappearance of large ungulates, the Japanese wolf became smaller.
The Hokkaido wolf, however, which lives on the mainland and has the ability to hunt large prey, is much larger than its extinct Japanese counterpart.
The Japanese wolf, as well as the Japanese Khondos wolf or shamanu, became extinct as a result of extermination by people. The wolf was exterminated due to rabies, cases of which were described in literary sources and dated 1732. The last wolf was exterminated in Japan in 1905. It was a miniature wolf that looked more like a fox than a wolf.
Now you can see only stuffed animals of this wolf in museums.
Appearance of a wolf
In different parts of the world, the wolf looks different. The appearance of a wolf is highly dependent on prey and on the surrounding climate. If we consider the average representative of the wolf, then this animal at the withers is approximately from 65 to 90 cm, weight is from 30 to 90 kg.
The wolf reaches maturity at about 3 years old, gaining height and weight. In Siberia, a wolf up to 80 kg in weight can be found.
But hunters say that it is not uncommon to meet an animal with a weight of more than 90 kg.
The smallest wolf in the world - the Arabian wolf - canis arabs, it can weigh 10-15 kg.
If we consider the wolf population, then usually males are 20% larger than females both in height and weight. In appearance, the wolf resembles a large dog with sharp ears.
Wolves don't hibernate. In bad weather, they can roll up into a ball and let the snow fall over them to provide extra insulation. They sleep in the open as they don't have to be afraid of many predators. One member of the pack will remain alert and act as a sentinel to warn others of danger.
Gray wolf appearance
Height and weight
Typically, gray wolves measure 66 to 96 cm at the shoulder and 102 to 147 cm from head to base of their tail. The length of the tail is from 33 to 51 cm. The average weight of a wolf is from 27 to 45 kg, however, some wolves have weighed from 18 to 80 kilograms. Female wolves (females) typically weigh 20% less than males.
Skin colors
Wolves are covered with skin of moderate length over most of the body. Their fur color can range from pure black to pure white, with any shade or shade of grey, brown, cream, buff (yellow-gold), sienna (reddish brown), and brown in between.
In wolves that have light and dark patterned fur, the markings tend to be lighter on the ventral (belly) side of the body and transition to darker and thicker fur on the dorsal side.
The ears, forehead and upper part of the muzzle are generally made of short and smooth and lighter fur mixed with dark and medium tones, while the underside of the muzzle and neck are of lighter tones. The legs and paws also have short and light fur.
The tail is usually covered with long, thick, fluffy fur, the color scheme of which is similar to that of the rest of the wolf: dark above and light below. Light wolves may even have a dark patch of fur covering the precaudal scent gland, also called the violet gland, at the top of the tail, about 10 cm from its base and at the tip.
Some wolves, especially dark-coated wolves, have phases where their coats lighten significantly during certain seasons or as they age. The wolf begins life with a very dark or even black coat color, which can become lighter in summer and darken again in winter. The dark or black phase of the wolf's fur also tends to lighten with age and may become light gray or even white as the wolf reaches its senior years.
Wolves are usually born with dark or black fur that lightens as they mature. It is unlikely that wolves are susceptible to albinism, as no living examples exist.
gray wolf eyes
Wolves are usually born with dark blue eyes that lighten and then gradually fade to adult eye color over the next six to ten weeks. The eyes of a mature wolf are often amber brown or gold, but are also usually shades of brown, grey, yellow, and green.
It is interesting to note that puppies are born with blue eyes, while mature wolves do not retain blue eyes. Huskies often have blue eyes, which is why people think there must be blue-eyed wolves out there too, but that's not the case.
If you see a wolf with blue eyes, then he or she is most likely a wolf hybrid and not a full-blooded wolf.
Vision of a gray wolf
The vision of a wolf is about the same as that of a human. However, some experts believe that wolves may be nearsighted because their eyes lack the recess in the retina that allows them to focus, especially on distant objects.
Wolves have excellent peripheral vision and their eyes are optimized for motion detection. In addition, they have a very high ratio of rods (grey scale receptors) to cones (color receptors) in the retina. This abundance of sticks helps the wolf to see at night. The night vision of a wolf is far superior to that of a human.
While there has been little research on the ability of wolves to see color, it is thought that they may be partially colorblind. Wolves only have red and blue photoreceptors in their eyes, unlike humans, which have red, green, and blue photoreceptors. Tests on domestic dogs show that they cannot tell yellow from green or orange from red.
