The dog's ancestor

The wolf

The wolf is the largest of ten species in the dog family. The males can weigh up to 50 kg, while the bitches weigh around 30-40 kg. The wolf's mane height is up to 90 cm. Wolves live in packs, often consisting of a parent pair (formerly often called the alpha pair) together with offspring of various ages. The wolf's territory is marked by urine but also by the too-typical wolf howl. The howling means that the herd can be heard several kilometers away and thus prevents unnecessary quarrels and confrontations.

The dog's ancestor

Vargen

Vargen är den största av tio arter i hundfamiljen. Hanarna kan väga upp till 50 kg, medan tikarna väger omkring 30-40 kg. Vargens mankhöjd är upp till 90 cm. Vargar lever i flock, ofta bestående av ett föräldrapar (tidigare ofta kallat alfaparet) tillsammans med avkommor i olika åldrar. Vargens revir markeras genom urin men även genom det för typiska vargen ylandet. Ylandet gör att flocken hörs på flera kilometers håll och på så sätt avvärjer onödiga bråk och konfrontationer. Läs mer >>

FACTS ABOUT THE WOLF

Latin name:Canis lupus

Order: Predator
Family: Canine animal
Weight: 30-50 kg
Food: Meat, elk, deer, smaller mammals, birds.

The wolf pack is helped

The wolf pack is helped to bring down large prey such as moose, especially in winter when the availability of smaller prey is limited. The older siblings in the wolf pack can also act as "babysitters" for smaller puppies.

The one-year-old puppies usually stay in the pack and help provide for the younger pack members. Some wolves stay with their parents their entire lives. Some of the one-year-olds and most of the two-year-old wolves, however, leave the pack at the edge of spring when the parental cycle runs. During the term, the parent pair becomes very aggressive towards the offspring, to avoid inbreeding and mating between related wolves.

The wolf pack's territory in Sweden has an area that varies between 600 and 1000 square kilometers. Moose and deer are the most common prey for the wolves in Central Sweden.

The wolf in Sweden

Man's "best friend", the dog, is descended from the wolf. Despite this, wolves have been hunted intensively in the country. In 1966 the wolf was declared protected in Sweden, but in recent years the population has slowly but surely increased. Today there are around 400 animals.

Most of the wolves in Sweden live in Dalarna and Värmland, but can also be found further south. The wolf cubs that leave the pack can wander very long distances in a short time and can appear inside cities or as far down as Halland, Blekinge or Skåne. They wander to find their own territory to settle down in, and their own partner to live with.