WOLF
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Species: Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Canis lupus (grey) Canis rutas (red)

Wolves are found in Asia, Europe and North America, and are doglike in nature. The
gray, or timber wolf, was once widespread in these regions but is now restricted to the more northerly uninhabited areas. The endangered red wolf is confined to a small area of the southern United States.

The gray wolf is the larger of the two species, reaching up to 5 feet in length (1.5 m), and weighing up to 150 lbs. (70 kg). Its color is usually gray with sprinkles of black, with tanish-white underfur and legs. The red wolf is thinner and weighs about 33 lbs. (15 kg). Its coat is tawny in color. The smaller red wolves resemble coyotes.

Wolves live in open country and forests. They hunt by day, in packs of 20 to 40, and hide by night under fallen trees, within rocks or in ground holes. One wolf can take on a medium to large sized deer, where a pack can bring down a moose or an elk. Wolves have immense endurance and can usually outrun their prey. They are also good swimmers and will pursue deer into water. Their main enemy is man, due to their need to kill livestock when food is scarce - the gray wolf has become almost completely exterminated in the U.S. as a result.

Mating season is from January to March. Cubs (usually 5 to 15) are born approximately 60 days after conception. Both parents teach the cubs to hunt, and the families remain together for long periods of time...in some cases, for years.