Tests on wolves, where red, blue, yellow and green dyes were applied to pure snow, show that wolves often detect red and yellow spots. This may be because they associate these colors with blood and urine and have little interest in other colors.
However, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the color vision ability of wolves. Wolves can see all colors, but are only interested in those that can benefit them in some way.
Dogs have a third eyelid (nictitans) that extends across the eye and contains a gland that, along with glands in the ciliary body, acts to lubricate the eye. However, these tear glands secrete oily substances, not watery tears: dogs are not capable of shedding wet tears of sadness, as humans do, but that doesn't mean they don't cry.
wolf ears
Wolf ears are triangular and rounded at the top: they are much wider and shorter than coyote or fox ears. Wolves tend to have shorter and darker fur on the back of the ear, with lighter, slightly longer fur along the inside. Wolves can fold their ears back to their head, move them side to side and forward independently. This range of motion helps the Wolf pinpoint the direction of the sound.
The habitat of the red wolf is Central, Central and South Asia, as well as the Malay Peninsula. This predator can be seen on the island of Sumatra and on the island of Java.
In Russia, you can expect a red wolf, but it is hardly possible to meet it, since this predator has not been seen by anyone in Russia for 30 years. Perhaps its population has already disappeared in Russia, and yet the red wolf is listed in the Red Book of Russia.
It is quite easy to recognize this predator - it has a fox appearance - short legs, a long body with a long tail, a small head and thick red-red long hair. It is possible that when you meet this wolf, you may think that you have met a fox.
The red wolf is a pack animal, scientists believe that there are no more than a few thousand of these unusual wolves left. This wolf hunts at any time of the day or night and always lives where there are many ungulates. Since the purpose of his hunting are mountain sheep, goats and deer.
The number of the red wolf has been reduced due to the fact that its habitat has been destroyed by man, the number of wild grazing ungulates has decreased, and therefore the number of red wolf individuals has also decreased.
How is a wolf different from a dog
He has strong legs and higher ones, the paw is slightly larger and more extended. The head has a wider forehead than a dog's, its muzzle is wide and there is a lot of hair on the sides, which makes it look like a lion. The wolf has narrow-set eyes and a long muzzle. It is narrower and much more expressive than a dog's.
The muzzle of the wolf is very expressive. So scientists have identified about 10 emotions that can be "read" on his face - these are anger, humility, tenderness, fear, threat, fear, anger, calmness and humility.
The wolf has a large and high skull. The nose of the wolf protruding forward slightly expands at the bottom.
A separate speech will be about the teeth of the wolf. There were legends and fairy tales about them. The teeth of a wolf are its most important tool, which is also influenced by the way this predator hunts and lives. The upper jaw contains 20 teeth, of which only 6 incisors and 2 large canines.
There are 22 teeth in the lower jaw. With fangs, the wolf grabs and holds its prey. The fangs are very strong and can hold a fairly large animal. For a wolf, his teeth are not only a great helper in hunting, but also a means of protection. If suddenly the wolf loses its teeth, then this will lead him to hunger and ultimately to death.
The wolf has a long tail. It is much longer and thicker than the dog's and is lowered down. The wolf does not wag its tail like a dog. By the wolf's tail, as well as by the dog, you can understand the wolf. If the tail is down and does not move, then the wolf is calm, if the wolf twitches its tail, it is unhappy.
The fur of the wolf is thick, hard. It has two layers - coarse hair and undercoat. The undercoat gives the wolf warmth in winter, and the coarse fur protects this predator from mud and water.
The wolf can shed. This usually happens when spring turns into summer. The body temperature of the wolf heats up and the fluff begins to flake off the body. The wolf is elementary hot. He begins to rub against the trees to quickly get rid of the winter fur.
Depending on the subspecies of the wolf, the fur color of the predator depends. For example, a forest wolf has gray-brown fur, a tundra wolf has an almost white fur coat, and a desert wolf wears a grayish-red fur coat.
There are unusual wolves - pure white, red or even black. Small wolves or wolf cubs have a uniform coat color - usually dark. Over time, their cover becomes a few tones lighter.
However, only the second layer of fur is different in wolves. The undercoat of the wolf is always gray.
The wolf also differs from the dog in the tracks it leaves on the ground or snow.
The following differences will help you recognize the tracks of a wolf:
in a wolf, the index and little fingers of the paws are set back more than the middle fingers.
the wolf keeps its paw collected - therefore its footprint is more prominent,
the path of wolf tracks is always straighter than dog tracks and denser, which will reliably indicate that a wolf has passed here.
