Diet

The wolf eats almost exclusively meat. On average, it eats two to four kilograms of meat a day, if it is not starving. It hunts mainly ungulates (roe deer, wild boar, deer and elk calves and cows), beavers and voles, less often badgers, hares and foxes. They also attack domestic animals (mainly sheep, goats, calves, dogs), if there is a lack of natural food or if the domestic animals are in provocative conditions (unattended in woods, grazing at night). In food-insecure conditions, dead animals (carrion) are also eaten. Can spend several days without eating. Sometimes wolves eat apples, berries and cherries.

Habitat

Latvia is home to about half a thousand wolves, which are distributed throughout the country, but very unevenly (occurring mainly in the eastern and western regions). They inhabit a variety of habitats, most often forests and high marshes.

Important and interesting facts

The largest canid wild animal in Latvia.

The wolf is a pack animal. Lone wolves are very rare. Loners are usually old animals that have been driven out of the pack or young males looking for their own territory. A pack can contain 2-20 wolves. Each pack has its own territory, which can reach 200 km2. The wolf packs are constantly on the move to hunt. The grey wolf’s skeleton is built to run long and tirelessly. Wolves can run at 10 km/h for long periods of time and can reach speeds of 65 km/h for short distances. The wolf has very dense and fluffy winter fur, with a short undercoat and long, coarse guard hairs.

Wolf puppies are born with blue eyes, and over time their eye colour changes to light brown. In rare cases, the blue eye colour persists.

Some scientists claim that wolves have higher intelligence than dogs.

Only a rabid wolf can be dangerous to humans.

Information sources: latvijasdaba.lv, Wikipedia

Photo: redzet.eu