A wolf is one of the most controversial and special wild animals in the Rocky Mountains.  Here are 7 facts about these common mammals of the Rockies that can be seen in Yellowstone NP.

There are a lot of wild animals in the Rockies that are majestic and cool to watch.  Some, like moose are commonly seen, but others are seldom seen.  I’ve seen most of animals in the Rockies at one point or another.  I can’t recall the first time I saw some of the common ones, but others are rare and left a lasting impression on me.  For example, I remember stumbling across a moose on the trail or spotting a cougar on the side of a mountain from the safety of our car.  One animal that still eludes me and I hope to see one day is the wolf.

7 Wolf Facts

Wolves are large mammals, about 3 – 5 feet long and weigh from 40 pounds all the way up to 175 pounds!  In fact, these are the largest members of the dog or canine family.

They look similar to coyotes, but there are a few differences.  First, wolves are larger than coyotes.  Secondly, they have a thicker, wider muzzle than coyotes. Finally, when they are running they hold their tail up high while coyotes keep their tail down.  Something else you may notice is that wolves are wary of humans whileas coyotes are not quite as wary.  Wolves have been hunted and over time have learned to fear people, thus making it hard to see one.

These animals are carnivores.  They live and hunt in packs and will chase down a deer, moose, or domestic cattle and sheep.  When they make a kill they are able to eat a lot of food at one time.  It may be hard to believe, but one animal may eat up to 20 pounds of meat at one time!  Talk about getting your fill.

The fact that they sometimes kill cattle and sheep is what led to their demise in the west for a long time.  Ranchers would hunt or kill them to protect their herds.  Gray wolves were driven out of the lower 48 US States and almost went extinct.  Over time and many years later, wolves were reintroduced to areas of Yellowstone National Park.  Now, there are wild wolf packs in the Rocky Mountains of the US again. The wolf is an iconic animal and has been the center of debates about whether or not they should be protected or hunted and exterminated for many years.

These animals need a huge amount of area to roam and wander.  One wolf was seen in Idaho and then later in Banff National Park up in the Canadian Rockies.  This makes it hard for them to live because people have built roads, and cities fragmenting their habitat, and making it difficult for them to travel far distances.

A wolf pack on the snow.

As I said before, wolves live in packs of 6 to 15 animals.  The pack has a very clear cut hierarchy with a dominant male and female (the alphas).  In many packs the only animals that breed are the alpha male and female.  The rest of the pack is comprised of some of their offspring, which will be juvenile or young adults.  The young adults may leave off and attempt to start their own pack at some point.

A wolf is a very social animal.  They live in their pack and do just about everything with their family or pack.  One of the main reasons that they live in packs is that it helps them to survive.  With the pack they are able to hunt together and kill prey that is larger than them, such as elk or moose.