8 Fun Facts About Wolves And Their Astonishing History
Wolves are known for their nickname alpha. They have large molars and a strong jaw that can instantly kill prey. Even though they possess a reputation for being vicious and deadly, they are still significant in the balance of the ecosystem. They are also known as Canis lupus and are known for hunting in packs. While most people only recognize them as wild predators, they also have exciting facts that most people do not know. Here are some of them:
Ancient Greeks Believed that Wolves Are Related to The Son of God
One of the amazing wolf facts is that the ancient Greeks associate wolves with the Greek God of the sun, Apollo. Some Ancient Greeks also believed that if you consume a lamb’s meat that was killed by a wolf, you could become a vampire. According to a Greek scholar, Sextus Placitus said that putting a wolf’s head under a pillow can help cure insomnia.
Mythology: People see wolves as “darkness.”
In Iran’s mythology, people see wolves as a” darkness” animal because they believe that an evil spirit, Ahriman, possesses them. In Roman mythology, wolves have raised two children named Romulus and Remus.
For ancient Amerindians, wolves are their teacher and pathfinder, while the people in Norse mythology hated them. In Mongolia, people see wolves, particularly men wolves, as a symbol of good luck. In the Bible, references associated wolves with destructiveness and greed. Turkish people also recognized wolves as their ancestors.
History: Wolf signifies a “Great God.”
For the Japanese, the wolf signifies a “Great God.” Grain farmers from Japan used to worship wolves for their farm’s protection. In Aztec history, people use a wolf’s bone and sharpen them to prick them into a patient’s chest. They believed that it could delay death.
In Ireland, people used to have so many words in their country associated with wolves. They were also known as “Wolf land” and hunt wolves for fun and sport. In Finland, people considered wolves as evil animals because they believed that they are a symbol of destruction. In Serbian poetry, people see wolves as a symbol of courageousness.
Wolves have poor eyesight.
Another interesting wolf fact is that they cannot see any better than humans. They cannot distinguish colors and rangers from one another. However, the eyes of wolves have the outstanding capability in detecting movement. Because of the bright tapestry that is coating their eyes, they can see clearly in the dark.
Wolf Family
Wolves can be in packs of twenty and more. The “alphas” of the wolf pack can only be the strongest male and female wolves, and that the only wolves that can mate are the alphas wolves.
During childbearing, all members of the wolf pack should assist in everything. At least four to six pups are born together. The only time that the wolves breed is during winter and give birth in spring. Before childbirth, they hide in an underground den or hole.
When they go hunting, they work together to look for enough food for everyone. During mealtime, the pack of wolves lets their alphas eat first. The only time a wolf can become an alpha is to challenge their wolf pack’s alpha. If that wolf loses the challenge, he might have to leave the wolf pack to become a lone wolf.
Wolves are a family-centered creature, and they usually form a strong relationship with their family or wolf pack. They care for each other and would even die for the family. They protect each family member and stay for life because if one of their family dies, it will cause a big problem for them.
Hunting of Their Food
When wolves go for food hunting, they usually don’t attack any prey they see. Instead, they would go for the sick, unhealthy, injured, elderly victim and let the healthy ones escape and continue breeding their species. Wolves even help other animals to help the ecosystem. Scavengers like Eagles usually eat the leftovers of the wolf.
Wolf Species
There used to be twenty-four kinds of wolf species, but today there are only two left, the grey wolf and the red wolf. Unlike grey wolves who move in packs, red wolves are lone hunters and hunt for smaller prey.
The Indian wolves can only grow up to three feet and are known as the smallest wolf in the world. The Himalayan wolves are known to be one endangered species and hunt animals like the Indian wolves.
Communication
Wolves are famous for their communication through howling. For lone wolves, howling is a way to get the attention of his pack. For wolf packs, howling is a way to communicate with another wolf pack.
Takeaway
While many people recognize wolves as a scary and deadly animal, wolves are only hunting to live. Wolves are even better than humans and any other species because they care and work together for survival. Other animals make food a competition, while wolves hunt and gather food for their family.