The Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) is described as the largest member of the wolf (and for that matter a large member of the Canis lupus familiaris or dog) family. The grey wolf is a large canine. It stands between 65-80cm in height at the shoulder and can measure between 135-195cm from nose to tail.
An adult male can weigh up to 70kg and the average life expectancy in the wild is approximately 8 years without accidents. By accidents, I mean that many wolves are killed each year due to their apparent predatory habits of killing domesticated livestock. Man is the wolf’s number one enemy and their greates ally in their fight to stave off extinction. Once a common site on the North American continent, it is estimated that there are now fewer than 20,000 animals left.
The wolf can be identified by its colouring, which ranges from black to grey and even on occasions, all white.- They can be mistaken for domestic dogs as they resemble the Alaskan Malamute and to some extent the Alsatian or as it is correctly known the German Shepherd Dog.
A pack animal, wolves hunt, travel and live in groups. They have strong social ties to their pack and have a distinct territory or range in which they hunt. As I mentioned in an earlier post, wolves communicate through the use of a number of different sounds. These sounds range from growls, whines and howls to barks.
Due to the reduction in their natural habitat by the encroachment of man into the wilderness they once claimed as their own, many wolves can no longer find the moose, caribou and deer that they once hunted and many now die from starvation or are forced to hunt smaller animals and scavenge for food.
This magnificent animal is listed as endangered due to its low numbers. The US Government, under the Endangered Species Act, has set legislation in place to help avert the extinction of the grey wolf. I am writing these articles, sourced from many different places on the Internet to help raise awareness of the danger the wolf now faces.
The Wolf Howl Animal Preserve is a place where you may find more information about wolves.
To all my visitors who appreciate the articles about this noble animal and would like to see this site continue to develop, please leave a donation by using the ‘support the wolf’ button in the right hand column.
Source of information: http://www.defendersofwildlife.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/wolf,_gray.php
Image source for the German Shepherd Dog: www.copyright-free-pictures.org.uk
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
i have alot of dreams about being chased by wolves just the howling l dont see them and i dream of becoming a werewolf. i also went to a sweat lodge and saw a wolf bearing its teeth at me. what does that mean?
Hello Tosha. In answer to your question there is much to be considered. In my article “Cannine Language” there is a number of postures and communication methods that you would need to consider. Such things as the position of the ears and tail, the arching of the back etc. A wolf bearing its teeth could have a number of meanings if associated with one or more of these gestures. However, in a dream it is often difficult to pinpoint additional behaviours or gestures.
So, here is what I think your Wolf might be trying to tell you. It may have been a warning to be alert for treachery or loss. If the wolf appears to be fierce or snarling it may be attempting to warn you of possible pending disagreements or perhaps you may have some untrustworthy friends around you.
You would need to look at other aspects of the dream to give its meaning more accuracy.
Timberwolf
timberwolf i dont know if u recieved my earlier message. thank u for responding. i believe the wolf is trying to help me find strength. i’m kind of a pushover and i read some of your comments to others and found some awnsers of my own. many blessings upon you and yours great page. we need more like it 11:11
Even a dog that steals the fur pattern of a wolf fails to look like one, instead they look a mockery.. Focus on the Face as I stated earlier and it’s very simple to tell the difference. Also you might want to make remarks on the primary form of oral communication which appears to subsist in a high pitched almost whine, which there are plenty of records to be found in by the books of Jim and Jamie Dutcher, who not being trained to ignore actually recorded those data points.
–The Analytical Searcher
I noticed something else from the dream the wolf’s cry was following me it didn’t seem aggressive, but at the sweat lodge l didn’t feel the people in the sweat lodge were there for the same reason as I. There was alot of ego and cold hearts. l didn’t get the positive vibe I should’ve, but really I’ve seen the wolf quite often in my life. My dad has them hanging all over his house. He feels they are like spirits. I think the werewolves in my dream signify transformation, but they do scare me.
