Symbol of All Wild Things (Semi-Advanced) (Open Please Please PLease join!!!)

The gray wolf is a slender, powerfully built animal with a large, deeply descending ribcage and a sloping back. Its abdomen is pulled in, and its neck heavily muscled. Its limbs are long and robust, with comparatively small paws.[60] The front paws have five toes each, while the back paws have four. The forelimbs are seemingly pressed into the chest, with the elbows pointed inward, and the feet outward, thus allowing both fore and hind limbs on the same side to swing in the same line. The wolf's legs are moderately longer than those of other canids. This enables the animal to move swiftly, and allows it to overcome the deep snow that covers most of its geographical range.[59] Females tend to have narrower muzzles and foreheads, thinner necks, slightly shorter legs and less massive shoulders than males.[61] Compared to its smaller cousins (the coyote and golden jackal), the gray wolf is larger and heavier, with a broader snout, shorter ears, a shorter torso and longer tail.[48][62]

The gray wolf's head is large and heavy, with wide a forehead, strong jaws and a long, blunt muzzle. The ears are relatively small and triangular.[60] The teeth are heavy and large, being better suited to crushing bone than those of other extant canids, though not as specialised as those found in hyenas.[63][64] The canine teeth are robust and relatively short (26 mm).[48] The wolf can exert a crushing pressure of perhaps 1,500 lbf/in2 compared to 750 lbf/in2 for a German shepherd. This force is sufficient to break open most bones.[65] In cold climates, the wolf can reduce the flow of blood near its skin to conserve body heat. The warmth of the footpads is regulated independently of the rest of the body, and is maintained at just above tissue-freezing point where the pads come in contact with ice and snow.[66]

The gray wolf usually carries its head at the same level as the back, raising it only when alert.[60] It usually travels at a loping pace, placing its paws one directly in front of the other. This gait can be maintained for hours at a rate of 8–9 km/hr,[67] and allows the wolf to cover great distances. On bare paths, a wolf can quickly achieve speeds of 50–60 km/hr. A running wolf holds its head slightly low and cocked to one side, directing one ear forward and the other back. This posture allows the wolf to continually make use of its exceptional hearing.
The gray wolf has very dense and fluffy winter fur, with short underfur and long, coarse guard hairs.[60] Most of the underfur and some of the guard hairs are shed in the spring and grow back in the autumn period.[4] The longest hairs occur on the back, particularly on the front quarters and neck. Especially long hairs are found on the shoulders, and almost form a crest on the upper part of the neck. The hairs on the cheeks are elongated and form tufts. The ears are covered in short hairs which strongly project from the fur. Short, elastic and closely adjacent hairs are present on the limbs from the elbows down to the calcaneal tendons.[76] The winter fur is highly resistant to cold; wolves in northern climates can rest comfortably in open areas at −40° by placing their muzzles between the rear legs and covering their faces with their tail. Wolf fur provides better insulation than dog fur, and does not collect ice when warm breath is condensed against it.[4] In warm climates, the fur is coarser and scarcer than in northern wolves.[60] Female wolves tend to have smoother furred limbs than males, and generally develop the smoothest overall coats as they age. Older wolves generally have more white hairs in the tip of the tail, along the nose and on the forehead. The winter fur is retained longest in lactating females, though with some hair loss around their nipples.[61] Hair length on the middle of the back is 60–70 mm. Hair length of the guard hairs on the shoulders generally does not exceed 90 mm, but can reach 110–130 mm.[77]

Coat colour ranges from almost pure white through various shades of blond, cream, and ochre to grays, browns, and blacks.[78] Variation in fur color tends to increase in higher latitudes.[79] Differences in coat colour between sexes are largely absent,[80] though females may have redder tones.[81] Fur color doesn't seem to serve any camouflage purpose, with some experts concluding that the blended colors have more to do with emphasizing certain gestures during interaction.[82] Black colored wolves (which occur through wolf-dog hybridisation) rarely occur in Eurasia, where interactions with domestic dogs have been reduced over the past thousand years due to the depletion of wild wolf populations. Black specimens are more common in North America, with about half the wolves in Yellowstone National Park being black.[53]

