The Gray Wolf Gray wolves once roamed the continent from as far north as the Arctic to as far south as Mexico. Today they occupy about one percent of their former range in the contiguous United States. More than 1,000 gray wolves live in northern Minnesota. Small populations live in Wisconsin and Michigan. Ten to 15 more live in Michigan's Isle Royal National park and about 30 in or near Montana's Glacier National Park.
Gray wolves are common, however, in Alaska and parts of Canada.
They can smell prey more than a mile away. Wolves run on their toes. This lengthens their legs and makes it possible for them to run faster and turn more quickly. There are probably fewer than 2,500 wolves in the whole United States today, outside of Alaska. Every dog in the world is descended from wolves that were tamed in the Middle East about 12,000 years ago.