Ever wonder how big wolves are and why running from them is a really bad idea?
This had me so fucked up the first time I worked at the zoo. Because honestly they just look like big German-Huskies when they’re not wild. They look like big puppies. And then… they get close to you… And it’s suddenly kinda fucking terrifying. Like “oh this is the animal that used to scare people shitless.” “This is the animal that used to run through nightmares and poems so much.” And you suddenly fucking get it. As cool as these animals are far away, as important as the animals are in their natural environment, as much as we need them to survive… they’re still pretty fucking terrifying
Fun fact: these are not wolves, but wolf/dog crosses! You can tell by the shape of its overall head, its ears and its muzzle. What should also raise your suspicion is the darker dog behing them, who has a curled tail and white socks – two things pure wolves never have – plus an odd, too blunt/broad body build for a wolf.
The size when it’s standing up however is accurate. Of course a thick winter coat can be a bit misleading, but wolves indeed are huuuge. Here, here and hereare some posts I made comparing pure wolves to adult humans, and a labrador.
If you find yourself in the rare situation of a wild wolf acting agressive/unafraid towards you, running (or turning your back on them) is actually the worst thing you can do. Instead, stand your ground, make yourself as big and tall as possible and make as
much noise as you can – scream, turn up loud music on your phone,
anything. Throw stuff at them if possible. If they don’t go away, back
away slowly, whilst keeping on facing them. Read some more tips and info here!
So that made it sound all very scary/dramatic. But over time, wolves learned to see us as dangerous, so wild wolves are
extremely shy towards humans and typically will avoid us at all costs. And yes, socialized wolves basically are big puppies, lmao
I love wolf bloggers so much
Not all wolves are actually this big – I think these are grey wolves. Other species, like arctic wolves, are actually smaller than you’d expect.
The advice about how to keep safe is pretty sound. Don’t run from an animal that can easily outrun you, ever. Especially not pack hunters who have a prey drive. It actually takes a moving target to trigger the hunting action pattern, which surprise surprise starts with the chase.
However, socialized wolves are not totally ‘giant puppies’. They’re still wild animals, and that bit of anthropomorphism is dangerous to humans, wolves, wolfy-looking dogs, and wolf-hybrids alike. Hybrids are still very wolf – high prey drive, destructive, and not entirely tame. Wolves are even more so. Most do socialize well to people in captivity, especially if they’re hand-raised, but they’re very far from being basically just dogs.
That being said, proto-wolves appear to have been social (enough) and not scary (enough) to lead to the domestication of the ancestors of our current dogs. And it was a dual set of evolution – proto-wolves evolved to be around us, and we evolved to be around them. It wasn’t a choice that humans made or proto-wolves made, but it worked out great for everyone.
Yes, there’s definitely a significant size difference even between different subspecies of the Gray wolf (Canis lupus). The size difference is even bigger between different wolf species, like the small Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) versus Gray wolves (Canis lupus).
Wolves increase exponentially in size the further they are from the equator. Wolves of the tropics are often no larger than medium sized dogs, but those of the far north (Alaska, Canada, and Russia) can be in excess of 120 pounds.
Also kudo’s for @why-animals-do-the-thing for pointing out that incorrect anthropomorphism, I should have elaborated on what I meant with “big puppies” instead of leaving it there looking like I literally meant that, thanks!
