Wolf size comparison: Are Wolves Bigger Than Humans?

Wolves have seemed to have this close affiliation with humans, from time immemorial till the present day. In movies and in blockbusters as well. When carrying out wolf size comparison to a human, it could sound like an absurd idea, but trust me it is worth comparing.

You should stick around to the end of this article if you want to know what this comparison between wolves and humans has got for us.

Today, wolves are protected in some areas, hunted for sport in others, or may be subject to extermination as perceived threats to people, livestock, and pets.

Overview of Wolf Size Comparison

When a lot of folks think about wolves, they may think of them just like they would a dog. However, while the Twilight Saga might have exaggerated how big the ancestor of man’s best friend is, wolves are surprisingly bigger than many people feel.

One would wonder how big they are exactly? We’ve created this wolf size comparison guide to present a better look at how their size compares to humans and even prehistoric wolves like the dire wolf!

From snout to tail, wolves also dominate in length by growing up to 5 to 6 feet long – the average height of an adult human.

Coyotes, on the other hand, normally don’t get any longer than around 4 feet, the average height of a five-year-old child. There’s even a distinction in the size of their paws!

Wolves Origin

It has been observed over time that wolves and human beings actually have a lot in common. For example, both wolves and humans place a lot of importance on family bonds. They both go to great lengths to protect or even provide for their relatives.

The history of wolves and humans goes a really long way back in time but there is a sense of despise for the wolves, particularly in pastoral communities where herders accuse the wolves of attacking and killing their cattle.

Human beings have also featured wolves prominently in several mythologies and fables thus showing the intimate connection that both sides have had for centuries.

For example, in ancient Greece, wolves were linked with Apollo, the revered god of light and organization.

The Romans linked the same animal to Mars, the god of war and agriculture. They even believe that the founders of their city, Romulus and Remus, were raised by a female wolf.

In Scandinavia, the myths had it that a massive wolf called Fenrir was the first offspring of Loki.

Among the same tribe of native American Indians, it is believed that Sirius is actually the wolf star and that its features represented its trip to and from the world of the spirits.

In China, astronomers have the wolf standing in for Sirius and it is known as the blue beast while the star itself is referred to as the heavenly wolf.

Locations Prominent with Wolves

The global grey wolf population is estimated to be 300,000. Once abundant over much of North America and Eurasia.

The grey wolf inhabits a smaller portion of its former range because of the widespread destruction of its habitat, human encroachment of its habitat, and the resulting human-wolf encounters that sparked broad extirpation.

Considered as a whole, however, the grey wolf is regarded as being of the least concern for extinction according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

How Big is the Largest Wolf Species on the Planet?

The standard mass of a grey wolf is 79-99 pounds with female wolves weighing less than males in most cases. In terms of appearance, grey wolves have thick bushy furs that are mostly grey.

However, wolves with white, brown, black, and red furs also exist. Grey wolves have blunt ears and muzzles and they also have wide foreheads and mighty jaws.

Currently, the existing number of grey wolves in the world is approximately 300,000. They are the most popular and well-known animals as they have been studied and written about in more books than any other animal species.

The grey wolf is also able to survive in any environmental conditions as it has good adaptation skills.

As mammals, grey wolves reproduce sexually. Female grey wolves carry to the term for about two to two and a half months before giving birth to a litter.

In one birth, a grey wolf can give birth to up to six pups in the summer, but in some cases, there could be more or less.

One pup can weigh as much as 500 grams, which means a grey wolf pregnant with half a dozen pups could be carrying around three kilograms, which is roughly the size of a slightly plump newborn human baby.

Gray wolf packs consist of about five to eleven members; these packs live and hunt together.

However, dispersion could be influenced by sexual maturity or little food that causes competition among members. Wolves are also monogamous as they remain together until one dies.

How Big is a Wolf Compared to a Human?

Answering the question of wolf size comparison to a human, the truth is that wolves are actually bigger than many people think.

Well, on average, males can weigh well up to 80 kilograms (that is about 180 pounds) and their female counterparts can weigh typically about 37 kilograms on average.

Of all the Canis species, wolves are much bigger and have less prominent body parts like the muzzle and ears.

In terms of shoulder height, wolves measure from 66 to 81 centimeters, and that clocks in at 27 to 34 inches. In terms of body length, wolves range from 1.2 to 2 meters overall.

The average male grey wolf has a weight of about 45 kilograms (100 pounds) while the female has about 36 kilograms (80 pounds).

Even though wolves can reach impressive sizes, it must be stated at this point that wolves also look far larger than they really appear and that is due to the thick fur.

Interesting Facts About Wolves

1. Wolves and ravens have a very interesting relationship. The birds often follow packs in hopes of picking up their leftovers. Wolves have also learned to look for ravens as a potential sign of food ahead.

2. All wolf pups are born with blue eyes, but at about eight months old, their eyes turn yellow.

3. Wolves have two types of hair: guard and undercoat. They shed their winter coats in sheets, a different shedding process than most dogs

4. Wolves are the largest members of the dog family.

5. The Grey Wolf is known as the Timber Wolf in North America and the White Wolf in the Arctic, or more generally as the Common Wolf.

6. Wolves are legendary because of their spine-tingling howl, which they use to communicate. A lone wolf howls to attract the attention of his pack, while communal howls may send territorial messages from one pack to another.

7. There are many subspecies of wolf including the Arctic wolf, all of which use a variety of howls to communicate with one another.

8. They have a highly organized social structure enabling them to enjoy maximum cooperation when hunting, communicating, and defending territory.

9. Wolves live and hunt in packs. They are known to roam large distances – as much as 20km in a single day. Wolf packs in the far North often travel hundreds of kilometers each year as they follow migrating herds.

10. Wolves are highly territorial animals, and generally, establish territories far larger than they require to survive; in order to assure a steady supply of prey.

11. These social animals cooperate with their preferred prey. A single wolf is capable of catching and killing a deer unaided. When hunting as a pack they prey on much larger animals, including deer, elk, and moose.

12. When they get a successful kill, wolves do not eat in moderation. A single wolf can consume 9 kg of meat in one sitting!

13. Wolves are not particularly fast, with a top speed of about 45km/h (28mph). They instead rely on their hearing and sense of smell to detect prey.

14. Once a wolf has found a mate, they usually stay together for life.

15. Wolf packs are established according to a strict hierarchy, with a dominant alpha male at the top and an alpha female not far behind.

16. The hierarchy that exists within each pack is maintained by dominant or submissive body posturing, and by other behavior patterns such as the communal care of the young.

17. Wolves feed their young by carrying chewed-up food in their stomachs and throwing up, or “regurgitating”, the food for the pups when they come back to the den.

18. Wolves have only one breeding season per year – in the winter. They have their puppies in late April or early May. They have their puppies in an underground hole or den.

19. There are usually four to six puppies in a litter. The puppies grow up fast and are their adult size by the end of their first winter. They are grown up by the time they are two years old.

20. Wolves have 200 million scent cells, while humans only have five million. This means they can smell animals that are up to a mile away.

21. Wolves bark and howl, but on top of that, they rely on facial expressions for communication as well.

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Wolf Size Comparison: Are Wolves Bigger Than Humans?