Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

Weight:80 lbs

Length:5-6.5 ft

Life Span:13 yrs

Pup Mortality: 40-60%

Top Speed:45 mph

Status:The power and stealth of the wolf has been awed by the Native Americans and Eskimos, feared by the European settlers. When the Europeans came to America, the parents often told their children that if they were not good than the big, bad wolf would come and get them. Those stories carried onto future generations, and wolves were killed whenever possible. Today wolves are just starting to make a comeback in the United States due to wonderful reintroduction programs. Yellowstone National Park has been reintroducing wolves since 1994. By 2002 the wolf will be living on its own and will no longer be considered a threatened species. Most of the wolf populations today are in the very remote areas of the earth like most of Canada and Alaska, and small isolated sections of the lower 48 states of the US and in eastern Europe.