Fact or Scat Trivia

Test your knowledge!

Join us every Friday for an exhilarating exploration of wolf facts and trivia on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Test your knowledge and uncover fascinating facts. The answers are posted here each week and are just a hover away—flip the card and reveal the answers.

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Adult wolves typically have 42 teeth-10 more teeth than most adult humans.

Fact or Scat?

Adult wolves have 32 teeth, the same number as adult humans.
FACT
Hunting success rates can vary for a variety of reasons (season, type of prey, age and experience of the wolves) but are normally lower than 50%. Wolves must spend majority of their time hunting just to survive.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves have relatively low hunting success rates.
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Gray wolves can have a variety of coat colors ranging from pure white to totally black.

Fact or Scat?

Gray wolves are always gray or brown in color.
FACT
Prolactin increases seasonally in all wolves and encourages all members of the pack to care for pups.

Fact or Scat?

Both male and female wolves produce the hormone prolactin through the spring and summer.
FACT
Before Europeans arrived, wolves existed in one continuous population from the far north through Central America. Put differently, wolves are native to every state in what is now the United States except for Hawaii.

Fact or Scat?

Before European colonization, wolves lived throughout North America from the Arctic to as far south as what is now Mexico City.
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While wolves can bark, they typically only bark as a severe defensive or territorial threat. Domestic dogs, likely as a result of domestication by humans, may bark for a variety of reasons including aggression, excitement, or social play.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves often bark just like dogs.
FACT
Nineteen wolves were relocated to Isle Royale from the mainland Great Lakes region between 2018 and 2019. This has led to the formation of several packs and a self-sustaining wolf population of about 30 wolves as of 2024.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves were reintroduced in Isle Royale National Park in Michigan in 2018-2019.
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While the return of wolves certainly had some impact on the Yellowstone ecosystem, many other factors played a role.

Fact or Scat?

Reintroducing wolves in Yellowstone lowered the elk population and restored the Yellowstone ecosystem.
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People in Minnesota or Wisconsin did not reintroduce wolves. Despite extensive trapping and hunting after European colonization, wolves were never completely extirpated from northern Minnesota. Wolves from Minnesota and Canada naturally recolonized other areas in the Great Lakes region.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves were reintroduced in Minnesota and Wisconsin in the 1990s after being extirpated in the 1950s.
FACT
Wolves live a "feast-and-famine" lifestyle and may go weeks in the wild without making a kill. Eating as much as possible when they make a large kill helps wolves minimize losses to scavengers.

Fact or Scat?

Gray wolves may consume up to 25% of their body weight in one meal.
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Both male and female wolves typically disperse from their birth pack between 1 and 3 years old.

Fact or Scat?

Young male wolves tend to disperse from their packs more frequently than females.
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Coyotes and wolves use a variety of tail positions to communicate with other members of their species. It can be very difficult to differentiate between wolves and coyotes by sight alone.

Fact or Scat?

One good way to tell a wolf from a coyote is their tail position- wolves tend to carry their tail up, while coyotes carry their tail lowered.
FACT
Wolves are found in almost every ecosystem in the Northern Hemisphere, including tundra, grassland, various types of forests, and deserts.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves are habitat generalists, meaning they can thrive in a variety of different ecosystems.
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Wild wolf pups are typically weaned from their mother’s milk between 5 and 9 weeks old, though they may continue to nurse from their other occasionally for several weeks after.

Fact or Scat?

Wolf pups usually don’t begin weaning until 12 weeks of age.
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Placing captive-born wolf pups in wild dens can help increase genetic diversity in highly endangered wolf populations. Pups raised by wild parents tend to be more successful than adult wolves born into captivity and released later in life. This process has been used with red wolf populations in North Carolina and Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico.

Fact or Scat?

Cross-fostering is the process of taking captive-born wolf pups and placing them in the dens of wild packs.
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The International Wolf Center’s dedicated wolf care team takes round-the-clock shifts to ensure that someone is always monitoring our pups and addressing their needs. Sometimes, this even includes sleeping alongside pups outside or in their "den" area.

Fact or Scat?

When we rear wolf pups at the International Wolf Center, our wolf care staff is with them 24/7 for about the first three months of their lives.
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Having adult dogs around our wolf pups helps the pups to get used to interacting with a larger canine before they join our adult pack. It can also help pups to be calmer around humans and more trusting of our staff, as they can learn from a dog’s example.

Fact or Scat?

