Wolves appear lankier and less robust in summer due to a much thinner coat. Patterns of color in facial hair accentuate expressive features. The mane hair, along with hair on the base of tail, is generally darker than the rest of the body. Wolves can raise and lower the mane depending on their state of aggression. The longest hair on their coats (up to 6.7 inches (16.75 cm)) is found in the mane.
The wolves in northwestern Montana are predominantly gray or black. In the subarctic and boreal forest regions black and gray are common, while in the arctic, white and light-colored waives predominate. The color of the coat ranges from white to black shades of brown and gray. In contrast, the world’s big wild cats are typically walk, or sit-and-wait predators capable of short, speedy and athletic sprints to prey, but can’t keep up with the all-day pace of a cursorial hunter like the gray wolf.Ī wolf’s coat consists of a dense layer of soft, fine fur topped by long guard hairs, which give the coat its color. In general, most wild canids are cursorial hunters. They can run and fast-trot all day in their pursuit of food. All of these adaptations lead to maximize fast, almost continuous locomotion and supports their endurance-running or cursorial hunting strategy. Their legs are moderately long compared to the legs of other canids such as coyotes and foxes. Their legs seem pressed into their chests with elbows that are turned inward and paws that are turned slightly outward. Unlike most domestic dogs, wolves’ chests are narrow and keel-like, and their limbs and feet are just about directly under the center of their body. The largest breeds of domestic dogs are reported to weigh more than 180 pounds (91 kg). Despite their large stature, gray wolves and other wild canids are typically very lean animals and carry very little body fat, Biologists who have handled and weighed more than 250 wolves over the last 25 years throughout Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon report that few wolves weigh more than 120 pounds (54 kg) and the largest wolf they handled was a male who weighed 144 pounds (65 kg). A wolf’s tail is long and bushy and usually carried down or straight out, but never curled. Gray wolves in the western US usually weigh between 60 to 120 pounds (27-54 kg) with adult males taking up the higher end of the spectrum. They stand 27 to 33 inches (68-84 cm) in height at the shoulders and measure 60 to 72 inches (152-183 cm) in length. Photo: John and Karen Hollingsworth, USFWS
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