White Wolf
The Arctic Wolf is also known as the White Wolf because of its remarkable coat color. Actually, it’s a subspecies of the Gray Wolf inhabiting the Canadian Arctic and the northern parts of Greenland. Little is known about this subspecies, because it inhabits the most inhospitable terrain in the world with almost no vegetation and constant frosts. Although being the northern variety of the Gray Wolf, the Arctic Wolf is smaller than its southern relatives. Large predators cannot find enough food in tundra.
The common prey of the White Wolf is caribou, musk ox and moose. To kill large game, Arctic wolves gather in packs of 7-15 animals, attack herds and choose the weakest and smallest animals. Long-legged moose become vulnerable in winter when they get stuck in thick snow. A lone wolf is only able to kill a lemming or a hare. Grazing plants are very scarce in tundra, that’s why the population of ruminants and rodents are also very small. Wolves have to roam large areas up to 1000 square miles to find food.
Only alpha males and females of the White Wolf can breed. Other individuals can breed only if the pack has a territory large enough to support a larger population. The population of the White Wolf increases or declines depending on the population of its potential prey. This subspecies of the Gray Wolf has never been endangered. It inhabits its original range for many centuries and doesn’t suffer from human encroachment and habitat destruction.
White coat color is found only in the arctic population of the Gray Wolf, as white is the only possible coat color for arctic predators. Southern subspecies have more varied coat colors. The social life of White wolves is complex because it’s the only way to survive in harsh living conditions. Arctic Wolves are small compared to their southern relatives and unable to kill large game. Only a large pack can attack deer, moose and other large prey to provide food for all members of the pack and their cubs. A lone White Wolf cannot survive on mice and hares in winter.