The size of a wolf's footprint is from 9.5 to 11 cm in length, in a she-wolf - from 8.5 to 10 cm in length.
Wolf tracks, like all dogs, show four toes on each foot with claw marks present. Wolf tracks are strong, often 9.5 to 11 cm long. Wolf tracks are difficult to distinguish from those of large dogs. The main difference is in the habitat.
Wolves live farther from human dwellings than dogs. The step of a wolf can be from 52 cm to 75 cm. Wolves can run from 45 to 60 km per hour.
In a wolf, the hair and bones of its prey can usually be mixed into the trace. Some plant material may be present, such as grass or seeds.
Wolf eyes have been a subject of mysticism for many centuries and artists often draw them in their paintings.
Wolf cubs are born with blue eyes, but after 2-4 months their eyes become yellowish or even orange. Very rarely, a wolf's eyes remain blue even after the period of "childhood".
It is also very rare to find a wolf with green, brown or green-blue eyes.
How the wolf howls
It is believed that the wolf howls mainly at the moon on one note and no longer gives a voice. However, this is not at all the case. The voice of the wolf is quite diverse in terms of frequency range. Its ability to change the frequency of the voice can only be compared with human.
Wolves can howl, howl, whimper, growl, yelp and bark. And at the same time, every howl, bark, etc. can have thousands of variations.
Even a wolf's howl at the moon is a singer's aerobatics - the wolf starts from the lowest note and gradually brings his singing to a high note, but this note is not the last. This is the last we hear, since the human ear is not able to perceive all the frequencies that the wolf's throat can transmit.
The wolf can "talk" with his relatives from the pack and warn, for example, that people will appear now, call for an attack, or that there is prey somewhere.
Wolves howl at dawn and when the moon appears, and howl collectively, at this moment, according to scientists, wolves show their belonging to the pack and feel emotional uplift. This is comparable to how people experience an emotional high during choral singing.
However, wolves do not howl every day, perhaps the howling of wolves begins when they need the general support of the pack, the feeling of a friendly shoulder.
Wolves have a complex vocal communication system. They use yapping, whining, growling and body language to communicate with each other. Posture is used to indicate the position of the wolf in the pack. Submission to a dominant pack member is indicated by a trembling stance and whining. A submissive wolf will lick the face of a dominant wolf. The wolf will growl, flick back his ears, and lift his hair on his back to let the other wolf know to back off.
The howl of a wolf serves as a link between the entire pack. Wolves tend to make long wails instead of the loud calls that coyotes are famous for. While hunting, the pack breaks up and uses howls to keep in touch with each other.
People have learned to understand the language of the wolf for centuries, and now there are people who understand the wolf's conversations.
How does a wolf find its prey?
The wolf has a very sensitive sense of smell. Its sense of smell is ten times stronger than a human's, so a wolf can smell prey at a distance of 3 km from it.
The wolf distinguishes hundreds of millions of different smells and has a lot of information about the reality around him. In addition, the wolf sometimes marks its own territory through urine, feces. The wolf marks its territory most strongly during the rut.
Wolves and other animals, including bears and cougars, cover partly eaten meat with mud. Never approach one of these camouflaged carcasses because the animal may not be far away. Bears and cougars will definitely protect these partially eaten carcasses. But wolf packs will or will not be unknown, but it is better not to risk it.
The range of the modern habitat of the wolf
Previously, the wolf lived everywhere in the world, but due to the appearance of weapons in humans, the habitat of the wolf has decreased significantly. Now the wolf can be found throughout the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In Russia, it is absent only on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
The wolf inhabits the tundra, forests, steppes, penetrates south to desert regions, in the mountains it can live above the forest belt (3000 - 4000 m).
Wolf Pack
The gray wolf is a social animal whose main social ties consist of wolf families and their offspring.
On average, a flock consists of 5-11 animals (1-2 adults, 3-6 juveniles and 1-3 yearlings), and sometimes two or three such families.
It happens that the number of wolves in a pack can reach up to 40.
Under ideal conditions, a wolf pair can produce puppies every year, while not parting for this up to 5 years. The basis for parting for wolves is the beginning of puberty of offspring and competition in the struggle for prey.
For wolves, the size of the territory for hunting per one wolf pack is of great importance. Sometimes wolves can move long distances - up to 400 km from the starting place, in search of food.
It is important for a wolf pack that the wolves within it are not hostile towards each other. Therefore, the flock is larger - the more food on the territory, and the less, the less food. Wolves can search for unoccupied territory for a long time in order to create a pack that has no enemies among other wolves.
