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Researched by Marshal N.
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Research Summary
Wolves became endangered from the actions of humans. They need human help to come back. Humans hunted, trapped, poisoned, and even burned them alive. Ranchers hated them for sometimes killing livestock. Also hunters were afraid they were going to take most of the deer and wild game. So they intentionally killed them. They got driven from Yellowstone but today they’re coming back.
There were some very important people who helped wolves. Eldo Leopold was a naturalist who was the first to think wolves aren’t bad. David Mech did most of the land research.
There are many different types of wolves. Grey wolves are the biggest of them all. There are also maned wolves, Mexican wolves, and the red wolf. Dogs came from wolves. About 10,000 years ago humans domesticated something like a wolf and created what is now known as the dog. In the dog family there is the wolf, coyote, jackal, foxes, and the domesticated dogs.
Wolves have different body parts to help them live. For example their teeth help them hunt. Their canine teeth bite into prey (the animal that is hunted) and hold onto big ones like buffalo. Incisors pick the meat off the bones. The carnassials cut up the meat from the animal.
Another important part of their body is the legs, which are long and have sharp claws so they can dig into the ground and run fast to get prey. They also have very good hearing to tell if prey is near or if something is coming to attack them. They don’t have really good eyesight so it’s good that they have good hearing. Their fur can get 2 inches long! In the winter and in the rain they will stay very warm. They also have a very good sense of smell to sniff out food.
Wolves will eat many things, like rodents, fruit, and roots. When they are in big groups they go after prey like bison, elk, and deer, even moose.
Many organizations help wolves, so they won’t become extinct.
These include Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and Wolf Haven.
Another is National Wildlife Federation. They teach many around the
world about wolves. They also pay ranchers for cattle that were killed
by wolves. If wolves are removed from the endangered list they might
be hunted again. There was a project to capture some Red wolves,
which were close to extinction. They put them in captivity
until they reproduced (had many pups) enough to be released. Some
are still in captivity so there are even more. People are mostly
releasing them in Yellowstone National Park.
Wolves can live in grasslands, forests, and swamps. Wolves have
quite a few different homes. They live in small areas of Idaho, Minnesota,
Europe, and Asia. Grey wolves are mostly found in Alaska.
They are settling many wolves from Canada into Yellowstone National Park.
There is a certain way to tell a dog from a wolf. Wolves
have a straight tail. If you can find any kind of curve in the tail,
it’s a dog.
There are 4 main reasons why animals are endangered: 1.
destruction of habitat, 2. wildlife trade, 3. over hunting, and 4. competition
with domestic and nonnative animals. Wolves are endangered mostly
because of Destruction of habitat. When people come to cut down trees
they are destroying their habitat. Also when farmers clear land and
industries build new factories it destroys wolf habitat. They are
also over hunted because farmers are afraid wolves will kill too much of
their livestock, and hunters are killing them because they don’t want wolves
to take all the game. Last wolves have a little competition with
domestic and nonnative animals. Wolves don’t get enough food. Why
they attack livestock is because when farmers come they clear the area
and take out what wolves normally eat.
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