In a scary movie, it always seems like a wolf howls right before someone gets attacked. In truth, wolves are not much of a threat to humans, but humans have been very harmful to wolves. In the 1800s, people moved westward across the United States. Along the way, they killed many bison, deer, elk and moose, which were the major food supply of gray wolves. Without their own prey, hungry wolves began to feed on the livestock that belonged to people. People then began trapping, shooting and poisoning wolves. By the 1960s, most of the gray wolf population in the United States had been wiped out, except for in Alaska and northern Minnesota. In 1973, the gray wolf finally came under the protection of the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
When a wolf is howling, it is NOT a sign that something bad is about to happen. Wolves howl to let other packs know where their territory is. They also howl to bring their pack together before they hunt. The size of a pack can range from two to 30 wolves, but is usually somewhere between five and eight.
Wolf packs hunt together, but most hunting attempts are not successful. Though a wolf can run up to 30 m.p.h., it can only run this fast for short distances, so it won’t chase its prey for a very long time. Usually wolf packs single out prey that is not strong because it is very young, old, sick or injured. Though a wolf can eat 20 pounds of meat in one sitting, it rarely does this on a daily basis. In fact, a wolf may have to go without eating for two weeks or more.