The created wolf pack rarely takes other wolves into its bosom, as a rule, it kills them. In rare cases, when a wolf pack accepts another wolf, this can only be due to its youth (up to 3 years), that is, a wolf that a wolf pair can “adopt” without harm to themselves and their offspring.
Sometimes a lone wolf is accepted into a wolf pack, but only to replace a dead male wolf.
During the abundance of ungulates, different packs of wolves may unite.
Wolves are very territorial animals, and tend to take up much more territory than they need to survive. This is done so that random fluctuations in the number of prey do not interfere with the survival of the wolf pack.
In general, the territory depends not only on the number of prey, but also on the number of cubs. After all, wolves, reaching the age of 6 months, have the same food needs as an adult wolf.
The wolf pack constantly moves around its territory in search of food and travels about 25 km a day. Basically, almost all the time they are in the center - the core of their territory. This is done in order to avoid accidental collision with another wolf pack.
The core territory of a wolf pack is approximately 35-40 square kilometers, while the entire territory can be up to 60-70 square kilometers. A wolf pack can leave its territory only in an emergency, for example, when there is an acute shortage of food.
Wolves are very good at defending their territory from other wolf packs, using special marks as warnings to ensure that the territory of the wolf pack is not disturbed by another wolf pack. If suddenly this happens, then the wolf pack attacks the intruders, but first they try to scare them off with a howl.
Marking their territory, as we have already said, is done with the help of urination or defecation, sometimes wolves scratch the ground, then mark scratches. They leave a scent every 200 meters and usually mark for 2-3 weeks.
Territorial fighting of wolf packs is considered the main cause of death of wolves in natural conditions, without human intervention. Scientists believe that this kills from 15 to 65% of wolves.
Reproduction and development
Wolves are usually monogamous, pairs are usually created for life, until one of the wolves of the pair dies. After the death of one wolf of a pair, the pair is usually quickly restored with the help of another wolf.
Males predominate in the wolf pack, so unpaired females are rare. The age of first mating in gray wolves depends on the environment - if there is enough food, or when the wolf population has declined enough that the laws of population regulation come into force - quite young wolves may be able to reproduce.
This is confirmed by the fact that in good conditions of reserves with sufficient food, wolves can create families as early as 9-10 months of age. However, in the wild, the standard breeding age for wolves is 2 years.
Females can give birth to wolf cubs every year. Unlike the coyote, the wolf never reaches reproductive age. Estrus usually occurs at the end of winter. Wolves mate with old she-wolves 2-3 weeks earlier than with young ones. What explains this is unknown.
During pregnancy, she-wolves stay in the center of the pack's territory to protect the female from confrontations with other wolves, which usually occur on the periphery of the pack's territory.
Pregnancy in a she-wolf lasts 62-67 days, wolf cubs, as a rule, are born in the spring-summer period.
Wolves have many more cubs per litter than other canine species. The average litter consists of 5-6 cubs, with increasing fertility in areas where prey is plentiful, although even a particularly large litter does not exceed 14-17 cubs.
Wolf cubs are born blind and deaf and are covered with short, soft greyish-brown fur. The weight of a born wolf cub is 300-500 grams. Wolf cubs begin to see on the 9-12th day. Their milk fangs appear 1 month after birth. Already after 3 weeks, a little wolf cub can leave the den, and already at the age of 1.5 months they are strong and flexible enough to be able to escape from danger.
The mother wolf does not leave the den even for a minute for at least 3 weeks. And all the care of providing both mom and wolf cubs with food falls on the wolf-dad. As early as 3-4 weeks from birth, wolf cubs can eat solid food.
Wolf cubs grow very quickly - so their weight from the beginning of the birth of a wolf cub increases 30 times in the first four months. Wolf cubs start playing at the age of 3 weeks. Games are mostly in the nature of the struggle.
Although, unlike coyotes and young foxes, their bites are painless. The wolf cubs fight establishes a hierarchy in the family among the kids. The fight can go on for 5-8 weeks. By autumn, the wolf cubs are already old enough to accompany adults in their hunt for large prey.
She-wolf care
"Wolves are extremely intelligent creatures with great curiosity, a quick learner, and a full range of emotions that people like to attribute only to humans," from Running With Wolves.
While most people, especially women, don't want to be related to wolves, especially when it comes to intelligence and emotional intelligence, the reality is that these animals represent an important correlation to both our interaction skills with each other and our emotional connection. At least the relationship here is more positive than the monkey comparison, right?
