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  • Gray wolves, also called timber wolves, once thrived in North America and could be found in various places throughout the world. Today the population of gray wolves has been drastically reduced, creating discord in their delicately balanced food webs.

    Carnivores

    Carnivorous gray wolves, meaning they eat meat, consume a wide range of animals, from creatures as small as field mice to larger prey that require the combined effort of the wolf pack to bring down.

    Balance in the Food Web

    Gray wolves maintain balance in their own food webs by reducing the numbers of herbivores (plant-eating animals). Without gray wolves, the herbivore population grows unchecked, creating a food shortage for all the animals that rely on plants for sustenance.

    Wolf Population Threat

    Wolves were once perceived as a threat to humans because they would occasionally kill livestock or deer in their quest for food. Humans responded by slaughtering many wolf populations, driving them near the point of extinction.

    Significance

    Many Native American groups revere the gray wolf for its spiritual importance as well as its ecological relevance.

    Prevention/Solution

    Many nations have begun reintroducing wolves to their ecosystems. Now gray wolves can be found in Russia, Finland, Spain and even Rome.

    Source:

    The Wild Ones

    Conservation Science Institute

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services

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