though some wolves are solitary, most are highly gregarious animals.[86] The basic social unit of a wolf pack is the mated pair, accompanied by the pair's adult offspring. In ideal conditions, the mated pair produces pups every year, with such offspring typically staying in the pack for 10–54 months before dispersing.[8] The average pack consists of a family of 5–11 animals (1–2 adults, 3–6 juveniles and 1–3 yearlings),[87] or sometimes two or three such families,[86] with exceptionally large packs consisting of 42 wolves being known.[88] Triggers for dispersal include the onset of sexual maturity and competition within the pack for food.[89] A new pack is usually founded by an unrelated male and female, travelling together in search of an area devoid of other hostile packs.[90] Wolf packs rarely adopt other wolves into their fold, and typically kill them. In the rare cases where strange wolves are adopted, the adoptee is almost invariably an immature animal (1–3 years of age) unlikely to compete for breeding rights with the mated pair. In some cases, a lone wolf is adopted into a pack to replace a deceased breeder.[88] During times of ungulate abundance (migration, calving etc.), different wolf packs may temporarily join forces.[91]
Wolves are highly territorial animals, and generally establish territories far larger than they require to survive in order to assure a steady supply of prey. Territory size depends largely on the amount of prey available and the age of the pack's pups, tending to increase in size in areas with low prey populations[93] or when the pups reach the age of 6 months, thus having the same nutritional needs as adults.[94] Wolf packs travel constantly in search of prey, covering roughly 9% of their territory per day (average 25 km/d or 15 mi/d). The core of their territory is on average 35 km2 (14 sq mi), in which they spend 50% of their time.[93] Prey density tends to be much higher in the territory's surrounding areas, though wolves tend to avoid hunting in the fringes of their territory unless desperate, due to the possibility of fatal encounters with neighboring packs.[95] The smallest territory on record was held by a pack of six wolves in northeastern Minnesota, which occupied an estimated 33 km2 (13 sq mi), while the largest was held by an Alaskan pack of ten wolves encompassing a 6,272 km2 (2,422 sq mi) area.[94] Wolf packs are typically settled, and usually only leave their accustomed ranges during severe food shortages.[96]

Wolves defend their territories from other packs through a combination of scent marking, direct attacks and howling (see Communication). Scent marking is used for territorial advertisement, and involves urination, defecation and ground scratching.[97][98][99][100][101] Scent marks are generally left every 240 metres throughout the territory on regular travelways and junctions. Such markers can last for 2–3 weeks,[94] and are typically placed near rocks, boulders, trees or the skeletons of large animals.[102] When scent marking and howling fail to deter strange wolf packs from entering another's territory, violent interactions can ensue.[94] Territorial fights are among the principal causes of wolf mortality: one study on wolf mortality in Minnesota and the Denali National Park and Preserve concluded that 14–65% of wolf deaths were due to predation by other wolves.[103]
Wolves use different places for their diurnal rest: places with cover are preferred during cold, damp and windy weather, while wolves in dry, calm and warm weather readily rest in the open. During the autumn-spring period, when wolves are more active, they willingly lie out in the open, whatever their location. Actual dens are usually constructed for pups during the summer period. When building dens, females make use of natural shelters such as fissures in rocks, cliffs overhanging riverbanks and holes thickly covered by vegetation. Sometimes, the den is the appropriated burrow of smaller animals such as foxes, badgers or marmots. An appropriated den is often widened and partly remade. On rare occasions, female wolves will dig burrows themselves, which are usually small and short with 1–3 openings.[113] Wolves do not line their denning places, a likely precaution against parasites.[114] The den is usually constructed not more than 500 metres away from a water source,[113] typically faces southwards, thus ensuring enough sunlight exposure, keeping the denning area relatively snow free.[115] Resting places, play areas for the pups and food remains are commonly found around wolf dens. The odour of urine and rotting food emanating from the denning area often attracts scavenging birds such as magpies and ravens. As there are few convenient places for burrows, wolf dens are usually occupied by animals of the same family. Though they mostly avoid areas within human sight, wolves have been known to nest near domiciles, paved roads and railways.[113]
Although social animals, single wolves or mated pairs typically have higher success rates in hunting than do large packs, with single wolves having occasionally been observed to kill large prey such as moose, bison and muskoxen unaided.[127] A wolf hunt can be divided into five stages:
Locating prey: The wolves travel in search of prey through their power of scent, chance encounter, and tracking. Wolves typically locate their prey by scent, though they must usually be directly downwind of it. When a breeze carrying the prey's scent is located, the wolves stand alert, and point their eyes, ears and nose towards their target. In open areas, wolves may precede the hunt with group ceremonies involving standing nose-to-nose and wagging their tails. Once concluded, the wolves head towards their prey.[128]
The stalk: The wolves attempt to conceal themselves as they approach.[129] As the gap between the wolves and their prey closes, the wolves quicken their pace, wag their tails, and peer intently, getting as close to their quarry as possible without making it flee.[130]
The encounter: Once the prey detects the wolves, it can either approach the wolves, stand its ground, or flee. Large prey, such as moose, elk, and muskoxen, usually stand their ground. Should this occur, the wolves hold back, as they require the stimulus of a running animal to proceed with an attack.[131] If the targeted animal stands its ground, the wolves either ignore it, or try to intimidate it into running.[127]
The rush: If the prey attempts to flee, the wolves immediately pursue it. This is the most critical stage of the hunt, as wolves may never catch up with prey running at top speed.[132] If their prey is travelling in a group, the wolves either attempt to break up the herd, or isolate one or two animals from it.[129]
The chase: A continuation of the rush, the wolves attempt to catch up with their prey and kill it.[133] When chasing small prey, wolves will attempt to catch up with their prey as soon as possible, while with larger animals, the chase is prolonged, in order to wear the selected prey out. Wolves usually give up chases after 1–2 km (0.62–1.3 mi), though one wolf was recorded to chase a deer for 21 km (13 mi).[127] Both Russian and North American wolves have been observed to drive prey onto crusted ice, precipices, ravines, slopes and steep banks to slow them down.[134]