In fact, we can learn a lot from the she-wolf in particular. She-wolves are excellent mothers who actually exhibit the same stages of preparation for motherhood as human mothers.
Stages of motherhood in wolves
The she-wolf represents a unique perspective on motherhood, especially as it relates to the human mother. These mothers display excellent mothering skills as they prepare and eventually care for their young. Like human mothers, the mother wolf begins to prepare for her cubs long before the pups, as the young wolves are called, actually appear.
Once a she-wolf becomes pregnant, she goes through a phase of developing a relationship with her wolf. Most human moms-to-be also go through this stage. The she-wolf will spend a lot of time cuddling, playing and hunting with her friend. It's like she's spending that time "focusing" on her significant other to prepare for the time when she'll be focusing most of her attention on the kids.
This phase is a natural continuation of the motherhood stage and usually lasts for several weeks.
After this stage of courtship and play, the she-wolf begins to search for a den and equip it. She-wolf looks for a suitable place for puppies or childbirth, and then takes care of her puppies. The female wolf spends a lot of time looking for a place to make a den.
She may reuse the same marking space as other female wolves if she is part of a large pack. Otherwise, she may find a suitable place and dig her own lair. Inexperienced she-wolves can dig a shallow hole; however, a knowledgeable she-wolf will dig a deep large hole to adequately protect her children.
The female claims this area for her and her pups, even preventing her companion from descending into the lair. However, she can choose a suitable helper among the other wolves in the pack. Over time, the entire flock will support and raise puppies.
When the time is right, the she-wolf will enter her lair to give birth to puppies. Her innate knowledge of caring for her puppies will be immediately demonstrated in her ability to facilitate the birth process. When the puppies are born, the mother cuts off the umbilical cord and licks each pup. After the birth of all the puppies, the she-wolf eats the placenta.
To help the pups survive, the female wolf pays great attention to her cubs in the early days. The mother usually stays in the den with her pups for several days immediately after birth to support their early development. She continues to lick and feed the brood and only leaves the pups for a short time after a few days.
During these first days, the she-wolf protects and keeps her pups in the den for at least three to four weeks before she releases them into the world. Again, this protective tendency is very similar to what human mothers exhibit in the first days after birth.
The she-wolf also makes sure that her puppies are adequately fed. Puppies are usually breastfed five to six times a day for three to five minutes each for the first few weeks. Between five and eight weeks after birth, the she-wolf begins the weaning process, during which the puppies are given a burp. The care and attention that a mother wolf shows during feeding and weaning are important characteristics through which future she-wolves can gain insight into how to provide for their cubs.
An important characteristic of a she-wolf
As shown in these stages of wolf motherhood, these wolf mothers are inherently good mothers. A she-wolf is born with the instincts to prepare, give birth, and then take care of her young. In doing so, she exhibits important characteristics of motherhood.
The she-wolf is extremely intuitive when it comes to raising her puppies. She knows their needs and follows her instincts. She-wolves also protect their cubs by keeping them in the den until the pups can survive enough outside the den. The she-wolf is also extremely selfless, showing her willingness to stay in the den without food or water to ensure the safety of her cubs.
We can learn a lot from the she-wolf. Her intuitiveness towards motherhood, as well as the many good qualities she embodies, are definitely things we can learn from. Knowing all this, it's not so bad to compare yourself to a wolf, is it?
wolf and hunting
Wolves usually hunt in packs, sometimes individually. The wolf will almost always eat its prey completely. Wolves have more advantages when hunting in a pack because they are smart animals, they know how to work together and are able to take down animals that are much bigger and stronger than a single wolf. Wolves are strict predators and often stay alive after hunting, they calculate their strength. Wolves don't kill for sport, only for survival.
Wolves feed on carrion, hunt and eat everything. The prey of wolves from large animals is deer, elk, caribou, bison and musk ox. Small animals include beavers, hares, and small rodents.
The wolf has a large stomach and can absorb 10 kg at a time. However, wolves can survive without food for up to 2 weeks, or even longer if food is scarce. Their digestion is very efficient, but 5 percent of the meat the intestines of the wolf are not able to digest. Any fragments of bone that do not break down in some way can be found in the stomach of the wolf, wrapped in undigested hair, which protects the intestines from injury.
Wolf cubs feed on adults who regurgitate fresh meat, or for grown-up cubs, wolves carry fresh pieces of meat to the den. Wolves play an important role in the lives of other animals. Because wolves eat sick or weak animals, and then they actually help herds of large ungulates to recuperate by relieving them of the burden of sick animals.
For example, there is a sick deer in the herd that is eating food that can be used to feed a healthy young deer. So, eliminating a sick deer, the wolf not only reduces the possibility of infection from this deer to other deer, but also contributes to the appearance of more food for the rest of the herd.
Wolves live and hunt mostly in their own territory. Pack members will guard and defend their territory from invading wolves. The size of the territory depends on the availability of prey. If prey is in short supply, the size of the territory may be small, however, if prey is plentiful, the territory of the wolf may be much larger.
The hunt will begin with the gathering of members of the pack, they greet each other with a howl. This howl will deter other wolf packs from entering that pack's territory. Wolves begin hunting by passing through the entire territory of the pack until they find their prey.
The wolf drives the prey in the opposite direction from the wind to avoid the possibility of allowing the animal to detect the wolf's scent and run away. As soon as their prey realizes that it is being pursued and tries to escape, the chase begins. The wolves chase her and as soon as they catch up, they immediately bite, usually from the side.
Large animals try to avoid bites and turn around to attack the wolf with their horns. The wolf is afraid of being hurt by the horns. Therefore, in this case, the animal is surrounded by other members of the wolf pack in order to attack from behind. At this time, the wolf standing in front, taking advantage of the turn of the prey back, tends to bite it in the throat or in the muzzle. Then the whole flock attacks the prey and kills it. The wolf immediately begins to eat its prey.
A wolf can hunt all day long until their hunt is successful. After all, it is a matter of wolf survival.
Quick facts about the wolf
- The average lifespan of a wolf in the wild is 10 years. Wolves live in packs, which usually consist of an alpha male wolf, his alpha female, and their offspring of various ages. Other wolves may also join the pack.
- The wolf has no real natural predators; their biggest threat is other wolf packs in the surrounding areas. The wolf has been known to live up to 20 years in captivity.
- Wolves are carnivores and tend to prey on large animals, but wolves also prey on small animals. Wolves hunt together in packs and work together as a team to catch and kill large animals such as elk or deer. Wolves are opportunists and will not waste their energy chasing a healthy deer for 10 km when a wounded or sick deer is more available. The Alaska Natives call the wolf "Wild Shepherd".
- Wolves have a layer of thick fur, which is especially necessary for wolves that live in areas of the Arctic, where it can get very cold. It is during the winter months in these areas that the wolf's stored calories are most critical. Large animals such as elk and deer suffer greatly from cold and lack of food, and during this time they become slow, lethargic and therefore easier to catch.
- Wolves are endangered today, as wolves are killed in large numbers by human hunting, poisoning, or capture for their fur and to protect livestock. Wolves have also been severely affected by the loss of their habitat and have been forced into smaller areas where food sources cannot be plentiful enough to feed a hungry pack of wolves.
- Wolves tend to mate in late winter to early spring and cubs are born a couple of months later when the weather is warmer and prey is plentiful. Wolf cubs develop intensively the next part of the year to survive their first cold winter. The cubs stay with their mother in the wolf pack.
- Wolves can freely interbreed with dogs, coyotes, jackals to produce fertile offspring. This is a case of incomplete speciation. There are physical, behavioral and ecological differences between these species, but they are completely genetically compatible. None of the animals in this group can breed with foxes, which are too genetically different from wolves.
- Wolves are the largest members of the canine family.
- The wolf does not run fast. The maximum speed of a wolf is approximately 45 km/h. Instead of running, they rely more on their hearing and sense of smell to locate prey.
- Wolves have great endurance - they can run day and night until they reach their prey.
- Wolves develop close relationships and fairly strong social bonds. The wolf often shows deep affection for his family and may even sacrifice himself to protect his family.
- The wolf can be expelled from the pack or leave the pack of his own accord - then he becomes a lone wolf. Such a wolf rarely howls and tries to avoid contact with the pack.
- The wolf is a favorite character in legends and fairy tales, it is a highly intelligent animal and does little to live up to its terrible reputation in legends and fairy tales.
- People are still afraid of wolves and pursue them more than any other predator. Several centuries ago, people even tortured the wolf and burned it at the stake. However, the wolf has a high intelligence and instinct, which helped him escape from extinction.
The final fate of the wolf depends on whether the man will allow the wolf to coexist next to him.
However, it is worth remembering that the wolf is the most important orderly of nature. And, depriving her of a wolf, a person risks dying himself.