We may use “nanny” dogs at the International Wolf Center to help rear pups.
FACT
Researchers have found that play can have many important functions for wolf pups. It may help develop their muscles and endurance, allow them to practice using their hunting instincts, and reinforce social bonds between pack members.

Fact or Scat?

Play with objects and other wolves may help wolf pups develop their hunting and social skills.
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Just like humans, wolf pups are born without teeth. Around 15 days old, their milk teeth emerge, allowing them to eat soft foods. At around 6-7 months old, their adult teeth will replace those milk teeth.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves are born with permanent teeth.
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While wolves‘ skeletal growth is complete at about one year old, they don’t usually reach sexual and behavioral maturity until later. Wolves that are a year old are often referred to as "yearlings" or "juveniles".

Fact or Scat?

Wolves are typically considered “adults” and are mature at one year of life.
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Pups’ eyes are blue at birth, as they have not yet produced melanin, which causes the coloration in their irises. Their eyes will typically turn shades of gold, green, or brown at a few months old.

Fact or Scat?

Wolf pups are born with blue eyes.
FACT
Gray wolves in the wild have been known to have anywhere from 1 to 9 pups, but the annual average litter size in Minnesota typically falls between 4 and 6 pups.

Fact or Scat?

Gray wolves are typically born in litters of 4-6 pups on average.
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Female gray wolves are pregnant for about 63 days on average. This short gestation period means that pups are born very "altricial", or dependent on their parents.

Fact or Scat?

The average length of gestation, or pregnancy, in female gray wolves is 98 days.
FACT
Genetic research on gray wolves in North America indicates that some early Indigenous dogs bred with wolves between 1,598 and 7,248 years ago. This resulted in the black coat color phase in the gray wolf population today.

Fact or Scat?

The black coat color in gray wolves likely came from Indigenous dog populations.
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Food possession behavior is not automatically related to a wolf‘s social rank within the pack. More confident wolves may be more successful in defending their food from others, but it’s acceptable for any wolf to protect the food they’re eating. Sometimes, if the carcass is large enough, the entire pack will eat together at once.

Fact or Scat?

When a pack makes a kill, the most dominant wolf eats first.
FACT
Based on Isle Royale National Park observations, moose that choose not to run from wolves have a better chance of survival. This may be because running triggers a heightened predatory response in wolves, because weaker and more vulnerable animals are more likely to run, or due to another unknown factor, like the individual’s personality.

Fact or Scat?

Adult moose that stand their ground when confronted by wolves tend to have a higher chance of survival than moose that run.
FACT
The type of food a wolf eats can change depending on the season! For example, in Alaska, salmon can make up about 10% of a wolf’s diet seasonally. Also, in Minnesota, wolves have been found to forage for blueberries in the summertime when berries are readily available and prey is more difficult to hunt.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves can change their diet seasonally.
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Scientists have measured wolves biting with a force of 400 psi. Many scientists theorize that their maximum bite force is much higher-even up to 1,000 psi! A human’s bite force is around 100 psi.

Fact or Scat?

A wolf’s bite force is estimated to be around 100 psi (pounds per square inch).
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Wolves may engage in a behavior called "surplus killing" where they kill more than they can eat at one time when prey is especially vulnerable, but this does not mean they kill for sport. If the carcasses are left alone, wolves will revisit the area for weeks afterwards to take advantage of leftover food.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves kill other animals for fun.
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Most wolf populations breed sometime between January and March, leading to increased activity and socializing within the pack.

Fact or Scat?

January’s full moon is often called the “wolf moon” because wolves tend to be more active throughout most of their range at this time.
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Deer hunter success in Minnesota has decreased slightly in recent years (from 33.8% in 2021 to 32% in 2023) despite no significant change in the wolf population. Research indicates that severe winters have a larger impact on deer populations in northern Minnesota than predation from wolves. The number of deer hunters in Minnesota has also been decreasing steadily, leading to a smaller number of deer harvested. This does not mean that hunters are less successful.

Fact or Scat?

Deer hunter success in Minnesota has declined due to the high wolf population.
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The "pack leaders" are the dominant male and female, usually the parents of the other wolves in the pack. The dominant male and female will often share similar roles, including caring for pups, hunting, and defending territory. Males may tend to acquire food and defend territory, whereas females may focus more on direct care of pups and relationships within the pack. Pack relationships are also heavily influenced by the individual personalities of wolves.

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Fact or Scat?

