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Nikita the Wolf |
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Born: |
April 1, 2000 |
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Female |
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Nikita was acquired July 1, 2000 . Akayla, Montana and Nikita were donated to us from a zoo in Montana when they were 3 months old. In a wolf pack usually only the Alpha male and female breed, in the pack in Montana a younger female was fighting for breeding rights. Both of the females were bred and there were two litters of puppies born last spring. There was not enough room in the enclosure to sustain 11 puppies, therefore 3 were donated to us. |
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Wolf (Canis lupus) |
| Average Size: |
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Average Weight: |
| Up to 1.75 m (5 ft) long |
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18-80 kg (40-175 lbs) |
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| Average Lifespan: |
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Range: |
| 10 years in the wild Up to 15 in captivity |
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There are wolves found throughout Ontario, but they are a different sub-species than the four housed at our facility |
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Dining and Dwelling |
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Life and Death |
| The wolf is primarily a big-game hunter(moose, caribou, deer) but is not opposed to taking smaller game when it's mainstay is not available. They show little preference for specific habitats, but prefer to be away from human development because of their shy nature. |
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Wolves begin to breed in early spring and have 1-11 puppies, 63 days later. Males are mature at 3 years of age, while females are mature at 2 years of age. Wolves are at the top of the food chain and have little to fear from predation, save for humans. Young pups may rarely fall victim to eagles, lynx, or bobcats. |
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That's Amazing |
- The sub-species of wolves found throughout Ontario are thought to be red wolves (also known as Eastern Canadian wolves), which are smaller and more redish in colour than the gray wolves (also known as western or timber wolves), which are housed at our centre.
- Only the alpha (lead ) male and alpha female in a wolf pack, are allowed to breed. The rest of the pack abstain while continuously challenging their leaders so that they may eventually have a chance to reproduce.
- A wolf can chew through a moose femur bone in 5 seconds.
- Wolves now, for the first time in history, are protected from being killed by humans, in the area in and around Algonquin Park.
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