Wolf The Illustrated Biography

About this book

Hunted to near extinction, wolves evoke a sense of our planet's dwindling wildernesses. Rather than fear them, we should better understand the crucial role they play in ecosystems throughout the world. This engaging, fact-filled book shares insights into the family histories, relationships, and significant life challenges of wolves while linking them to broader questions about wildlife conservation and management. Written by a world-renowned expert in wolf behavior and reintroduction, Wolf: The Illustrated Biography offers a unique perspective on these charismatic animals, charting the life stories of wolves in all their diversity and complexity.

- Profiles wolves from North America, Europe, and Asia, describing their key characteristics, habitats, distinguishing features, common prey, and distinctive behaviors
- Discusses evolutionary history, biology, ecology, taxonomy, and past and current geographical distribution
- Covers key stages in the lives of wolves, from pregnancy and den building to birth and adolescence, play fights and learning to hunt, traveling with and leaving the pack, social hierarchy and bonds within packs, communication, territoriality, and more
- Emphasizes the leadership role of alpha females in the everyday life of the pack
- Explores the complex relationship between wolves and humans throughout history
- Considers the prospects for wolf populations in an age of accelerating environmental degradation

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Biography

Douglas W. Smith has been studying wolves for more than four decades. He was the senior wildlife biologist and project leader of the Yellowstone Wolf Project at Yellowstone National Park, and prior to that worked on the pioneering Isle Royale wolf study. He is the coauthor of Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone and the coeditor of Yellowstone's Birds: Diversity and Abundance in the World's First National Park (Princeton) and Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World's First National Park.