With gray wolves, it's all about family. These creatures usually live with 20 or so of their relatives, all of which look out for each other. Working together while on the hunt, gray wolves can bring down huge prey, such as moose; that big a kill will easily feed the entire pack for days. These wolves even share food when a family member is sick, injured or simply too old to hunt.
Pressure Points: The gray wolf looks like a big dog, but it is much more powerful than any pet. This beast tears prey apart with jaws that can bite down with up to 550 pounds of force per square inch.
Good Senses: This animal's keen senses make it a successful hunter. The gray wolf's sense of smell is 100 times better than a human's. This creature also has great hearing; it can pick up the howls of its family from up to 10 miles away.
Leader of the Pack[]
Gray wolves hunt in packs and use teamwork to tackle large prey.
Gray wolves have a rigid social structure and are led by the strongest member of their pack, known as the alpha male. This male leads the other wolves on hunts. Pack members go on the prowl to find potential prey. They can sniff out a victim from miles away; they then alert the other wolves by howling. The wolves get together and chase after their target and wear it down. Then the wolves attack, surrounding the victim and killing it with crushing bites. The alpha male is first to eat and dines on the best meat.
Pack Life: Though rivals often fight each other, life in a wolf pack is about surviving and helping others. Members of a pack will bring food to pups and old or injured wolves that can't hunt for themselves.
Love the Yukon: The gray wolf can survive in nearly any habitat, but its favorite hunting grounds are isolated lands in the north. This predator's wide paws help it run on snow without sinking.
The Dominator[]
- A young wolf wants to raise its standing in the pack, so it challenges an older male, baring its fierce canine teeth.
- The wolves growl, snap their jaws and ram their snouts into each others' sides. After a few rounds, the young wolf knows it's beaten, so it lays down.
- The young wolf submits to its elder by rolling onto its back and exposing its belly. In a few months, the young wolf might challenge again.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The Gray Wolf is listed on two trading card checklists, but only has one trading card.
- The illustrations for "The Dominator" are used in the Wildlife Explorer series; here, they're labeled "Leader of the Pack" and feature a panel between the first and second panels which has the two wolves aggressively circling each other.
- The gray wolf is mentioned on several other cards:
- It's looks are compared to that of its ancestor, the Dire Wolf, on the prehistoric wolf's knowledge card.
- A small group of gray wolves are shown following a group of Ravens to a moose corpse on the bird's knowledge card.
- The gray wolf (and wolves in general) are referenced on the Coyote's knowledge card, comparing the wolf's pack hunting method to the coyote's more solitary hunting methods.
- The gray wolf is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in From The Shadows on Monster Mania 43.
- It is then featured in Super-Senses on Monster Mania 45.
- It's trading card is featured in the explanation for Battle of the Monsters Trading Card Game 6 on Monster Mania 54.
- It is later featured on the Monster Recharge board for Nightmares of Nature on Monster Mania 84.