The alpha male is the primary leader of the pack.
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Wolves may travel as a pack, in a smaller group, in pairs, or alone within their territory. They are more likely to travel individually or in small groups during spring and summer as they are usually foraging for food to bring back to the pups and dealing with smaller prey. In winter, they tend to travel as a pack because they usually hunt for larger prey, and traveling through the deeper snow is easier for a group. However, they may still spend some time alone.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves will always travel together as a pack. If you see a wolf traveling alone, they do not have a pack.
FACT
The Red Wolf and the Gray Wolf are the only two universally recognized separate wolf species in the world today. With the use of molecular genetics, some researchers have concluded that there may be more separate species of wolf, but this requires more research to be widely accepted.

Fact or Scat?

There are currently only 2 universally recognized wolf species in the world.
FACT
All dog breeds share about 99.96% of their mitochondrial DNA with wolves. This is true for all dogs-from huskies to chihuahuas!

Fact or Scat?

Dogs and wolves share 99.96% of their DNA.
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Wolves have excellent senses, especially their sense of smell. They can track prey by scent and sound for miles under the right conditions. Additionally, their good night vision helps them stalk and ambush prey effectively.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves use only their sense of smell when hunting.
FACT
Wolves typically travel at around 5 mph, but for short distances can sprint at 36-38 mph.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves can sprint for short distances at about 36-38 mph.
FACT
Wolf dispersal allows wolves to explore new territories and maintain genetic diversity. They can travel up to 550 miles, typically dispersing 50 to 100 miles from their birth pack. This behavior begins at 1 to 2 years of age, with 5 to 20 percent of the population dispersing at any time to find mates, establish territories, or join new packs.

Fact or Scat?

At any one time, 5 – 20 percent of the wolf population may be dispersing individuals.
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Pup survival is directly related to prey availability. Prey availability is generally higher in areas being newly colonized by wolves, where wolves have been recently reintroduced, or where adult wolves are harvested.

Fact or Scat?

Pup survival rates are primarily dependent on parenting of the dominant pair.
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Wolves consume a variety of prey, primarily ungulates like deer and moose. However, they also eat beaver, berries, and occasionally fish. The availability of prey directly influences the wolves’ diet.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves only eat ungulates.
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Although wolves can sprint faster and can reach up to 38 miles per hour, typically, they will travel around 5 mph.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves travel at an average speed of 5 mph.
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Female wolves typically weigh between 60 and 80 lbs, and males are typically between 70 and 110 lbs. Average weights will vary greatly by region. Wolves also exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning that males and females have physical differences. Females are usually slightly smaller

Fact or Scat?

Wolves weigh more than 150 lbs.
FACT
Dens are made from what is available in the territory. Most importantly, they are hidden and can fit the pups and members of the pack.

Fact or Scat:

Dens can be in a hillside, under a tree, in a cave-like rock structure, or in a hollow fallen log, depending on the landscape and resources available.
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This is an important adaptation for arctic wolves. Instead of their blood vessels restricting blood flow to their paws in the cold, blood flow increases to their paws. The increase in blood flow warms their paws and allows them to walk on the frozen landscape without paw injuries.

Fact or Scat:

Arctic wolves often have paw injuries because of walking on the cold snow for most of the year.
FACT
A territory is a pack‘s wild space to find resources like food, water, and shelter. The size of a pack’s territory can vary depending on prey density or how much food wolves can find in that area. The pack’s territory might be smaller in an area of high prey density (plenty of prey animals in a certain area). In areas of low prey density (like the Arctic, where prey animals such as musk ox spread out over a large expanse), wolves must travel farther to find their next meal; their territory might be much larger. Pack size can also have an influence on territory size as well. However, the main factor is prey density.

Fact or Scat:

The size of a wolf pack’s territory is determined primarily by prey density.
FACT
Maintaining a territory gives wolf packs exclusive (of other packs) access to prey. However, maintaining it, in other words, defending it, can be costly. To balance the cost and benefits, wolves choose the smallest suitable territory possible with enough prey for the pack to survive.

Fact or Scat:

Wolves choose the smallest suitable territory possible.
FACT
Wolf biologists monitor wolves using radio collars that connect to a special antenna, GPS collars that send data to a computer, camera traps, and traditional survey methods of tracking paw prints, kill sites, and scat. Tracking wolves can be challenging in the spring, summer, and fall when vegetation is dense and camouflages well in their environment. This is why wolf research has primarily been done in the winter; however, technological advancements have made it easier to track wolves year-round.

Fact or Scat?

