This is a beautiful, Alaskan gray wolf who was kind enough to pose for me. Gray wolves are often called timber wolves, and once roamed most of North America until the United State Congress issued a bounty on them in the late 19th century. At that point, they became extinct in the lower 48 states, with the exception of Minnesota.
Wolves are highly social, family animals. They avoid human contact. In fact, there has never been an attack by wolf on a human in the history of North America. Little Red Riding Hood lied.
The easiest way to tell the difference between a wolf and a dog is the eyes and tail. Dogs have brown eyes. Wolves have golden eyes. Dogs tails curl. Wolves have tails that are absolutely straight.
