Wolf

Despite their reputation, these beautiful animal avoid humans in their quest for survival

What you need to know about the Wolf

Our Expert Says… "A sighting of a tundra wolf is unlikely - one of the reasons for their success has been their ability to avoid encounters with humans! However, in north east Greenland it's more likely that you will see their tracks or other evidence of their presence as they hunt the musk ox."

The wolf has been much-maligned for most of human history, despite its tamed ancestors becoming the domestic dog. In reality, wolf attacks on humans are exceedingly rare, and those that have happened have been confined to animals that have been infected with rabies.

In reality, wolves live far enough from most human populations that regular interactions with humans are rare, and they have learned to fear us after generations of hunting and persecution by shepherds and farmers.

There are over 30 sub-species of wolves living in Europe, Eurasia, and North America. In Eurasia, the Tundra Wolf sub-species is most likely to be encountered in the Arctic circle. In North America and Greenland, the Arctic wolf sub-species is the most likely.

Wolves are highly social, with a pack structure. Any lone adults are usually temporarily in this state as they move to join another pack or to start their own. Despite the commonly-held belief that wolf packs are highly efficient collaborative hunters, research has shown that single wolves or pairs have much more success at hunting than large packs. Packs may have an advantage when it comes to taking down larger prey, although single wolves have been witnessed successfully taking moose and bison on their own.

There are thought to be approximately 300,000 wild wolves remaining, and the majority of populations are now stable. Canada and northern Russia are hosts to significant populations thanks to their remoteness and availability of appropriate habitat.

Wolf: Pictures & Videos

Spots where the Wolf can be observed

Bellot Strait

Narrow strait separating Somerset Island to the north from Murchison Promontory of Boothia Peninsula to the south, the northernmost part of mainland America.

The 2km (1.2 mi) wide and 25 km (16 mi) strait connects the Gulf of Boothia, Prince Regent Inlet, and Brentford Bay to the east with Peel Sound and Franklin Strait to the west. It became a strait on ‘one’ of the NW passage routes. On a map of the Canadian Arctic, unless you look in detail, it is easy to assume the Boothia Peninsula and Somerset Island is one peninsula. In many ways, with Bellot Strait locked in ice much of the year, it is like the peninsula. Since it is so narrow, it can be a place to look for Narwhal, and, along the shore, Polar Bear, or even wolf.

Croker Bay

One of the deeper inlets into Devon Island, on the southeast side, but further west from Dundas Harbour. Great ship cruising with icebergs and the flat-topped mountain geology of this part of Devon Island.

Etah

At the very northern end of Baffin Bay and the very northwest of Greenland, Etah looks across the Nares Strait to Ellesmere Island, the area usually frozen from October to July.

The area was the crossing point to Greenland for cultures 4,400 and 2,700 years ago, the Thule culture migrants less than a thousand years ago, and the point of the last migration of the Inuit from Baffin Island reached the coast of Greenland in 1865 Etah was also a starting point for various expeditions attempting to get to the North Pole.

Today the channel, when frozen, continues to be a crossing point for wildlife from Canada to Greenland, even Wolverine get across. Etah used to be the most-northerly populated settlement in the world, but it was abandoned (Inuit moving south to Pituffik) due to the harsh conditions.