Long Legs Of The Maned Wolf example essay topic

745 words
The world has several different types of wolves; however, the Gray Wolf, Maned Wolf, and the Artic Wolf are three beautiful breeds that differ in appearance, diet, and location, but each is endangered and misunderstood. The following description of their appearance, diet and location will inform you of there similarities as well as there differences. Gray Wolves are one of the largest in the wolf family. They stand two to three feet tall their bodies are four and a half to six and a half feet long and they weigh approximately sixty to one hundred and fifteen pounds. Gray wolves run about thirty five miles per hour and can jump twelve feet in the air. These carnivores eat anything from field mice to huge caribou.

In the United States, Gray Wolf are found in Alaska, Northern Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. They are also found in Canada, Europe, The Middle East, and Asia. The Artic Wolves can tolerate years of sub-zero temperature due to a thick white fur coat that changes in the winter. In the winter their fur also grows on the Arctic wolves legs to keep them warm. And although the Gray wolf is considered to be one of the largest wolves, the Arctic wolf is approximately the same stature and length but can weigh up to one hundred and seventy five pounds. One of the other features that distinguish these wolves from other races of the gray wolf is their slightly shorter noses and ears.

Arctic wolf prey on Lemmings and arctic hare, but their most substantial source of food is the musk oxen and caribou. The Arctic wolf lives in the area along the northern edge of the North American continent and northward to the North Pole along the eastern and northern shores of Greenland, and some white wolves can be found as far south as Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta, Canada. At least one white wolf has been seen as far south as northern Minnesota. The Maned Wolf is not considered to be a true wolf. The Maned wolf appears as a cross among different species: the head and coloring of a wolf, the large ears of an African hunting dog, and the body of a hyena.

Some think the wolf looks like a mix between a wolf and a fox. What do you think? Maned wolves are about three feet tall, weigh about fifty pounds, and their bodies are covered with golden-red fur with black legs and black mane. The long legs of the maned wolf allow it to see better in the tall grasses of its natural habitat. The Maned wolves are nocturnal. They hunt at night, and their diet consists of both plants and animals.

They prefer small rodents, chickens and a tomato-like fruit called; Lo beira. Maned wolves live in South American grasslands and the scrub forest of Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia and southeastern Peru. One thing that all wolves have in common is the way they communicate; howling. Howling may be a wolf's message to pack members of its whereabouts. A howl may summon pack members to a nightly hunt or adults may howl to find a lost pup. It may also be that wolves simply enjoy howling, alone or in groups.

People who have observed group howls say that the howling is an obvious pleasure to hear, and the wolf's voices in harmony is a marvelous sound. Pack or group howling is not a haphazard affair. It is started by one wolf, not necessarily the pack leader. Each wolf joins into the pack howl at a different pitch, possibly by design, but probably only because each has a different voice range. With all of these unique and common characteristics wolves are still considered endangered. There are many reasons that wolves are endangered.

Most people used to be afraid of wolves and thought they were dangerous, even evil. In contrast, according to author J. Berri ll of Wonders of the World of Wolves "the wolf is a shy and intelligent creature and far from being the villain that we have been led to believe" (7). Worldwide, wolves are beginning to making a come back due to research and public education efforts for this beautiful animal.