Wolf

The **Wolf** (*Canis lupus*), also known as the **gray wolf** or **grey wolf**, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of *Canis lupus* have been recognized, and gray wolves, as colloquially understood, comprise non-domestic/feral subspecies. The wolf is the largest extant member of the family Canidae. It is also distinguished from other *Canis* species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, as well as a shorter torso and a longer tail. The wolf is nonetheless related closely enough to smaller *Canis* species, such as the coyote and the golden jackal, to produce fertile hybrids with them. The banded fur of a wolf is usually mottled white, brown, gray, and black, although subspecies in the arctic region may be nearly all white.

Of all members of the genus *Canis*, the wolf is most specialized for cooperative game hunting as demonstrated by its physical adaptations to tackling large prey, its more social nature, and its highly advanced expressive behaviour. It travels in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair accompanied by their offspring. Offspring may leave to form their own packs on the onset of sexual maturity and in response to competition for food within the pack. Wolves are also territorial and fights over territory are among the principal causes of wolf mortality. The wolf is mainly a carnivore and feeds on large wild hooved mammals as well as smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage. Single wolves or mated pairs typically have higher success rates in hunting than do large packs. Pathogens and parasites, notably rabies virus, may infect wolves.

The global wild wolf population was estimated to be 300,000 in 2003 and is considered to be of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Wolves have a long history of interactions with humans, having been despised and hunted in most pastoral communities because of their attacks on livestock, while conversely being respected in some agrarian and hunter-gatherer societies. The wolf is also considered the ancestor of the domestic dog. Although the fear of wolves exists in many human societies, the majority of recorded attacks on people have been attributed to animals suffering from rabies. Wolf attacks on humans are rare because wolves are relatively few, live away from people, and have developed a fear of humans because of their experiences with hunters, ranchers, and shepherds.

## Etymology

*Main article: Wolf (Name)*
The English "wolf" stems from the Old English ''wulf'', which is itself thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic \*''wulfaz''. The Proto-Indo-European root \*''wĺ̥kʷos'' may also be the source of the Latin word for the animal ''lupus'' (\*''lúkʷos''). The name "gray wolf" refers to the grayish colour of the species.

Since pre-Christian times, Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons took on *wulf* as a prefix or suffix in their names. Examples include Wulfhere ("Wolf Army"), Cynewulf ("Royal Wolf"), Cēnwulf ("Bold Wolf"), Wulfheard ("Wolf-hard"), Earnwulf ("Eagle Wolf"), Wulfstān ("Wolf Stone") Æðelwulf ("Noble Wolf"), Wolfhroc ("Wolf-Frock"), Wolfhetan ("Wolf Hide"), Isangrim ("Gray Mask"), Scrutolf ("Garb Wolf"), Wolfgang ("Wolf Gait") and Wolfdregil ("Wolf Runner").

## Taxonomy

In 1758, the Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus published in his *Systema Naturae* the binomial nomenclature. *Canis* is the Latin word meaning "dog", and under this genus he listed the doglike carnivores including domestic dogs, wolves, and jackals. He classified the domestic dog as *Canis familiaris*, and the wolf as *Canis lupus*. Linnaeus considered the dog to be a separate species from the wolf because of its "cauda recurvata" (upturning tail) which is not found in any other canid.

### Subspecies

*Main article: Subspecies of Canis lupus*
In the third edition of *Mammal Species of the World* published in 2005, the mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft listed under *C. lupus* 36 wild subspecies, and proposed two additional subspecies: *familiaris* (Linnaeus, 1758) and *dingo* (Meyer, 1793). Wozencraft included *hallstromi*—the New Guinea singing dog—as a taxonomic synonym for the dingo. Wozencraft referred to a 1999 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) study as one of the guides in forming his decision, and listed the 38 subspecies of *C. lupus* under the biological common name of "wolf", the nominate subspecies being the Eurasian wolf (*C. l. lupus*) based on the type specimen that Linnaeus studied in Sweden. Studies using paleogenomic techniques reveal that the modern wolf and the dog are sister taxa, as modern wolves are not closely related to the population of wolves that was first domesticated. In 2019, a workshop hosted by the IUCN/Species Survival Commission's Canid Specialist Group considered the New Guinea singing dog and the dingo to be feral *Canis familiaris*, and therefore should not be assessed for the IUCN Red List.