Editing Wolf (section)

{{Short description|Species of canine}}
{{Redirect2|Grey Wolf|Gray Wolf|other uses|Grey Wolf (disambiguation)|and|Wolf (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=December 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Wolf
| fossil_range = {{longitem|style=line-height:1.25em|{{nowrap|[[Middle Pleistocene]] – present}} {{nowrap|(400,000–0 [[Before Present|YBP]])}}}}
| image = Eurasian wolf 2.jpg
| image_caption = {{longitem|[[Eurasian wolf]] (''Canis lupus lupus'') at [[Polar Park (animal park)|Polar Park]] in Bardu, Norway}}
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 2 June 2024">{{cite iucn |author=Boitani, L. |author2=Phillips, M. |author3=Jhala, Y. |name-list-style=amp |year=2023 |title=''Canis lupus'' |amends=2018 |page=e.T3746A247624660 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T3746A247624660.en |access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>{{efn|Populations of Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan are included in Appendix I. Excludes domesticated form and dingo, which are referenced as ''Canus lupus familiaris'' and ''Canus lupus dingo''.}}
| taxon = Canis lupus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]<ref name=Linnaeus1758/>
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = {{small|See [[subspecies of Canis lupus|Subspecies of ''Canis lupus'']]}}
| range_map = Canis lupus distribution (IUCN).png
| range_map_caption = Global wolf range based on IUCN's 2023 assessment.<ref name="iucn status 2 June 2024" />
}}

The '''wolf''' ('''''Canis lupus''''';{{efn|Domestic and feral [[dog]]s are included in the [[phylogenetic]] but not colloquial definition of 'wolf', and are thus not in the scope of this article.}} {{plural form}}: '''wolves'''),<!--This article uses "wolf" rather than "grey wolf" or "gray wolf" throughout; see the discussion at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wolf/Archive_6#Requested_move_2_August_2018--> also known as the '''grey wolf''' or '''gray wolf''', is a [[Canis|canine]] native to [[Eurasia]] and [[North America]]. More than thirty [[subspecies of Canis lupus|subspecies of ''Canis lupus'']] have been recognized, including the [[dog]] and [[dingo]], though grey wolves, as popularly understood, only comprise [[Wild type|naturally-occurring wild]] subspecies. The wolf is the largest wild [[Neontology|extant]] member of the family [[Canidae]], and is further distinguished from other ''[[Canis]]'' species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, as well as a shorter torso and a longer tail. The wolf is nonetheless related closely enough to smaller ''Canis'' species, such as the [[coyote]] and the [[golden jackal]], to produce fertile [[Canid hybrid|hybrids]] with them. The wolf's fur is usually mottled white, brown, grey, and black, although subspecies in the arctic region may be nearly all white.

Of all members of the [[genus]] ''Canis'', the wolf is most [[Generalist and specialist species|specialized]] for [[Pack hunter|cooperative]] [[Hunting behavior of gray wolves|game hunting]] as demonstrated by its physical adaptations to tackling large prey, its more [[Sociality|social nature]], and its highly advanced [[Wolf communication|expressive behaviour]], including individual or group [[howling]]. It travels in [[Nuclear family|nuclear families]] consisting of a [[mated pair]] accompanied by their offspring. Offspring may leave to form their own [[Pack (canine)|pack]]s on the onset of sexual maturity and in response to competition for food within the pack. Wolves are also [[Territory (animal)|territorial]], and fights over territory are among the principal causes of mortality. The wolf is mainly a [[carnivore]] and feeds on large wild [[hooved mammal]]s as well as smaller animals, livestock, [[carrion]], and garbage. Single wolves or mated pairs typically have higher success rates in hunting than do large packs. [[Pathogen]]s and parasites, notably the [[rabies|rabies virus]], may infect wolves.

The global wild wolf population was estimated to be 300,000 in 2003 and is considered to be of [[Least-concern species|Least Concern]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN). Wolves have a long history of interactions with humans, having been despised and hunted in most [[Pastoralism|pastoral]] communities because of their attacks on livestock, while conversely being respected in some [[Agrarian society|agrarian]] and [[hunter-gatherer]] societies. Although the fear of wolves exists in many human societies, the majority of recorded attacks on people have been attributed to animals suffering from [[rabies]]. [[Wolf attack]]s on humans are rare because wolves are relatively few, live away from people, and have developed a fear of humans because of their experiences with hunters, farmers, ranchers, and shepherds.