Wolves have often been a source of intrigue for humans. Powerful, intelligent, fascinating and wild, the wolf has been a source of inspiration for some people, and a big bad wolf for others. The bad reputation of wolves has always been based on unfounded facts.

At one time they scared us, but today, discover 42 fun facts about wolves, these cute and organized creatures.

Description of the Wolf

• The gray wolf is known as the timber wolf in North America and the white wolf in the Arctic, and more commonly as the common wolf.
• Wolves run on their toes, which helps them stop and turn quickly and prevent wear and tear on their pads.

• An immense power is concentrated in the jaw of a wolf. It exerts a crushing pressure of nearly 103 bars (compared to about 51 for a large dog). The jaws themselves are massive, bearing 42 specialized teeth for stabbing, shearing and crushing bones. Their jaws also open farther than a dog's.
• The gray wolf is the most common large land mammal on the planet after humans and cattle.
• Wolves are not particularly fast, with a top speed of about 45 km/h. Instead, they rely on their sense of hearing and smell to detect their prey.They have remarkable stamina and are known to track their target all day and night if necessary.
• Wolves are the largest members of the dog family.
• In 1600, the gray wolf population in North America was 2 million. Today, the population in North America is about 65,000 wolves. The world population is about 150,000.

Feeding the Wolves

• When they succeed in killing an animal, wolves do not eat in moderation. A single wolf can consume 9 kg of meat in one sitting! The highest ranking wolf will eat first and what cannot be eaten is left for the scavengers, even if they have to wait three more days for their next meal.
• In Canada, beach wolves swim between islands, eating crabs, clams and other small morsels.
• Wolf Fishing: In the forest of British Columbia, wolves fish for salmon during spawning season.
• Wolves can go more than a week without eating.

Wolf Species

Among the true wolves, two species are recognized: Canis lupus (often referred to simply as "gray wolves"), which includes 38 subspecies, such as the gray wolf, timber wolf, arctic wolf, tundra wolf, lobos wolf and buffalo wolf. The other recognized species is the red wolf (Canis rufus), which is smaller, has longer legs and shorter fur than its relatives. Many scientists question whether Canis rufus is a distinct species.
There are many subspecies of wolves, including the Arctic wolf, all of which use a variety of howls to communicate with each other.

• Despite their name, gray wolves (Canis lupus) are not always just gray. These canids can also have a black or white coat. Those with a black coat are logically called black wolves.

The Cub and Wolf Reproduction

• In order for a new wolf cub to urinate, its mother must massage its belly with her warm tongue.
• Once a wolf has found a mate, they usually stay together for life.
• Wolves have only one breeding season a year, in winter. They have their cubs in late April or early May. The cubs are born in an underground hole, or den. A litter usually consists of four to six cubs. Cubs grow quickly and are nearly full-grown by the end of their first winter. They reach their adult size at the age of two.

The Pack

• Wolves develop close relationships and strong social bonds. They often show deep affection for their families and may even sacrifice themselves to protect the family unit.
• A wolf pack consists of two or more wolves that have a defined territory.
• They have a highly organized social structure that allows for maximum cooperation when hunting, communicating and defending their territory.
• Wolves live and hunt in packs. They are known to travel great distances, up to 20 km in a single day. In the far north, wolf packs often travel hundreds of kilometers each year following migrating herds.

• These social animals cooperate on their preferred prey. A single wolf can catch and kill a deer without help, but when hunting in a pack, they will attack much larger animals, including deer, elk and moose. Wolves also eat small mammals such as birds, fish, lizards, snakes, and fruit.
• The hierarchy that exists within each pack is maintained by dominant or submissive body posture, and other behaviors such as collective care of the young.
• A wolf that has been driven out of the pack or left on its own is called a lone wolf. It avoids contact with packs and rarely howls.
• Wolf packs are built on a strict hierarchy, with a dominant alpha male at the top and an alpha female not far behind. Usually, this male and female are the only animals in the pack to reproduce. Packs consist of five to ten animals, usually offspring of several years. All the adults in a pack help care for the young cubs by bringing them food and watching them while the others hunt.

The Territory of these Wild Animals

• Wolves are very territorial animals, and usually establish territories much larger than they need to survive, to ensure a steady supply of prey. The size of the territory depends largely on the amount of prey available: in areas where prey is abundant, the territories of resident wolf packs are smaller.

• Biologists describe wolf territory as not just spatial, but spatio-temporal, so that each pack moves in and out of the other's territory based on when the "no trespassing" signals were displayed.

The Wolf and Man

• It is believed that wolves were first tamed in East Asia about 15,000 years ago.
• The Cherokee Indians did not hunt wolves because they believed that the brothers of a killed wolf would take revenge. Also, if a weapon was used to kill a wolf, it would no longer work properly.
• Around the year 800, Charlemagne founded a special wolf hunting force, the Louveterie, which remained in operation until 1789. It was reactivated in 1814, and the last French wolf was killed in 1927.
• The gray wolf has been the notorious villain of fables and fairy tales for centuries, but this highly intelligent and sociable animal has done little to justify its terrifying reputation.
• The autoimmune disease Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, literally means wolf rash, because in the 18th century, doctors believed the disease was caused by a wolf bite.
• The Vikings wore wolf skins and drank wolf blood to confront the wolf spirit in battle. They also considered real wolves as battle companions or hrægifr (corpse trolls).

• Once widespread in North America, Europe and the Far East, the gray wolf is now unfortunately only found in large numbers in certain areas of the USSR, North America and Eastern Europe.
• The wolves are legendary for their shrill howl, which they use to communicate. A lone wolf howls to get the attention of its pack, while group howls can send territorial messages from one pack to another. Some howls are confrontational. Rival packs may respond to calls. Like barking domestic dogs, wolves may simply start howling because a neighboring wolf has already started.
• In 1500, the last wolf was killed in England. In 1770, the last wolf in Ireland was killed. In 1772, the last wolf in Denmark was killed.
• The gray wolf has always been feared by man and has probably been persecuted more than any other animal. Did you know that centuries ago, wolves were "judged" by man and burned at the stake? However, its intelligence and flexibility saved it from extinction. Phew!
• In the Harry Potter universe, the name of the werewolf Remus Lupin is directly related to the Latin word for wolf (lupus) and suggests an association with one of the founders of Rome, Remus, who was nursed by a wolf. The dual nature of Lupin's werewolf suggests that in Potter's kingdom, there are two sides to everything!
• Wolf Wars: The wolves are back. This is a great time for wildlife lovers. But wolves are still wolves, killing livestock and elk. Many Westerners are angry. So the age-old struggle for land and food has resumed.
• Between 1883 and 1918, more than 80,000 wolves were killed in Montana in exchange for a bounty.
• Another reason for its decline was the dramatic reduction of its natural prey. These have been largely replaced by livestock that are protected by the use of traps and guns. The ultimate fate of wolves will depend on the willingness of humans to coexist with them.
• Stuffed animals are very important for children:

1. They awaken and develop their imagination.
2. They help to develop softness, compassion and tenderness in the child so that he becomes a great wolf cub!
3. Cuddly toys comfort children in difficult times.
4. They improve language development.
5. And finally, stuffed toys make great gifts!

Now that you know almost everything about wolves and stuffed animals, you can help your little cub become a big wolf! To do this, thanks to the best animal plush toys, your cub will be able to create his imaginary world of savannah animals, forest animals, elephants, tigers Tiger Plush ... or even penguins.

So discover all the plush animals of the animal world on the WOLF-HORDE Store and let your child and his imagination rule his new world!