The actual killing method varies according to prey species. With large prey, mature wolves usually avoid attacking frontally, instead focusing on the rear and sides of the animal. Large prey, such as moose, is killed by biting large chunks of flesh from the soft perineum area, causing massive blood loss. Such bites can cause wounds 10–15 cm in length, with three such bites to the perineum usually being sufficient to bring down a large deer in optimum health.[134] With medium-sized prey such as roe deer or sheep, wolves kill by biting the throat, severing nerve tracks and the carotid artery, thus causing the animal to die within a few seconds to a minute. With small, mouse-like prey, wolves leap in a high arc and imobilize it with their forepaws.[135] When prey is vulnerable and abundant, wolves may occasionally surplus kill. Such instances are common in domestic animals, but rare in the wild. In the wild, surplus killing primarily occurs during late winter or spring, when snow is unusually deep (thus impeding the movements of prey)[136] or during the denning period, when wolves require a ready supply of meat when denbound.[137] Medium-sized prey are especially vulnerable to surplus killing, as the swift throat-biting method by which they are killed allows wolves to quickly kill one animal and move on to another.[135] Surplus killing may also occur when adult wolves are teaching their young to hunt.[138]

Once prey is brought down, wolves begin to feed excitedly, ripping and tugging at the carcass in all directions, and bolting down large chunks of it.[139] The breeding pair typically monopolizes food in order to continue producing pups. When food is scarce, this is done at the expense of other family members, especially non-pups.[140] The breeding pair typically eats first, though as it is they who usually work the hardest in killing prey, they may rest after a long hunt and allow the rest of the family to eat unmolested. Once the breeding pair has finished eating, the rest of the family will tear off pieces of the carcass and transport them to secluded areas where they can eat in peace. Wolves typically commence feeding by consuming the larger internal organs of their prey, such as the heart, liver, lungs and stomach lining. The kidneys and spleen are eaten once they are exposed, followed by the muscles.[141] A single wolf can eat 15-19% of its body weight in a single feeding.[142]

When neutral, the legs are not stiffened, the tail hangs down loosely, the face is smooth, the lips untensed, and the ears pointing in no particular direction.[143] Postural communication in wolves consists of a variety of facial expressions, tail positions and piloerection.[84] Aggressive or self assertive wolves are characterised by their slow and deliberate movements, high body posture and raised hackles, while submissive ones carry their bodies low, sleeken their fur and lower their ears and tail.[144] When breeding males encounter subordinate family members, they may stare at them, standing erect and still with their tails horizontal to their spine.[145] The pre-caudal scent glands may play a role in expressing aggression, as combative wolves will raise the base of their tails whilst drooping the tip, thus positioning the scent glands at the highest point.[146]

Two forms of submissive behaviour are recognised: passive and active. Passive submission usually occurs as a reaction to the approach of a dominant animal, and consists of the submissive wolf lying partly on its back and allowing the dominant wolf to sniff its anogenital area. Active submission occurs often as a form of greeting, and involves the submissive wolf approaching another in a low posture, and licking the other wolf's face.[147]

When wolves are together, they commonly indulge in behaviours such as nose pushing, jaw wrestling, cheek rubbing and facial licking. The mouthing of each other's muzzles is a friendly gesture, while clamping on the muzzle with bared teeth is a dominance display. Dominant wolves may assert themselves by straddling over a subordinate family member.[148]

