Scientific name: Canis lupus
IUCN status: Listed
Habitat: Canada, Northern America, Russia,
pockets of Eastern Europe – tundra, steppe, open
woodland, forest
Diet: Carnivore – moose, elk,
bison, reindeer, rabbits, beavers, domestic animals
Grey wolves – they can be any colour from black
to white – used to enjoy the largest natural distribution
of any mammal (except humans!) but they have suffered
from human persecution, long-term habitat disturbance
and
diseases spread by domestic dogs. They live in well-organised
packs with a complicated social system, usually with a
female as leader. The whole pack travels, hunts and raises
cubs together.
Did you know? Grey wolves once lived
in the forests of Ireland but their habitat was cut down
and they were hunted. The last wolf seen in Ireland was
a female shot in County Carlow in 1786!
