9. Plants have adapted to this climate with broad leaves to
collect sunlight, thick bark for harsh weather, layers, and
leaves that fall off as weather drops.
11. Animals have adapted to the environment by
hibernating, storing food, growing winter coats, or
migrating during the cold season
12.
13. Many species cooperate with one another. Bees
pollinating flowers in the spring or rodents who
buried seeds in the ground as food for winter but
forgot about them will grow into trees
14. Some animals, such as the bear and wolf have to compete for
food. If humans introduce an invasive species, native species
will also have to compete with the invasive one for food.
16. The timber wolf is one of the largest members of the
dog family. Most wolves have gray fur, but may also
be mixed with black, brown, and even white fur. Adult
males vary from 75 - 120 pounds and grow to be 5 to
6 ½ feet long. They are about 2½ feet tall at the
shoulder. Timber wolves have sharp senses of
hearing, smelling and sight. They can smell and see a
deer from more than a mile away.
17. Mate from January through March and gestate for
about 9 weeks.
Timber wolves give birth to 4-10 pups at a time. The
pups weigh about 1 pound each and are born blind. In
the wild, timber wolves can live from
7-10 years.
18. Timber wolves are a very adaptable species, and therefore they can live in a range of habitats
such as mountains, tundra, deciduous forests, and grasslands.
Today wolves are found in wilderness areas in Canada and Alaska and the eastern part of Europe
(all the way to Siberia). They are also found in the northern United States, along the Arctic
shores, and in parts of Asia and China. In smaller numbers, they may be found in the remote
areas of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, India, and the Middle East. A few may also be found in
Scandinavia.
In the United States, the population of timber wolves is increasing thanks to the fact that they
became protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. There are no more than 5000
timber wolves in the lower 48 states.
19. The decreasing numbers of wolves are the result of
encroachments on their territory by humans, who have
regarded wolves as competitors for prey and as dangerous
to livestock, pets, and people. However, very few wolves
attack humans. There might be "some" isolated
incidents, but which is usually the case in those, the wolf
was only trying to protect itself from the invasion from the
human.