Wolf howls are generally indistinguishable from those of large dogs.[149] Male wolves give voice through an octave, passing to a deep bass with a stress on "O", while females produce a modulated nasal baritone with stress on "U". Pups almost never howl, while yearling wolves produce howls ending in a series of dog-like yelps.[150] Wolves howl to assemble the pack (usually before and after hunts), to pass on an alarm (particularly at a den site), to locate each other during a storm or unfamiliar territory and to communicate across great distances.[151] Wolf howls can under certain conditions be heard from distances of up to 130 km2 (50 sq mi).[152] Howling consists of a fundamental frequency which may lie between 150 and 780 Hz, and consists of up to 12 harmonically related overtones. The pitch usually remains constant or varies smoothly, and may change direction as many as four or five times.[48]

Howls used for calling pack mates to a kill are long, smooth sounds similar to the beginning of the cry of a horned owl. When pursuing prey, they emit a higher pitched howl, vibrating on two notes. When closing in on their prey, they emit a combination of a short bark and a howl.[149] When howling together, wolves harmonize rather than chorus on the same note, thus creating the illusion of there being more wolves than there actually are.[151] Lone wolves typically avoid howling in areas where other packs are present.[153] Wolves do not respond to howls in rainy weather and when satiated.[150]

Wolves from different geographic locations may howl in different fashions: the howls of European wolves are much more protracted and melodious than those of North American wolves, whose howls are louder and have a stronger emphasis on the first syllable. The two are however mutually intelligible, as North American wolves have been recorded to respond to European-style howls made by biologists.[154]
Other vocalisations of wolves are usually divided into three categories: growls, barks and whines.[155] Barking has a fundamental frequency between 320–904 Hz,[48] and is usually emitted by startled wolves. Wolves do not bark as loudly or continuously as dogs do, but will bark a few times and retreat from perceived danger.[155]

Growling has a fundamental frequency of 380–450 Hz,[48] and is usually emitted during food challenges. Pups commonly growl when playing. One variation of the howl is accompanied by a high pitched whine, which precedes a lunging attack.[151] Whining is associated with situations of anxiety, curiosity, inquiry and intimacy such as greeting, feeding pups and playing.[155]

The gray wolf generally specializes in vulnerable individuals of large prey.[156] In Eurasia, many wolf populations are forced to subsist largely on livestock and garbage in areas with dense human activity, though wild ungulates such as moose, red deer, roe deer and wild boar are still the most important food sources in Russia and the more mountainous regions of Eastern Europe. Other prey species include reindeer, argali, mouflon, wisent, saiga, ibex, chamois, wild goats, fallow deer and musk deer.[157] The prey animals of North American wolves have largely continued to occupy suitable habitats with low human density, and cases of wolves subsisting largely on garbage or livestock are exceptional. Animals preferred as prey by North American wolves include moose, white-tailed deer, elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, Dall's sheep, American bison, muskox and caribou.[158]

Although wolves primarily feed on medium to large sized ungulates, they are not fussy eaters. Smaller sized animals that may supplement the diet of wolves include marmots, hares, badgers, foxes, weasels, ground squirrels, mice, hamsters, voles and other rodents, as well as insectivores. They frequently eat waterfowl and their eggs. When such foods are insufficient, they will prey on lizards, snakes, frogs, rarely toads and large insects as available. In times of scarcity, wolves will readily eat carrion, visiting cattle burial grounds and slaughter houses.[159] Cannibalism is not uncommon in wolves: during harsh winters, packs often attack weak or injured wolves, and may eat the bodies of dead pack members.[160][161][162][163] Wolf packs in Astrakhan will hunt Caspian seals on the Caspian Sea coastline[164] and some wolf packs in Alaska and Western Canada have been observed to feed on salmon.[165] Humans are rarely, but occasionally preyed upon.[166][167][168][169]

