Grey wolf
Scientific name: Canis lupus
- How weight is recorded: Whole weight
Field notes
Appearance
Grey wolves are large canids with long legs, broad skulls, and erect ears. Coat colour varies from pure white to black, with most individuals grey or greyish-brown; males typically larger and heavier-built than females.
Size and weight
Males 30–50 kg, 120–150 cm body length; females 25–40 kg, 110–140 cm body length.
Habitat
Grey wolves occupy diverse terrain including boreal forests, tundra, grasslands, and mixed deciduous-coniferous woodlands. They favour areas with low human density and access to ungulate populations, ranging from sea level to high alpine regions.
Distribution
Grey wolves inhabit the Northern Hemisphere across North America, Europe, and Asia, primarily in wilderness areas and boreal/subarctic zones. Populations concentrate in regions with intact ungulate herds and minimal human settlement.
Diet
Wolves hunt large ungulates (moose, elk, deer, caribou) as primary prey; also consume beaver, small mammals, and carrion depending on availability and season.
Behaviour
Wolves are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal hunters, though activity varies by prey behaviour and human pressure. They are highly social, living in packs with complex hierarchies and ranging over large territories (50–1,000+ km²); they travel 20–40 km daily.
Hunting tips
Search for scat (large, often containing hair and bone), fresh tracks in snow or soft ground, and kill sites stripped of hide and organs. Glass open terrain from high vantage points at dawn and dusk when wolves move; use terrain features to approach against the wind. Ambush near active kill sites or predictable travel corridors between denning and feeding areas; success requires patience and knowledge of local pack movement patterns.
Whole weight
This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.
Where it is hunted
Listed as huntable in 32 countries in Huntify.
Names in other languages
Current language: en
These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.