The English "wolf" stems from the Old English wulf, which is itself thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic *wulfaz. The Proto … 展开

The wolf is the largest extant member of the family Canidae, and is further distinguished from coyotes and jackals by a broader snout, shorter ears, a shorter torso and a longer tail. It is slender and powerfully built, with a large, deeply descending 展开

Distribution and habitat
Wolves occur across Eurasia and North America. However, deliberate human persecution because of livestock predation and fear of attacks on … 展开

The global wild wolf population in 2003 was estimated at 300,000. Wolf population declines have been arrested since the 1970s. This has fostered recolonization and reintroduction in parts of its former range as a result of legal protection, changes in land use, and … 展开

In 1758, the Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus published in his Systema Naturae the binomial nomenclature. Canis is the Latin word meaning "dog", and under this genus he listed the doglike carnivores including domestic dogs, wolves, and 展开

Social structure
The wolf is a social animal. Its populations consist of packs and lone wolves, most lone wolves being … 展开

In culture
In folklore, religion and mythology
The wolf is a common motif in the mythologies and cosmologies of peoples throughout its historical … 展开