Eurasian wolf
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| Eurasian wolf | ||||||||||||
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Eurasian wolf ( Canis lupus lupus ) |
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| Canis lupus lupus | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The Eurasian wolf or European wolf ( Canis lupus lupus ) is a subspecies of the wolf ( Canis lupus ), which belongs to the family of dogs (Canidae).
features
The Eurasian wolf reaches a height at the withers of about 70 to 90 centimeters and a head-torso length of up to 140 centimeters. The weight is usually between 30 and 50 kilograms. Between males and females, there is a sexual dimorphism : males are usually larger and heavier than vixens . The fur of Eurasian wolves is yellowish-gray, gray-brown or dark gray in color. The underside of the muzzle and the throat are lighter, the backs of the ears appear slightly reddish. The back coloring shows in most cases a dark to black saddle spot. The tip of the tail and the front of the legs are also often darker in color . In contrast to wolf-like domestic dogs , wolves are longer-legged and have a straight back line, while in dogs it often slopes down towards the tail. The wolf's tail is bushy and straight. Wolves tend to have smaller ears that are also densely hairy on the inside.
Occurrence
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The Eurasian wolf is distributed over large parts of Eurasia . Its distribution area extends from Eastern Siberia over the European part of Russia to Scandinavia as well as over Eastern Europe ( Poland , Czech Republic , Slovakia ) and Southeast Europe ( Greece , Bulgaria , Romania ) to Central Europe , Southern Europe ( Italy , Spain ) and Western Europe ( France ). On the Arabian Peninsula there are populations of the Arabian wolf , which is now assigned to the Eurasian wolf. The Eurasian wolf inhabits different habitats, from forests to open grasslands. The size of its territories varies between 100 and 300 square kilometers (Central Europe) and 2500 square kilometers at higher latitudes.
Reproduction
Eurasian wolves become sexually mature at around two years of age. The mating season is from late winter to March; the gestation period lasts about nine weeks. A litter usually consists of four to six puppies that are raised by the entire pack. After one to three years, the young animals leave their pack, settle near their old pack or migrate away.
nutrition
As large carnivores, Eurasian wolves mainly prey on ungulates such as roe deer , red deer and wild boar , and in some regions also moose and bison . Primarily older, sick or young animals that are easier to overpower are captured. Farm animals such as sheep and goats are also prey.
Repopulation
Germany
The Eurasian wolf has also returned to Germany at the end of the 20th century. Coming from Poland, wolves first spread in Saxony and southern Brandenburg . They then reached Lower Saxony via Saxony-Anhalt . In addition, few wolf packs live in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . In 2000, after well over a century, the first wolf pups were born in Germany again. In April 2016, it was assumed that there were around 40 wolf pairs or packs.
Austria
In the mid to late 1990s, some wolves immigrated to Austria from neighboring countries; In 2009, six to eight individuals were identified by a DNA analysis .
Switzerland
Since 1995 wolves have been migrating to Switzerland from Italy and France. Today's estimates assume a wolf population of 50 to 60 animals.
literature
- Patrick Masius, Jana Sprenger: The story of the bad wolf - persecution, extermination and return. In: Nature and Landscape . Vol. 87, No. 1, 2012, pp. 11-16, abstract .
- Ilka Reinhardt, Gesa Kluth : Living with wolves. Guidelines for dealing with a conflict-prone species in Germany ( BfN- Skripten . 201, ZDB -ID 1476341-2 ). Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Bonn 2007, digital version (PDF; 3.3 MB ).
- Erik Zimen : The wolf. Behavior, Ecology and Myth. The legacy of the famous wolf researcher. New edition. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09742-0 .
- Shaun Ellis, Monty Sloan (Photos): The Wolf - Wild and Fascinating. Parragon Books Ltd, 2012, ISBN 978-1-4454-8426-6 .
- Committee for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety: Report by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety on the way of life, status and management of the wolf (Canis lupus) in Germany . for the technical discussion on November 4, 2015. Ed .: German Bundestag. Reject printed matter 18 (16) 313. Berlin October 28, 2015 ( digitized version (PDF) ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Species profile: The wolf. In: nabu.de. Naturschutzbund Deutschland , accessed on August 11, 2020 .
- ↑ Map: Wolf distribution and population in Europe (as of 2016). (pdf) (No longer available online.) In: chwolf.org. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019 ; accessed on August 11, 2020 .
- ↑ Wolves - The European wolf (Canis lupus lupus). In: freundeskreiswoelfe.de. Retrieved August 11, 2020 .
- ↑ Wolves in Germany The most important facts at a glance. In: nabu.de. Naturschutzbund Deutschland , accessed on August 11, 2020 .
- ↑ The natural return of wolves to Switzerland. In: chwolf.org. Retrieved on August 11, 2020 (as of July 2019).