In foreign countries, it is represented as a symbol of cunning, fierceness, ruthlessness, and morality, and at the same time a symbol of wild and extraordinary power. On the mainland, it represents a symbol of cohesion, courage, spirituality, and in our current real team, he is always used to represent the wolf team, which means a team with a sense of cooperation.
The most representative wolf in China is the Mongolian steppe wolf, and the representative in Western countries is the North American gray wolf, what is the difference between the two? This chapter explores the differences between these two wolves and their ability to adapt in nature.
On the outside:
Mongolian steppe wolves are smaller compared to North American gray wolves. Steppe wolf: Steppe wolf is more slender, reaching a length of up to 1.8 meters, a shoulder height of up to 1.05 meters, and a weight of up to 80 kilograms. Their coat color is usually brownish-yellow with white markings on the throat and thorax.
North American wolves: North American gray wolves are usually relatively large, up to 2 meters long, up to 1.05 meters tall at the shoulders, and up to 80 kilograms in weight. Their coat color is usually brown, gray or black, with white spots on the abdomen and chest. Compared to the drafted wolf, the North American gray wolf is thicker and has a stronger mouth.
In terms of diet:
Steppe wolves are typical carnivores that feed mainly on prey in the wild. Their prey usually includes elk, takin, wild horses, wild boars and rabbits, and occasionally eats small rodents. In order to ensure adequate nutrients, Mongolian steppe wolves usually eat a large amount of food in a short period of time and store some of it underground for subsequent use.
The main prey of the North American wolf includes elk, cattle and sheep, bison, moose, rabbits and rodents. North American gray wolves do not eat enough in one go, but also bury some of their food in the ground or put it on branches to store it for later use.
Life habits:
Steppe wolves generally live in their own family members or in pairs, have their own territory, generally live in caves, and when hunting large prey and fending off exotic wolves, other predators, or extreme lack of winter food, they will gather in groups of 3 to 15 individuals, led by the wolf king. Steppe wolves do not attack each other because other wolves of their own group enter their territory, but wolf packs' territory is not allowed to be entered by wolves of other groups, and once discovered, they will expel intruders.
In the group, only the wolf king and the queen have the qualification to give birth, other wolves will never be allowed to give birth, the purpose of this is to increase the survival rate of the wolf king cubs, young wolf cubs to 1 year old can live independently and independently, to the age of 2 is considered to be fully mature, at this time the wolf physique is also the healthiest and strongest, if at this time, the number of wolves is small, you need to increase the number of groups, then the young wolf cubs will stay, to strengthen the group, the same is, if the number of wolves is more, In the case of insufficient food distribution, some weaker wolves will be driven out of the pack by the wolf king.
North American gray wolves generally consist of a group of 5 to 10, in this small group, there will be an additional leading male wolf, the hierarchy of North American wolves is very clear, is divided into one, two, three levels, one is the most advantageous, the level division of female wolves is also the same, there is always an advantageous wolf in the pack, the rest regardless of male and female, are sub-dominant and lower peripheral male wolves and female wolves, in addition, is a young wolf without predation. The strong dominant male wolf is the core of this small group and the main force in the field of life, and the dominant female wolf has authority over all female wolves, and it can control all female wolves in the group.
Although there are male and female, but the core strength is maintained by the male wolf, but also the only wolf pack, if they catch prey, must be the sole one to eat first, and then according to the wolf pack hierarchy to enjoy the food.
In fact, this is somewhat similar to the system of lions
The same is true in breeding, it can enjoy all female wolves to mate, and the dominant female wolf will also prevent the dominant male wolf from mating with other female wolves, so that mating and breeding offspring are generally reproduced between the two strongest individuals of the dominant female and male wolves, so that the wolf cubs born are also the healthiest and strongest.
In terms of scope of action:
Prairie wolves usually operate within a fixed territory. This territory is usually very large, possibly covering an area of several hundred square kilometers. Their hunting and foraging range depends on the size of the territory, but usually does not exceed 300 square kilometers.
North American wolves, on the other hand, usually occupy a certain territorial range, the size and location of this range, usually depends on the surrounding environment and the availability of resources, and may change due to changes in family ownership and competition.
In the vast ecosystem of North America, the territory of the North American wolf can range from tens of square kilometers to hundreds of square kilometers. North American wolves hunt, patrol, and other daily activities within their territory and represent their territorial boundaries through a sensitive sense of smell, sound, and marker scents. Territory is so important to North American wolves that they actively defend their territory to ensure sustainable use of resources and family reproduction. However, if they do not have a suitable environment around them, they will also attack the territory of other wolves to occupy suitable living areas.
Finally, there is the status of their populations:
Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, inland immigrants began to move into the grassland in large numbers to live, and a large number of land was reclaimed.
Although the "immigration to the real border" policy at the end of the Qing Dynasty had a great impact on the development of Mongolia's economy, it also completely changed the original appearance of the grassland.
With the intervention of humans, the range of activities of steppe wolves has also decreased, and fewer and fewer animals can be hunted, and they are focusing on the livestock raised by herders, and people are naturally not welcome to their arrival. The number of steppe wolves on the mainland is only about 2,000.
In Western countries, North American wolves were killed as harmful animals, and in 1995 and 1996,
The U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service captured 66 wolves from Canada and released them into the 890,000-hectare wilderness of Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho for restorative experiments. Here these wolves live without worrying about eating and drinking,
New wolf packs in Yellowstone are rapidly multiplying. Because wolves are a hidden danger, U.S. wildlife authorities are seeking to kill them to control their numbers. Such an operation has attracted strong attention from some wildlife conservation organizations.
The experiments made by oneself led to an increase in the number, but in the end, the number was controlled by killing.
We humans are supposed to live in peace with animals, and our expansion has caused their habitat to cease to exist.