Species › Mammals › Gray Wolf

Gray Wolf

Canis lupus

RareMammal
Illustration of Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
Safety note: Dangerous — observe from a safe distance.

The Gray Wolf is North America's largest wild canid, living in tight family packs with a strict social hierarchy. Wolves communicate through howls that can carry over six miles and use cooperative hunting strategies to take down prey much larger than themselves. Their reintroduction to Yellowstone triggered a trophic cascade that reshaped entire river ecosystems.

Habitat
Forests, tundra, grasslands, and mountainous terrain
Diet
Elk, deer, bison, moose, and smaller mammals
How common
Rare
Huck Podcast · Ep. 3The Wolves That Changed the Rivers: the true story of the Gray WolfWatch or listen · 13 min

Best time to see a Gray Wolf

The best time to see a Gray Wolf is January–July, when about 64% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 4,856 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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Not certain it is a Gray Wolf? What animal is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.

Often confused with

Coyote - see how to tell them apart

Recent Gray Wolf sightings near you

Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.

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