How Much Do You Know About Wolves?

By: Heather Cahill
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much Do You Know About Wolves?
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

The wolf has been a majestic symbol of power and strength for many years. Think you know about these beautiful animals? Find out!

Wolves are the wild dogs of the Northern Hemisphere. While they seem cute and cuddly as pups, they grow up to be powerful and feared by many. However, they shouldn't be feared! Did you know that wolves are related to the dogs that we have as pets?

Do you know how many wolves stay together in a pack? How about how they communicate with each other? Do you know the diet of a wolf in the wild? Wolves live a tough life in the wild, so they have to know how to form alliances, communicate and get their food to survive.

Do you know how big the average wolf is? What about their lifespans? Maybe you even know their eye color? There are many identifying factors of a wolf that help us to tell them from a coyote or a pet pooch. All three can be quite similar looking, after all!

Did you know that wolves have been victims of declining populations many times? Thankfully, these international treasures have been helped by humans to sustain their populations. People for many generations will have the opportunity to see these animals in real life. If you think you're a true expert on wolves, then take a shot at this quiz. You probably know more about these majestic animals than you think!

What do wolves use their scent for?
Finding prey
A cover-up
Marking territory
Wolves use their scent to mark territory. They usually urinate in multiple places surrounding their territory so that other wolves can pick up on that scent and know that they are trespassing.
Nothing
In each pack there are two what?
Alphas
Each pack has two alphas. There is an alpha male and an alpha female. These two alphas are typically the only wolves that mate in a pack.
Males
Females
Pups
After eating a meal, what do wolves do?
Sleep
After eating a meal, wolves will usually bed down and sleep for a while. They use a lot of their energy while attacking and hunting for food.
Walk
Look for more food
Patrol their territory

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If a wolf trespasses on the territory of other wolves, what will happen?
Nothing
It will be accepted into the pack.
It will be required to present prey to the pack.
It will be chased or killed.
Typically when a wolf trespasses into the territory of another wolf, it will be chased or attacked if they see it. Many wolves have killed a few other wolves due to this exact reason.
Is it true or false that wolves are the largest member of the dog family?
True
This is true. Wolves are on average the largest members of the dog family, standing at 32 inches at their shoulders. In contrast, the smallest members of the dog family are Fennec foxes.
False
Which two people in Roman mythology were raised by wolves?
Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus were said to have been raised by wolves. This is depicted in a statue by Antonio Pollaiuolo called "La Lupa Capitolina."
Quirinus
Liber
Ops

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How long is a mother wolf pregnant for?
Nine months
Three years
Two weeks
Two months
A mother wolf is pregnant for a short two months. She will give birth to a litter of a few pups. Wolves can mate once they are about two years old.
At what age can wolf pups leave their pack if they choose to?
A year old
Wolf pups can leave their packs around the age of one year. Many pups are lucky to make it to a year in the first place. If a pup decides to leave the pack, it will usually search for another pack or a mate.
Three weeks old
Five years old
Never
What must alphas do to stay alphas?
Kill the most prey
Fight every other wolf in the pack
Mate with another wolf
Keep their pack in control
In order to stay an alpha in the wolf pack, alphas need to keep the pack in control. They do things like make the other wolves wait to eat or stop them from mating.

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Is it true or false that a wolf must leave the pack in order to mate?
True
This is true. In wolf packs, typically only the alphas can mate. If a wolf who is not an alpha wants to mate, it will have to leave and find another wolf to mate with.
False
How many teeth does an adult wolf have?
42
An adult wolf has 42 teeth. These teeth can do a lot of damage. Paired with the wolf's powerful jaw, wolves are able to break through bone.
30
28
18
About how many wolves are typically in a wolf pack?
50
2
80
7
On average, a wolf pack is made up of about 7 wolves. It is possible for packs to be bigger or smaller, sometimes having up to 15 wolves in a pack.

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How do wolves defend their territory?
Walk
Wolves walk around to defend their territory. Wolves always walk around to make sure that their whole territory is under control. They can travel tremendous distances in short periods of time.
Swim
Stand guard
Watching their markings
Is it true or false that a wolf is smarter than a dog?
True
False
This is false. Wolves are more skilled at picking up cues, according to multiple tests that have been conducted. However, this does not necessarily mean that they are any smarter than your pup at home.
What animal can give a wolf a challenge when it is attacked?
A moose
A moose can give a wolf a run for its money when it is attacked by them. Many wolves get injured or killed when attacking a moose along with their packs. Moose are very powerful animals in their own right.
A rabbit
A raven
A young wolf

