The Evolution of the Gray Wolf

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Gray Wolf

Evolution Specifics

The Gray Wolfs paws are extremely fleshy, making it easier to walk and catch prey in the snow

Name: Gray Wolf

Latin Name: Canis Lupus

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Average Height: 80-85 cm

Average Weight: 36-45 kg

Habitat: Canada, Northern Asia

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Canidae

Genus: Canis

Species: Canis Lupus

The Fur of a Gray Wolf acts as an insulator to keep in heat and keep out moisture

Evolution by Natural Selection

Charles Darwin posed the idea of evolution by natural selection. The theory behind this was that when there was a mutation, causing a variety in a population, the species that can survive in the environment longer will be selected to live longer and reproduce more fit offspring. For example, Giraffes have long necks because the food they need to survive is on higher trees, and Cheetahs are very fast because their prey got faster over time.

How Does Evolution Happen and Changes Over Time

A random mutation causes variation in a population, making some variations more able to survive than others. In the case of a Gray Wolf, this animal evolved from a small fox like creature with not many hunting features. However, a change in the genes of this creature made one variation fitter than the rest, enabling it to reproduce more. But Wolves didn't go from their origin straight to where they are today. Evolution takes place over millions of years, slowly changing species to become more fit. The Gray Wolf, for example, evolved into a longer and more lanky version of the fox, then, what looked like a muscular cat with short ears, and finally, into the skilled hunter we know today

Gray Wolves tend to prey on animals that are bigger than themselves, such as Elk, Deer, or Moose.

A Gray Wolfs sense of hearing is 100 times better than a humans. They use it to locate prey from a distance

Why?

Evolving for the Snow

Wolves evolved to have such advanced hunting traits because these random changes in the first wolves genes, made the more adapted variation, the most able to survive

Evolution

Wolves have adapted their traits such as their furry coat and fleshy paws, because when living in the snow, they need as much traction and heat to survive and eat prey, the paws come in handy when chasing down prey

Evolving to Hunt

As mentioned before, a mutation caused wolves with more advanced hunting features, such as longer/sharper teeth and great hearing, to become the most fit species. Because of this, they can prey on animals that are larger than themselves, and are able to go long periods of time without eating

What is Evolution?

Evolution is the change in the genes of biological populations over successive generations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity within a population.

The more evolved a species is, the more "fit" it is. Fitness is determined by which variety of a species can survive and reproduce the longest. If this happens, then the more evolved (fit) species will pass down their genes to offspring, making the beginnings of a new species. The way one can determine a new species is when a animal from the same population can no longer reproduce with the rest of the population. The theory of evolution states that all life on earth started from one organism, and a mutation in this organisms genes allowed it to reproduce and give birth to new life.

Did You Know?

• On an average day, a Gray Wolf will eat 20-30 pounds of meat in one meal.
• Gray Wolves have been known to go up to 14 days between meals with no sicknesses.

Miles Ahlgrim

Trevor Dobele

The Evolution of the Gray Wolf