Hi Tosha. Your father is right. The wolf is a nature spirit. It is a teacher and a pathfinder. You do not need to be frightened of them. There is some imminent transformation in your life that may be causing you some dis-harmony. This is the reason for the howling, to alert you to the fact that you need to make a decision, one that will be life changing. Do not fear the decision, make it and move on. Your wolf will guide you to the right one.
Timberwolf
I have never had a dream like this one before. I dreamed of a timber wolf coming towards me in the house. It’s body was low to the ground, it’s teeth were bared and was huge. It came barging through the door and pushed and knocked two people out of the way and turned towards the stairs where I was standing and looking. It had an evil look and started to come up the steps slowly towards me as if I was the one it was seeking. I did not hear any growling and I ran.
Hi Denise
That is a frightful dream. Given that it was not growling and only bearing its teeth, I feel that it was not trying to hurt you. Did you know the two people it knocked out of the way? Perhaps it was attempting to place itself between you and those people as it was trying to warn you of some type of danger.
Please share more about the dream, feelings, how it started and finished? Have you ever dreamed of wolves before?
I hope you will be comfortable sharing this information.
Timberwolf
I have never dreamed of a wolf before. The dream started this way…I live in a 4 split level house. I was standing on third flour at that top of the stairs looking down at this man and woman. I knew these two people and they weren’t family members. There seemed to be a feeling of contention between us. When the wolf barged through the front door the two shrunk in size while the wolf got larger. Once the wolf pounced on the man and woman they disappeared and then he turned towards me. I believe the wolf’s ears were positioned low (flat) against it’s head. When I looked at the wolf I knew instinctively that it was a timber wolf though I can’t tell one wolf from another. As it slowly came up the stairs towards me with bared teeth I became scared and ran up the next flight of stairs running to the bathroom. I never heard it following me but once in the bathroom I purposely woke myself up. Does any of this make sense?
There is something else I must tell you Timberwolf. There has been one other time that an animal has materialized in my dream but it was a sheep. In the dream I was talking to someone I knew and they were being difficult. I got angry and in this anger a sheep came charging from my body and butted it’s head into the person’s stomach (male) I was talking to. I have been told that I have prophetic dreams but I don’t know if I do. I know all of this sounds weird and you may think me a nut case but all of this is the truth.
Welcome back Denise.
From what you have said, the dream seems to be one where the timber wolf is attempting to warn you of something. It does not appear to be trying to harm you. The ears back flat is a warning sign. The fact that it didn’t follow you up the stairs tells me it was happy that you heeded the warning. Perhaps someone you know is trying to undermine your confidence and the dream is a way of alerting you to this.
Timberwolf
Denise
One thing that is not taken for granted here at Timberwolf HQ are the experiences shared by my readers. It is not for us to judge you or your skills and abilities. I and I hope my readers accept all who come here for who they are and what they share. I have had some experiences that might be labelled ‘weird and unusual’ as well so do not be concerned about your own. As to the Sheep, well the Spirit Walk Ministry indicates that a sheep is:
Hope this helps make sense of the dream for you.
I look forward to more of your experiences being shared here at Timberwolf HQ and hope to see you back again.
Timberwolf
Thank you so much for your interpretation of my dream. What you said makes a lot of sense in where it applies to my life at this time. Does the action of the wolf mean that the Timberwolf is my spiritual protector, spiritual guardian or spiritual advisor in my life?
I have been dreaming of a timber wolf and a bald eagle for some time now. They are never in the same dream, and the dreams are always very abrupt, vivid, and brief. Normally, the timber wolf is on the side of a curvy mountain road, in the shadows under the trees. In the dreams, I’m in a car with my mother or elder sister, and I see the wolf staring at me before he bounds away into the shadows. Last night, as we were driving around a curve, the wolf suddenly leaped into the road in front of the car. His ears were laid back and his hackles were raised as he snarled. Then he leaped across the road and ran into the shadows. My sister and I were very startled by this, but I became lucid and thought to myself “I didn’t remember dreaming of this wolf before, but now it’s come back to me. What’s wrong with him?”.
That’s the first time I can recall dreaming of the wolf seeming angry or defensive. My day has been very strange because of that dream and I’ve been quite bothered by it all day.
