Since 1982 a second pack has been established on the refuge and adjoining state wildlife management areas. Although secretive, wolves may be observed throughtout the year. Gray wolves are divided into five subspecies in North America. Wolves in Minnesota are considered to be the Great Plains Wolf subspecies. Adult wolves stand 30 inched high at the shoulder and weigh from 60 to 120 pounds.
Color varies from almost white in the arctic to nearly black, with gray being most common.
The number of wolves in a pack ranges from 6 to 12 animals. The pack is composed of a dominant breeding pair of adults, which mate for life, and offspring from previous years. Four to seven pups are born in late April. A wolf pack's territory varies from 50 to 150 square miles depending on food availablity. Gray wolves were originally the most widely distributed land mammal in the world, living on all four northern hemispheric continents.