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What does it mean when a wolf howls to communicate with their pack?
It tells the pack their location.
If a wolf howls for its pack, it is letting them know where it is. Sometimes packs split up and they use a howl to find each other again. A howl meant for other packs is telling them to back off.
It tells their pack they are leaving.
It tells their pack that they are hurt.
It tells the pack that they are about to fight.
Which of the following is a common reason that wolves die at an early age?
No home
They're abandoned
Most survive their first year
Lack of food
Wolves can die at an early age due to a lack of food. There are also many other factors that limit their lifespans, such as poaching and deforestation.
What color eyes do pups have?
Blue
Pups have blue at birth. Later in their lives, their eyes turn yellow. A wolf's eyes are extremely sensitive and they can see very well in the dark.
Green
Yellow
Grey

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About how many wolves does a mother typically have in a litter?
11
15
6
A mother can give birth to up to 6 wolves. The mother is not the only one who takes care of the babies, though. Other pack members will take on parenting duties as well.
1
Is it true or false that pups are born with the ability to see?
True
False
This is false. Wolf pups are born the same as our pet dogs. They are born both blind and deaf until they reach the age of two weeks. However, their senses have still not fully developed.
What helps a wolf to swim?
They can hold their breath.
They have water resistant fur.
They are born in the water.
They have webbed feet.
Wolves have webbed feet that are very useful when it comes to swimming. They don't mind the water and often swim across lakes and rivers.

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What animal enjoys playing with wolves?
Salmon
Chipmunks
Ravens
Ravens love to play with wolves.They swoop down and fly around the wolves. They follow them because they pick up the food that wolves leave behind. They earn their food by indicating things such as possible prey for the wolves.
Foxes
Around how many wolves are in Italy?
20
Less than 500
38
Over 1,000
There are over 1,000 wolves in Italy. This is extremely good news as the wolf population in Italy was once very close to extinction with less than 100 wolves.
In which of these countries would you find the largest wolves in the world?
Canada
The largest wolves in the world are typically found in Canada. Other countries with some of the largest wolves in the world are Russia and the United States (Alaska).
New Zealand
India
Tanzania

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Is it true or false that wolves are endangered in the United States?
True
This is true. Wolves are endangered in certain places in the United States. In the early 1900s, many wolves were killed and this has had an impact on the population of wolves that still exist today.
False
How fast can a wolf run?
15 miles per hour
5 miles per hour
40 miles per hour
A wolf can run up to 40 mph. This speed can be reached for only a short time, though. Wolves are more accustomed to walking, which they do quite a bit of.
20 miles per hour
What is common food for a lone wolf?
Small animals
Lone wolves will typically go after prey that is less likely to put up a fight that could seriously injure them. This includes small animals like rabbits and squirrels.
Large animals
Leftovers from other packs
Food from humans

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How long can a wolf go without eating?
Three months
One day
One year
About a week
Considering a healthy young wolf, it could go for about a week without without food. Wolves will typically go a couple days between meals.
Which park reintroduced wolves after they were all killed off?
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Park reintroduced wolves after they were killed off. The wolves affect the ecosystem and they are important to the way that everything works.
Banff National Park
Zion National Park
Yosemite National Park
Is it true or false that males and females who have mated have multiple partners?
True
False
This is false. Once a wolf mates with another wolf they become mates for life. An exception would be the death of one of the wolves, which could result in the other one finding another mate.

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How many layers of fur does a wolf have?
Two
A wolf has two layers of fur. The first layer that is visible is the guard which is made up of longer hair. The layer underneath the guard is called the undercoat, which is made up of shorter fur.
Eight
Four
Ten
About how much does a wolf weigh on average?
175 pounds
A wolf weighs around 175 pounds. They can be large creatures that stand about 32 inches at their shoulders. The length of a wolf from its snout to its tail can also be well over a meter long.
50 pounds
400 pounds
43 pounds
What do pups eat?
Regurgitated food
Wolf pups eat regurgitated food. Their mother will eat her prey and later go back to the pups. When she arrives, she regurgitates the food and the pups eat it up.
Small animals
Bugs
Plants

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What silent way do wolves communicate?
The pattern that they run in
Nudges
Staring
Facial expressions
Surprisingly, wolves can communicate using facial expressions! Other wolves are able to pick up on these expressions to understand each other. They also use body language to communicate.
What is the life expectancy of a wolf?
6 years
A wild wolf has a life expectancy of about 6 years. Many wolves don't even make it past their first year, and many die young. It is entirely possible for them to live longer given the conditions, but wild wolves do live a difficult life.
20 years
15 years
18 years
You Got:
/35
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