The Labrador wolf (Canis lupus labradorius) is a subspecies of Grey wolf. It is one of the least studied because it is very feared by people. It is closely related to the Newfoundland wolf.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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Apex predatorAn apex predator, also known as a top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain and has no natural predators. These animals usually occup...
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Pack huntersA pack hunter or social predator is a predatory animal that hunts its prey by working together with other members of its species. Normally animals ...
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Pursuit predatorPursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. Pursuit predators r...
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Ambush predatorAmbush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Labrador wolf is a medium-sized, light-colored subspecies. Its coloration has been described as ranging from dark grizzly-gray to almost white. It looks very similar to the Eastern wolf but is larger in size.
This subspecies lives in Labrador and northern Quebec. Recently there were also confirmed sightings in Newfoundland. Wolves live in boreal forests, taiga, coastline wetlands, shrublands, and tundra. Their habitat depends on the abundance of prey, snow conditions, livestock densities, road densities, human presence, and topography.
Little is known about the behavior of Labrador wolves. Like all Grey wolves. they live, hunt, and travel in packs. Usually, packs of Grey wolves include the alpha male and female with their young as well as older offspring. The alphas are the leaders of the pack, establishing the group's territory, selecting the den sites, tracking down, and hunting prey. They live in close ties with the members of their pack, communicating with each other through a wide variety of calls, including barks, whines, howls, and growls. Grey wolves are nocturnal predators. They move around their territory when hunting, using the same trails for extended periods. These follow the banks of rivers, the shorelines of lakes, and ravines overgrown with shrubs, plantations, roads, and human paths. Grey wolves prefer moving at night, being able to travel up to 200 km (124 miles) per day. Throughout the year, they undergo stationary and nomadic phases: the stationary phase takes place in the spring and summer months, when they grow up young, while the nomadic phase lasts from autumn to winter.
Labrador wolves are carnivores. Within their range, they mainly prey on caribou, Harp seals, foxes, moose, muskoxen, hares, beavers, fish, and some rodents.
Little information is available about the reproductive habits of Labrador wolves. In general, within a pack of Grey wolves, only the alpha male and female breed. The alphas are monogamous, mating for life until one of the mates dies, after which a new alpha male or female is determined, and the pair is re-established. Grey wolves breed from January to April. The female is responsible for digging a den, where she further gives birth and raises the pups. The gestation period lasts about 60-63 days, after which 1-14 helpless pups are born with an average of 6-7. For the first 45 days, all members of the pack participate in feeding the pups through regurgitation. The mother stays with the young for the first 3 weeks, after which the pups continue living in the den until they reach the age of 8-10 weeks. Females become reproductively mature at 2 years old, and males when they are 3 years old.
Due to overhunting in the early 1900s, Labrador wolf sightings were infrequent through the 1950s. As a whole, primary threats to Grey wolves include loss and fragmentation of their habitat, leading to a considerable reduction of their population. Due to being considered livestock predators, these animals are frequently killed both individually and in whole packs. In some areas of their range, Grey wolves are not legally protected and thus are widely hunted and trapped.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Labrador wolf total population size. Presently, this subspecies is not included in the IUCN Red List and its conservation status has not been evaluated.
Grey wolves feed upon a wide variety of animal species and thus control the numbers of their populations; this way wolves benefit different animal and plant species of their range.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...