"My, what big teeth you have..."

Time for howling under the moon! Today's animal is, yes you guessed it, none other but our beloved wolf!

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order:  Carnivora

Family: Canidae

Genus: Canis

Species: Canis lupus

That was the scientific classification of the gray wolf, which, like other wolves is coming nearer and nearer to the status called extinction. The only place that I know of where wolves run free is Yellowstone National Park. Look at this adult wolf... Isn't he a beauty? This is a gray wolf. Notice the face and the amber eyes. I don't know about you, but I quail at the presence of such a noble creature.

Why is the wolf ALWAYS the bad guy?

Hmm, Let's see... Large eyes that pierce your soul and make you feel like you are being constantly watched...Which you are, by the way. Sharp insicors and a gleaming row of perfectly sharp teeth and BIG canine teeth on the upper jaw. A very noble face which can turn into a spitting mask if the wolf decides to growl. Elegant structure and imposing body features like strong hind legs and alert, fuzzy ears that perk up with the slightest sound. Look at this wolf, protecting his prey.(Note the faint blood specks on the teeth).  I think  that that  would be enough to scare someone off and induce myths about wolves, not to mention eerie howling to keep communication betweenThisd clans of wolves. Pretty much, I think that this is a list of pretty good reasons to fear  the wolf.

Lions and tigers and werwolves, oh my!

Since humans didn't study wolves for a very long time, many myths surrounded these animals, and most were not very pleasant. For instance: the werewolf. Were means "man" in Anglo-Saxon. Put those two together and you get a "manwolf". A man that is caught between these two. There have been many stories and arguements about how the werewolf looks. If you look up old werewolf sketches, the most likely that the dreaded manwolf be surrounded by corpses, other werewolves or severed limbs and heads. I came across a picture of a werewolf walking away from a house and carrying a baby in his mouth. There was blood and guts everywhere, which is why I didn't post the picture. There was a woman screaming and the household dog chasing after the werewolf. Ugh. Well anyway, I bet many people out there know how to deter werewolves.

One method is the silver bullet. But catch this: silver bullets would inflict minimum damage, because silver is so plausable and soft that it would most likely drop or never pierce skin. And anyways, you can't fashion SOLID silver bullets. There is a coating of silver above something else.

Silver by itself would be fine. A cross would come in handy, but not a stake. Silver lockets, silver crosses, anything silver, you name it and it keeps werewolves away. No one knows whether this creature exists, but like the manticore, this is probably a VERY exaggurated account of a wolf. The manticore was a very imaginitive description of a tiger.

 Packs and Clans of Wolves

 Wolves are dogs. And just like dogs, they are social animals and need social interaction with the rest of their group. Contrary to what people believe, wolves are not man-eating machines that will kill you on sight. You need to respect them and treat them like any other human being. You need to gain their trust, and they need to gain yours. If you are around wolves and are uneasy, you need to relax, because just like your dog at home, wolves can sense nervousness or anxiety. Wolves can make a perfect photo subject, but don't attempt to do any wandering around wolves without advice from a professional. Wolves are very protective of their cubs, and even if they don't kill you and eat you, they WILL attack if they think you pose a threat to their community. This mother wolf is guarding her lair. You can see that she blends in perfectly, and that she is determined to ward off any passers-by to ensure the saftey of her cubs.

Wolves hunt in packs, because the hunt is most likely more successful if there are more than 2 wolves trying. This pack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park is circling, trying to bring down a lone bison. The bison is standing his ground, which makes it more likely that the wolves will be unsuccessful in their hunt. Did you know that wolves are more compassionate than bison or deer? If there is a sick or elderly member of the group in a herd of bison or deer, they will probably leave it behind so it can die and the predators are put at bay. Wolves, on the other hand, will stay behind and protect their fellow packmate.

There are many things that humans have yet to understand about animals and the way to treat them. Perhaps we never will actually understand how to treat them; due to our natural thirst for power and overlooking of unimportant things that might prove vital later on...

Check back tomorrow for another report!

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