Fur – Wolves wear two coats of fur.  The coat that is visible and gives the wolf his coloration is the outer coat. Unlike most dogs, this outer fur is not soft to the touch. Rather, it is a coarse layer made up of hollow shafts called guard hairs, which act as insulators.  These hollow guard hairs keep the wolf dry by preventing rain and snow from penetrating the thick undercoat. The inner coat is soft and thick, providing the warmth they need in the winter.

           Gray wolves can be gray, reddish brown, black or white in color. Arctic wolves are typically white, perhaps giving them a camouflage advantage. Mexican gray wolves have a varied coat color including mixtures of black, gray, white, red, and brown.

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           Much like humans, wolves tend to lighten in coloration as they age. Here you

see gray wolf Anna at Wolf haven International in her first "adoption" photo, taken in

2012, next to the one taken seven years later, in 2019.  Still as elegant as ever.

 

A look into the mystery of the origin of the black wolf - their color is a result of a 

genetic mutation that causes them to produce excess melanin, a pigment responsible f

for coat color. This fascinating article in Next Nature looks into Stanford University

research that discovered that black wolves may have dogs to thank for their color. 

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Feet and Legs – It is said that to be a wolf, one must walk and walk and walk and..... wolves stay on the move especially from fall to early spring when they resume a more nomadic lifestyle. In search of prey, they average covering 30 miles in a day, traveling at 5mph. They can keep up this pace for hours at a time. When prey is scarce, they can travel even farther, as far as 100 miles in a day. When chasing prey, they can run up to 35/ 40 mph for short bursts. Their long strong legs give them the stamina and strength that they need.

                                               Wolves have large paws - 4"x5" - with webbing that extends half way between the toes. The webbing
                                               helps to give the advantage of acting as "snowshoes" and "swim fins".  In the winter, the "snowshoes"
                                               give wolves an advantage over their prey who easily sink into the snow. The wolf family will tend to
                                               walk single file through the snow with members taking turns breaking trail. Those "swim fins" give
                                               wolves a swimming advantage. They are powerful swimmers, capable of swimming eight miles. 

      

                                               Narrow and shoulders - 

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Tail - 

•                                        Scent glands – precaudal scent gland, between the toes, on the cheek, behind ears – indicate identity/mood/health. Scent plays a very important role in the life of the wolf, by smell alone wolves can locate prey, other pack members or enemies. It can tell them if other wolves were in the territory, if they were male or female, and how recently they visited.Narrow chest and shoulders – faster acceleration

• Tail – not curled up like a dog. Imp. to body language – how it’s held will show its emotion

• Nose - An animal who is downwind of wolf can tracked by its scent. In good weather conditions, a wolf can smell its prey from about 1.75 miles away. The wolves usually travel until they encounter the scent of some prey species ahead of them. They then move directly toward their prey in an effort to capture it.

 

Just by its a sense of smell, a wolf can find and identify other pack members. Scientists think the wolves may be able to tell the age and gender of the wolf by the scents. They can also avoid other predators or enemies by this detection system.