Wolf?

Is this a wolf?

Questioner

In my questioneer I asked if anyone had ever seen a wolf. Considering only 5 students have been to yellow stone and 8 students said that they had infact seen a wolf, also considering that all students grosly underestimated the sizes of wolves I concluded that most students must have seen a coyote and thought it was a wolf.

Wolf

This is a wolf.

This is an image to show how big a wolf is

Size comparison of a wolf to a coyote.

How big are wolves?

In my questioneer I asked how big are wolves, most people guessed in the 50-80lbs range in reality the average wolf weighs around 180lbs. this picture is included to show the size of wolves.

Wolfe reintroduction

14 wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone in 1995. Wolves were reintroduced to reduce elk and bison populations, that were over grazing their habitats. It was the intent of USFWS to reduce elk and bison populations with wild wolves. It was also agreed upon that when the population of wolves exceeded 300 animals, that the states would take over wolf managment and huntng would be allowed.

Wolf population goals/estimates

It was the original intent of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to have at least 300 wolves and at least 30 breeding pairs in and around Yellowstone, before hunting was to be allowed. The current wolf population is estimated at 1,700 animals with at least 111, breeding pairs.

Yellowstone National Park Boundries

A map of Yellowstone National Park.

Wolfe population and distribution.

Wolves have expanded their populations far outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Wolves hunt and kill calf elk.

Wolves are notorius for hunting and killing calf elk. Wolves target calf elk during and after the birthing process. A calf elk or a birthing cow is an easy target for wolves.

Wolf predation on calf elk

This graph shows the effects of wolf predation on calf elk in the Bitterroot mountains in Idaho.