The closest remaining population of gray wolves to our area is in upper Michigan. They somewhat resemble a large German Shepherd dog but have much longer legs and very large feet. Their general coloration is a grizzled gray but there are many other color variations including white and black. A large male gray wolf may be as tall as 3 feet at the shoulder and weigh more than 100 pounds. Female gray wolves tend to be smaller than the males.
Gray wolves are powerful animals designed for chasing large prey.
Their jaws are very strong with teeth similar to other large meat-eating animals like the lion and tiger. Wolves also possess excellent senses of sight and hearing. Within the pack, there are very defined rankings of individual animals. The pack is led by a dominant male and female who do most of the breeding. Members of the pack communicate between each other by using a variety of sounds including howls, whines, yelps, and growls and also by the use of various facial expressions and body postures.