Wolves are intelligent, sociable animals that rarely approach humans knowingly. Indeed, they are the ancestors of our most faithful domestic companion. Formerly the Wolf was the most widespread mammal outside the tropics other than man. However, now it is concentrated in only a small number of large forests in Eastern Europe, a couple of isolated mountain areas in the Mediterranean, mountain and semi-desert regions of the Middle East, and 'wilderness' areas of Asia and North America. Formerly the Wolf was the most widespread mammal outside the tropics other than man.
Wolves vary vastly in their appearance.
In the Arctic they tend to be almost pure white and of slender build, whereas in more southerly areas they are larger and generally dark. On average males are slightly larger than females, with body length including tail measuring up to two metres or more. The Wolf moults annually - after the cold winter it sheds its long fur so that it is short for the summer months. The fur grows long again the following winter so that the Wolf can withstand very low temperatures. Individual copyright may apply to certain content and images within wildchannel.