Wolves will supplement their diet with fruit and vegetable matter: they willingly eat the berries of mountain ash, lily of the valley, bilberries, blueberries and cowberry. Other fruits include nightshade, apples and pears. They readily visit melon fields during the summer months.[161] Wolves can survive without food for long periods: two weeks without food will not weaken a wolf's muscle activity.[170] A well fed wolf will store fat under the skin, around the heart, intestines, kidneys, and bone marrow, particularly during the autumn and winter.[142] Digestion only takes a few hours, thus wolves can feed several times in one day, making quick use of large quantities of meat.[171]
Wolves typically dominate other canid species in areas where they both occur. In North America, incidences of wolves killing coyotes are common, particularly in winter, when coyotes feed on wolf kills. Wolves may attack coyote den sites, digging out and killing their pups, though rarely eating them. There are no records of coyotes killing wolves, though coyotes may chase wolves if they outnumber them.[172][173] Near identical interactions have been observed in Eurasia between wolves and golden jackals, with the latter's numbers being comparatively small in areas with high wolf densities.[172][174][175] Wolves are the most important predator of raccoon dogs, killing large numbers of them in the spring and summer periods.[176] Wolves also kill red, arctic and corsac foxes, usually in disputes over carcasses, sometimes eating them.[177][178] In Asia, they may compete with dholes.[179]
Wolves encounter brown bears in both Eurasia and North America. Brown bears typically dominate wolf packs in disputes over carcasses, while wolf packs mostly prevail against bears when defending their den sites. Both species will kill each other's young. Wolves will eat the brown bears they kill, while brown bears seem to only eat young wolves.[180] American black bears occur solely in the Americas. Wolf interactions with black bears are much rarer than with brown bears, due to differences in habitat preferences. The majority of black bear encounters with wolves occur in the species' northern range, with no interactions being recorded in Mexico. Wolves have been recorded on numerous occasions to actively seek out black bears in their dens and kill them without eating them. Unlike brown bears, black bears frequently lose against wolves in disputes over kills.[181] While encounters with brown and black bears appear to be common, polar bears are rarely encountered by wolves, though there are two records of wolf packs killing polar bear cubs.[182] Wolves will also kill the cubs of Asian black bears.[183]

Wolves may encounter striped hyenas in Israel and Central Asia, usually in disputes over carcasses. Striped hyenas feed extensively on wolf-killed carcasses in areas where the two species interact. On a one-to-one basis, hyenas dominate wolves, though wolf packs can drive off single hyenas.[184]

Large wolf populations limit the numbers of small to medium sized felines. Wolves encounter cougars along portions of the Rocky Mountains and adjacent mountain ranges. Wolves and cougars typically avoid encountering each other by hunting on different elevations. In winter however, when snow accumulation forces their prey into valleys, interactions between the two species become more likely. Although they rarely interact, wolves and cougars will kill each other, with packs of the former sometimes usurping the latter's kills.[185][186] They hunt steppe cats, and may pose a threat to snow leopards.[187] Wolves may also reduce Eurasian lynx populations.[188]

Other than humans, tigers appear to be the only serious predators of wolves.[9][10][11][12][187] In areas where wolves and tigers share ranges, such as the Russian Far East, the two species typically display a great deal of dietary overlap, resulting in intense competition. Wolf and tiger interactions are well documented in Sikhote-Alin which, until the beginning of the 20th century, held very few wolves. Wolf numbers increased in the region only after tigers were largely eliminated during the Russian colonization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is corroborated by native inhabitants of the region claiming that they had no memory of wolves inhabiting Sikohte-Alin until the 1930s, when tiger numbers decreased. Tigers depress wolf numbers, either to the point of localized extinction or to such low numbers as to make them a functionally insignificant component of the ecosystem. Wolves appear capable of escaping competitive exclusion from tigers only when human persecution decreases the latter's numbers. Today, wolves are considered scarce in tiger inhabited areas, being found in scattered pockets, and usually seen traveling as loners or in small groups. First hand accounts on interactions between the two species indicate that tigers occasionally chase wolves from their kills, while wolves will scavenge from tiger kills. Proven cases of tigers killing wolves are rare and attacks appear to be competitive rather than predatory in nature, with at least four proven records of tigers killing wolves without consuming them.[189] This competitive exclusion of wolves by tigers has been used by Russian conservationists to convince hunters in the Far East to tolerate the big cats, as they limit ungulate populations less than wolves, and are effective in controlling the latter's numbers.[190]

1. This is realistic people. No nonsense names like Angel, Feather or some other name like Tyler. NO HUMAN NAMES.
2. No abnormal fur or eyes colors.
3. You have to wait till i say accepted to start roleplaying.
4. Copy and paste the form! Don't make your own.
5. You can't take a rank until I approve you or somebody else. This is not first come first serve, I pick what rank I want you to be. You can say the rank you want and most likely you'll be able to take it.
6. You have to fill out the whole from in order to be accepted by me or Blacky13.
7. No powerplaying or goddmodding. -Example: Steal chased down a massive male bull elk and grabbed his neck and killed him.- No!
8. Alpha’s are the only wolves who mate.
9. Have fun!
10. We see humans rarely; don't get you caught on purpose.
11. No self-sob stories! No attention seeking!
12. You can comment up to five pages when I'm gone, no more.

Name (Realistic For Wolves):
Gender:
Age:
Rank (Only two alpha’s I pick, regular pack wolves, and the alpha’s pups and the alpha’s pups are not born yet.)
Appearance (3-4 sentences or a picture):
Personality (3-4 sentences):
Kin:
History (Not a must):
Other: