Arctic wolf facts for kids how to#

It may also be necessary for them to move according to the movements of their prey. There are other times though when they must go for weeks without much food at all. When that is the case they will take turns feeding and also protecting the kill from other animals. They often know that it may be a while before their next meal so they will consume all that they possibly can when it is readily available to them.ĭue to the freezing cold, a large animal that they kill may offer enough food for the entire wolf pack for several days. They can eat more than 20 pounds of meat at a time. They are able to rip into the flesh and crunch the bones of the animals they capture. Arctic Wolves have very sharp teeth as well as powerful jaws. When they do make contact though they will be successful. Even though they are great hunters, their prey can often get away before they can attack from all sides. Since these animals are much larger than they are, it is a group effort to successfully take one down. Generally they will eat caribou and muskoxen. Diet/Feeding Habitsĭue to the location of the Arctic Wolf, they are very limited when it comes to the supply of food they can consume. Around Alaska the natural habitat for these wolves has been untouchable due to the land being too cold for people to thrive in. They have moved or they have perished due to a lack of food and habitat for them to survive. However, the numbers of them in these areas are drastically low. Not only can they stand the very cold temperatures, they don’t seem to mind the part of the year when it is dark for both day and night.īoth Greenland and Canada have Arctic Wolves that are found in various locations as well.

That allows them to shift their weight around and to keep a good grip. They are able to walk on the frozen ground due to the way their feet are designed. Habitat/DistributionĪlaska is where the majority of the wild Arctic Wolves live. They do heavily mark their territory though with urine and their own scent. As a result of this they don’t really mind so much when other packs have a territory that overlaps. However, most of them do have hundreds of miles that they can cover within their home range. These wolves happen to be very territorial. Generally the size of the pack will depend on how much food happens to be available to them. The size of these groups can be from just a couple of wolves to about twenty. They can also be on their own looking to make their own pack. Those that are seen alone may be away from their pack to search for food. Some people believe that the Arctic Wolf is a loner by nature but that isn’t true.

Arctic wolf facts for kids how to#

They also learned how to survive on fat stored in the body instead of needing food as often as other species of wolves do.Īrctic Wolf – Canis lupus arctos Behavior They were able to develop an anatomy that allowed them to adapt to the extremely cold temperatures. It is also believed that due to the Ice Age some wolves ended up in this very cold region. It is believed by most they that evolved from other types of canines more than 50 million years ago. The information about the evolution of the Arctic Wolf continues to be debated among the experts. Since the ground is permanently frozen they have padded paws that are designed to offer them a good grip when they walk. They also help them to regular their overall body temperature. That is part of them staying warm as well. These wolves also have smaller ears than other species. As a result their body temperature can stay warm enough even when it is bitter cold. They first layer helps to form a waterproof barrier for the skin. The outer layer actually gets thicker as the winter months come along. Anatomyĭue to the extreme cold where the Arctic Wolf lives, they have two thick layers of fur. Others are twice that long though at about 6 feet. Some of them are about 3 feet in length when they are fully grown. Some of them only weight about 75 pounds. The overall size of them will depend on where they happen to live in their region. They do offer some aspects of yellow, gray, and black in places though. While some species of wolves do have some white coloring, this one is almost completely white. It is very unique due to the location where it is found. No other wolf in the world can offer the same coloring as the Arctic Wolf. Arctic Wolf – Canis lupus arctos Description