Wolf biologists use several methods to track wild wolves, such as GPS, radio telemetry, camera trapping, and traditional tracking (paw prints, scat, etc).
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Although wolves are known as social carnivores, they do not hunt only as a pack. During dispersal, when a wolf is alone searching for a new territory, it will hunt alone. Additionally, during the spring and summer, wolves may go off in small groups or alone to hunt for smaller prey or to fish. while the other wolf or wolves in the pack watch the pups at the den or rendezvous site.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves only hunt in packs.
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Wolves do swim! The webbed paws which help them walk on top of snow, are also helpful for swimming. Wolves can cool off in a water source when the weather is warmer. Some wolves even hunt fish and other aquatic or even marine animals. Click here to read more: https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-amazing-sea-wolves-of-the-great-bear-rainforest/

Fact or Scat?

Wolves will wade in water, but they cannot swim.
FACT
A wolf pack will roam and defend a territory of between 25 and 100 miles in the western Great Lakes area. Territories can reach hundreds of square miles where prey densities are in low density such as in northwestern Canada.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves can have a territory of 25 to 100 square miles in the Great Lakes area, depending on prey density.
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Wolves are crepuscular, with higher activity at dawn and dusk. This often follows the patterns of their prey. Wolves are also opportunistic hunters and will take opportunities to hunt when possible. There are times throughout the day and night when wolves rest and times when they hunt. For more information on hunting and feeding behaviors, click here: https://wolf.org/wolf-info/basic-wolf-info/biology-and-behavior/hunting-feeding-behavior/

Fact or Scat?

Wolves hunt only during the night.
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Wolves are often labeled as “opportunistic carnivores,” hunting for prey based on opportunity, not a specific method. For example, wolves may prey upon healthy animals that are hindered by deep snow or domestic livestock that are confined or have lost their adaptations for defense.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves are “opportunistic carnivores”.
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Wolves howl for defensive and social purposes, not at the moon. They are crepuscular animals, usually more active at dawn or dusk. At night, when the moon is high, their howling is more audible due to the quieter human sounds. A howl can travel 6-7 miles, allowing us to hear them from a greater distance in the quiet of the night.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves howl at the moon.
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Wolves have a good sense of smell—about 100 times greater than humans. They use this sense for communication in a variety of ways. Wolves mark their territories with urine and scats, a behavior called scent–marking. When wolves outside the pack smell these scents, they know an area is already occupied. Pack members can likely recognize the identity of a packmate by its urine, which is useful when entering a new territory or when pack members become separated. Dominant animals may scent mark through urination every two minutes.

Fact or Scat?

Scent marking is not used as a communication method.
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Howling is the one form of communication used by wolves that is intended for long distances. A defensive howl is used to keep the pack together and strangers away, to stand their ground and protect young pups who cannot yet travel from danger, and to protect kill sites. A social howl is used to locate one another, rally together, and possibly just for fun.

Fact or Scat?

There is more than one type of howl.
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Wolf packs are families. The dominant pair is the parents of the other members of the pack. Once their offspring reach sexual maturity (around 2-3 years old) they usually will disperse. When a wolf disperses, it seeks a mate and new territory, where it starts a new pack and becomes the dominant pair with its mate.

Fact or Scat?

All wolves fight for dominance in the pack.
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The activity patterns of wolves vary across seasons, locations, and individuals. Researchers have found that wolf activity patterns can be influenced by temperatures, prey activity and availability, probability of encountering humans, and breeding season. Therefore, there is no single pattern of activity for all wolf populations. For example, a study in Alaska found that wolves were more active in the summer, while a study in Poland found that activity peaks were higher in the winter.

Fact or Scat?

Wolves are more active in the summer.
FACT
Wolf communication is primarily through the use of body language and vocalizations, including howling and marking with urine or scat. Pups learn to communicate through play and interactions with pack members.

Fact or Scat?

The main forms of communication wolves use are body language, scent marking and vocalizations.
FACT
Even once the pup’s eyes are open, they stay close to the den. At times, the pups may explore up to a mile around the den but typically stay closer. Another pack member will stay with the pups while the pack hunts. During this time, the pups will explore, and socialize through play.

Fact or Scat?

Wolf pups stay close to the den for the first three to four months of their life.
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Wolf pups are born blind and deaf, opening their eyes around days 11-15. During their first 12 days, pups are limited to vocalizing and slowly crawling. When their eyes finally open, their eyesight is not fully developed yet. It continues to develop over the next few weeks.

Fact or Scat?

Pups open their eyes around day 5 of life.

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