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→Description
==Description==
==Description==
The wolf stands about 3 feet at the shoulder, and is about 5 feet in length from nose to tail; its weight is between 70 and 120 pounds. Females are smaller than males, and wolves in higher latitudes are generally larger than those further south. The coat is bushy, generally grey in color, although some wolves have brown or red tinges; all-black or all-white wolves also appear in many packs.
Basically, the wolf resembles a large domestic dog, the body being longer compared to similarly constructed domestic dogs and the chest is higher, but narrower. Wolves are comparatively slim with long legs. The head is relatively large, with a broad forehead, a long muzzle, and short, upright ears pointing forward. The eyes set obliquely and are also oriented towards the front. The bushy tail has about a third of the head-trunk length.
The wolf stands about 3 feet at the shoulder, and is about 5 feet in length from nose to tail; its weight is between 70 and 120 pounds, with some specimens reaching 170 pounds. Females are slightly smaller than males, and wolves in higher latitudes are generally larger than those further south. The coat is bushy, generally grey in color, although some wolves have brown or red tinges. The abdomen, legs, and muzzle are usually much brighter. Northern populations show larger proportions of black and white animals. According to genetic investigations, the black fur color in wolves is based on a mutation which first appeared among domestic dogs and later penetrated the wolf population<ref>http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0262407908624021</ref>.
===Subspecies===
There have been as many as 37 declared subspecies of the gray wolf since Linnaeus published his classification system in 1758; they are still recognized as valid by many authorities<ref>http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=14000738</ref>. Mammalogists Ronald M. Nowak and Nick E. Federoff challenged this assertion and reduced the number considerably, basing their analysis on detailed skull comparisons<ref>Nowak, et al. pp. 187-203</ref>.
'''North America'''
*''Canis lupus arctos'', arctic wolf
*''Canis lupus baileyi'', Mexican wolf
*''Canis lupus lycaon'', eastern timber wolf
*''Canis lupus nubilus'', Great Plains wolf
*''Canis lupus occidentalis'', MacKenzie wolf
A paper published in 2000 suggested that the eastern timber wolf should be considered a distinct species (''Canis lycaon'')<ref>https://redwolves.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/26-Wilson-et-al.-2000.pdf</ref>; others consider it to be, along with the red wolf, a hybrid involving the coyote<ref>http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-wolf-species-20160727-snap-story-20160727-snap-story.html</ref><ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/28/science/red-eastern-gray-wolves.html?_r=0</ref>. A 2011 assessment by the US Fish and Wildlife service proposed only three North American wolf species: the gray wolf (''C. lupus'') the eastern wolf (''C. lycaon''), and the red wolf (''C. rufus'')<ref>https://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/archives/2011FinalDelisting/pdf/WolfTaxonomyByChambersEtAlSubmittedMS.pdf</ref>.
'''Eurasia'''
*''Canis lupus arabs'', Arabian wolf
*''Canis lupus campestris'', Steppe wolf
*''Canis lupus chanco'', Tibetan woolly wolf
*''Canis lupus dingo'', dingo
*''Canis lupus hattai'', Hokkaidō wolf (extinct)
*''Canis lupus hodophilax'', Japanese wolf (extinct)
*''Canis lupus italicus'', Italian wolf
*''Canis lupus lupaster'', African wolf
*''Canis lupus lupus'', Eurasian wolf
*''Canis lupus pallipes'', Indian wolf
*''Canis lupus signatus'', Iberian wolf
==Habitat==
==Habitat==