Types of Wolf in North Dakota

Gray wolves are large canids weighing 50 to 100 pounds, standing 26 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder. Despite their name, gray wolves display highly variable coloration: gray and black are most common, but coats can be brown, rust, cream, or nearly white, often blended with dark guard hairs and lighter underfur. Wolves have longer legs, larger paws, and a deeper chest than coyotes or domestic dogs. Their head is broad and blocky with a longer muzzle, and their ears are smaller and more rounded than a coyote's pointed ears. Wolves hunt cooperatively in packs, a behavior that distinguishes them from solitary or loosely grouped coyotes.

Wolves are far larger than coyotes, which typically weigh 30 to 40 pounds. A wolf's front paw print measures roughly 4.5 to 5.5 inches long and 3.5 to 5 inches wide, much larger than a dog's typical 1 to 3 inch print. Wolf tracks in sand or snow fall in a nearly straight line as the animal places its hind foot almost exactly in the track of its front foot, while dogs and coyotes leave a more scattered pattern. Wolves have a massive skull with a pronounced sagittal crest (ridge) on top and a bite force exceeding 1,500 PSI. Their eyes glow amber or yellow in flashlight beams, while dogs often glow red. Wolves rarely bark; they howl, growl, and whine, sounds far deeper and more resonant than a dog's bark.

Adult gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes region typically weigh 50 to 80 pounds, though large males can exceed 100 pounds. Females average 60 to 75 pounds. This makes them roughly twice the size of an average coyote and significantly larger than most dog breeds except Great Danes, Wolfhounds, and Mastiffs. Shoulder height reaches 26 to 32 inches. Historical records of North Dakota wolves from the 1800s describe similar proportions, with territorial animals consuming up to 20 pounds of meat per day. Even dispersing young wolves maintain this impressive size advantage over domestic dogs.

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is the only large wolf species native to North America and thus the only type that could naturally reach North Dakota from western or Great Lakes recovery populations. Two gray wolf subspecies are relevant: the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf (Canis lupus irremotus), which recovered from reintroduction in Yellowstone and central Idaho starting in 1995, and the Great Lakes wolf (Canis lupus), which has naturally recolonized the Upper Great Lakes region from protected populations in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Both subspecies share the same morphology and behavior. No red wolves (Canis rufus), a smaller southeastern species, or Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi), a critically endangered southwestern subspecies, have any possibility of reaching North Dakota. The only vagrant wolves recorded in states bordering North Dakota have been gray wolves dispersing from the northern Rockies or Great Lakes.

Wolf tracks are unmistakable when found in snow or soft soil. The print measures 4.5 to 5.5 inches long and 3.5 to 5 inches wide, with four toes and a distinct claw marks ahead of each toe. Wolves walk with a direct register gait, placing hind feet almost exactly in the track of the front feet, creating a nearly straight line trail. Coyote and dog tracks are half this size and do not register as perfectly. Wolf scat (droppings) is thick and rope-like, often 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter and 5 to 7 inches long. The scat often contains bone fragments, fur, and plant material. Fresh wolf scat has a musky odor. In areas with active wolf packs, scat is found along ridgelines and trails where wolves mark territory.

Wolves produce deep, prolonged howls lasting 3 to 11 seconds, often followed by shorter yips and growls from pack mates. The call is substantially deeper and more resonant than a coyote's high-pitched yip-howl or a domestic dog's bark. Coyotes typically howl in rapid, repetitive bursts, while wolf packs coordinate their vocalizations into organized chorus-like sounds. Wolves also produce warning growls and moans when interacting with each other or defending kills. A dispersing young wolf traveling alone may howl more frequently to locate a pack or respond to distant pack calls. In North Dakota, if a wolf were present, its howl would be unmistakably different from the far more common coyote calls heard across the state's prairies and badlands.

Historical accounts describe North Dakota's extirpated wolves as gray wolves identical to modern northern Rocky Mountain and Great Lakes populations, same species, Canis lupus. Early fur traders and settlers recorded wolves weighing up to 100 pounds with variable gray, black, and brown coloration adapted to prairie and badlands environments. No subspecific distinction separated historical North Dakota wolves from wolves present in adjacent Montana and Wyoming. The animals that would theoretically recolonize North Dakota today are genetically and morphologically the same. Modern Yellowstone wolves, descended from Rocky Mountain wolves reintroduced since 1995, represent the same lineage and phenotype as the wolves that inhabited North Dakota 150 years ago.

Young wolves disperse from established packs searching for unoccupied territory and mates, a process called natal dispersal. Wolves from recovering populations in Montana, Wyoming, and the Great Lakes region have dispersed thousands of miles across inhospitable terrain and human-dominated landscapes. A single documented instance of a radio-collared wolf from Yellowstone traveling over 600 miles to the Dakotas demonstrates this capability. Dispersing wolves are typically subadults (1 to 3 years old) that leave their natal pack seeking new range. These visitors are temporary and do not establish breeding populations without suitable habitat, prey, and protection from persecution. North Dakota's extirpated status persists because dispersers pass through but lack the conditions needed to settle permanently.

Report the sighting immediately to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at (701) 328-6300 or through their website. Provide the exact location, date, time, and detailed description of the animal. If possible, photograph it from a safe distance without approaching. A wolf sighting is a significant ecological event and helps biologists understand dispersal patterns and recovery potential. Do not attempt to feed, corner, or provoke the animal. Wolves typically avoid humans and will retreat from people. Keep pets indoors and secure livestock in buildings or strong enclosures if a wolf is confirmed in your area. Historical persecution of wolves was driven by conflict with livestock, so immediate reporting allows wildlife professionals to monitor the situation and educate the public.

Natural return of an established wolf population to North Dakota is unlikely in the foreseeable future without major changes in human attitudes and recovery efforts comparable to Yellowstone reintroduction. Wolves would need to disperse from the northern Rockies or Great Lakes, find suitable habitat and prey, and survive decades of expansion while avoiding persecution. North Dakota's grassland habitat can support wolves, and ungulate populations (deer and elk) provide food, but the state currently has no legal protections for wolves, active predator control programs, and historical antipathy to large predators. Ranchers, hunters, and rural residents generally oppose wolf recovery. However, as wolf populations expand in the Rockies and Great Lakes, occasional vagrant sightings may increase, and long-term climate and land-use changes could eventually make reestablishment possible.