Wolf Facts and Figures: Interesting Video Presentation for Kids

Wolves – incredibly powerful land predators – possess a great deal of unique characteristics and interesting peculiarities. All fun things you may possibly want to know about wolves – from unusual way of using facial expressions to rare species – was covered in this video presentation.


Wild Wolves: 7 Interesting Predatory Facts (Educational Presentation)

#1. Forms of communication

Unlike other animals, wolves posses and effectively use a number of distinctive facial movements, which serve as a form of communication and a way of maintaining relationships in the pack. In the video presentation there is a brief explanation about other forms of communication, which include howling, growling and even barking.

#2. Though and build for ultimate survival

Though wolf bodies have everything to track prey for miles and take down animals, which are twice as large. The main success factor of predator is hidden behind the power of its jaw, which is adapted to crushing bones with a single bite (no wonder, considering that it has a crushing pressure of nearly 1,500lb psi).

#3. The most unusual wolf species

At a first glance Chrysocyon brachyurus or the maned wolf resembles a large fox, with such long legs that even a deer would envy. But this unusually looking animal is actually a wolf and, furthermore, it’s the largest canid of South America.

#4. The rarest wolf species to find nowadays

It’s incredibly hard to say that once most widespread predators on the planet are classified as critically endangered. With only 300 wolves kept with captive facilities, the Mexican wolf is extremely hard to come by.

#5. Black wolves as a unique genetic mutation

Contrary to common belief, black wolves are not a separate species and don’t occur naturally. The coat-color of this predatory animal is a result of dog mutation, which was transmitted to wolves through several stages of wolf-dog hybridization.

#6. Coywolf – a controversial animal hybrid

There are many animal hybrids out there. While, however, many of them inherit many features and more susceptible to diseases, coywolves seem to be an exception. A wolf-coyote hybrid is bigger, stronger and has the skill to catch prey and increase population, even in tough modern conditions.

Additional facts, which were not mentioned in the presentation:

#7. Population: how many wolves are there?

The title of the most widespread land animal once belonged to a wolf. These animals were found almost in every climate and terrain but for deserts and tropical forests.

For example, in the 17th century the population of North American gray wolf exceeded 2 million individuals but modern statistics show that this number dropped down to just 70 thousand animals.

#8. How big of a territory does a single pack occupy?

The size of the territory, which is being controlled by a certain pack of wolves greatly depends on the approximate amount prey, which may be found there.  So, according to scientific calculations, the territory of the habitat of a single pack may range of range from just 20 square miles to over 50 fifty square miles, if the prey is hard to come by.

As it was mentioned in the presentation of the facts, howling pack is not just a form of communication but a way to warn other wolves that this area is already taken.

#9. How dangerous are wolves to humans?

The wolves may be of any threat of to humans only in rare of even exceptional cases. The ways of preventing the spread of rabies in wolves as well as other animals nowadays have become extremely efficient, so unexpected wolf attacks on people are hard to come by. In most regions, where wolves may be found nowadays, it is the human, who threatens the population of the wolves, not vice versa, the practice of setting up wolf traps is still widespread.

#10. The path to becoming an alpha-male

There is a modern theory, according to which, the path to becoming the leader of the pack or the alpha male lies not though violent fights and rivalry but through the search for a female partner. After mating and having an offspring, a new pack with the new leader may be formed.

#11. Sense of smell

Wolves are said to be able to distinguish between over 200 million different smell variations, while the bodies of people are capable of distinguishing between just 5 million. A wolf pack is able to sense the smell of other animals at a distance of up to a mile away.

Sources of presented information and further reading:

1) www.bbc.com/russian/science/2015/01/150116_vert_ear_wolves_what_should_you_know

2) www.1001facts.info/wolf-facts/

3) www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141

4) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_wolf

5) www.facts.randomhistory.com/interesting-facts-about-wolves.html

6) www.wolfworlds.com/wolf-anatomy/

7) www.wolfworlds.com/wolf-communication/

8) www.wolfworlds.com/wolf-body-language/

9) www.wolfworlds.com/wolf-predators/

10) www.wolfworlds.com/wolf-social-structure/

11) www.wolfworlds.com/wolf-territorial-behavior-and-dispersion/

12) www.animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/wolf/

13) www.onekind.org/education/animals_a_z/wolf_grey/

14) www.californiawolfcenter.org/education/wolf-facts/

15) www.listverse.com/2012/04/14/top-10-little-known-facts-about-wolves/

Image credits:

1) www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/content/images/episodes/coywolf_1280.jpg

2) deviantart.net/36a9/i/2011/078/4/8/black_wolf_facing_4_by_silentwolfox-d3bzso3.jpg

3) www.hd-wallpapersdownload.com/upload/bulk-upload/photo-wolves-hd-wallpaper.jpg

4) howlingforjustice.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/black-wolf-pack1.jpg

5) 2d.by/wallpapers/v/volki.jpg

6) blogs.pugetsound.edu/whatwedo/files/2015/10/Wolves_in_Norway.jpg

7) www.images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21000000/WolF-wolves-21056770-1920-1080.jpg