Hello Mary, welcome to Timberwolf HQ. Have you ever tried to contact your animal spirit guide? Doing so may help you with your interpretation of these dreams. However, from my first impressions, I feel that the wolf is attempting to gain your attention and direct you to look elsewhere than on the road you are currently travelling. Perhaps you need to examine the direction your life is taking at the moment and consider what other options you may have. Without knowing what choices you are facing I have provided my best interpretation.
Please come back and let me know what is happening. I would like you to read the article: Discovering Your Animal Totem as well. Then tell me what happens when you make contact. You may also be interested in entering the competition I am running at the moment.
Timberwolf
Welcome back Denise. You are very welcome. I am glad that my interpretation made sense to you. It is likely that the wolf has something to do with your spiritual development. I’d like to you read and try the meditation in the article: Discovering Your Animal Totem.
When you have done this, please come back and share your experience. I am running a competition at the moment and your story may well be a winner.
Timberwolf
Timberwolf I need help I had this dream where I was in an attic like place and I was asleep in my dream, but I knew what was going on around me and these people came and put these wolves in there with us but one came to me! I was so scared I couldnt move, I had my back to it but I knew it was showing is teeth and it was growling and it was a very dark wolf, but then something told me to pray and when I did I was speaking in some weird language I never heard before, and then it just walked away.
Then I had another dream where I was sleeping out side and the same thing happened. I had my back to it and it was growling and then I remember me being so scared I was paralyzed, and then this guy showed up behind the wolf to protect me so he wouldn’t bite me, but he never did. He just walked away? Please help! I’m getting scared at what this might be trying to tell me!!
Hi Frances and welcome to Timberwolf HQ. I’m sorry it has taken time to respond to your question. I needed some time to consider it. My feeling is that you are currently involved in an undertaking that could very well cause you some difficulty in the future. The wolf is not trying to hurt you, it is warning you that you need to look at your situation and make some changes. I hope this helps.
Please come back and let me know what is happening.
Timberwolf
Hi Timberwolf, I have to say I really like your web site and the wolf that I had in my dream looks like the one you have on here! It’s the one with a dark blurry background and he’s dark grey and white with a little bit of snow on his nose. Oh and I sense them two nights. I haven’t had a dream with the wolf, how can I tell if he’s my guide? Oh and I don’t really remember any dreams now that I think about it. I usually have a lot of dreams that I can remember, huh? That’s weird. Before I had the dreams I was asking god for him to guide me in my life, I dont know if that says anything? But thanks so much for your answer!
Welcome back Frances. The wolf images are just some that I found without copyright restrictions. I felt that they were appropriate for my site. I am glad one of them has meaning for you. As to your dreams, we remember those from which we are to learn, others are just tension and stress release which we don’t need to remember.
As for reaching out to your animal guide, there are a number of ways to do it. One is contained in this artilce: Discovering Your Animal Totem, which seems to be assisting many of my readers make the desired contact. I am preparing a free eBook with a number of meditation guides that may also be of benefit in the long-term. When you have been introduced to your animal spirit guide it would be wonderful for you to come back and tell us about your experience. You can write about it for the competition I am running and may win yourself a Timberwolf HQ T-shirt.
Once you make contact with your guide you will begin to see them everywhere. I have posted another challenge to readers on images in coffee: Wolf Spirit Guide and Readers Challenge.
I look forward to hearing from you again Frances.
Timberwolf
I had a dream that me & a friend were driving down a long road as the sun went down & I saw a Timber Wolf “sneaking” in the distance. We made eye kept eye contact at all times. When we got to the house I notice that there were others, the guy I was with ignored them but I begin to get uneasy. When we got in the house I looked outside & It begin to “howl” I close the curtains & still we had eye contact. Somehow it got in the house & there were two, the people there looked at then as pets but the one I knew looked at me & “bared his teeth” then he “bit my thumb” HARD. I woke up after that. I dream a lot of important dreams but not too many about animals trying to hurt me, what is this one saying?