For Carys

• Wolves

  • Internal
    Systems and What They Do

    • Muscle-
      “a
      band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that
      has the ability to contract, producing movement in or maintaining
      the position of parts of the body.” Dictionary.com

      • Smooth
        muscle- internal organs, provides slow, low energy contractions,
        never tire- examples: stomach, intestines, etc.

      • Cardiac
        muscle- related to nervous system, such as heart, connects to
        smooth muscle, wolf heart beats 120/minute

      • Skeletal
        muscle- voluntary muscle, connects the bones and provides
        movement

      • Wolves
        have very muscular jaws for biting their prey and muscular trunk
        for running and leaping.

    • Skeletal-
      “The
      bodily system that consists of the bones, their associated
      cartilages, and the joints. It supports and protects the body,
      produces blood cells, and stores minerals.” Dictionary.com

      • Built
        for running

        • Long
          legs for greater stride and leaping

        • Deep
          chest for greater lung capacity

      • Lower
        jaw is one bone, which is unique, and is the strongest, hardest,
        densest bone in their body.

    • Nervous-
      “the
      system of nerves and nerve centers in an animal or human,
      including the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and ganglia.”
      Dictionary.com

      • Central
        Nervous System- brain and spinal cord, command center for the
        body

      • Peripheral
        Nervous System- nerves that run from the brain and spinal cord
        (legs, paws, ears, etc.)

      • Neurons-
        part of the peripheral nervous system, nerve cells, send message
        to the brain to stimulate a reaction (like lifting your paw off a
        sharp rock)

      • Brain-
        highly developed, divided into several regions

        • Medula
          oblongata- connects to the spine, controls involuntary things
          like breathing and heartbeat

        • Mid
          and Hind Brain- controls posture, balance, sensory information
          and body functions

        • Fore
          Brain- controls behavior and learning, the senses of hearing,
          sight and smell

  • External
    Systems-

    • Smell-
      The wolf’s sense of smell is their best sense and their
      greatest weapon. A wolf can smell prey about a mile and a half
      away. Wolves have a sense of smell about 100 times greater than a
      human and they use this keen sense for hunting. Compared to
      domestic dogs, most wild wolves have an even higher level of scent
      recognition. In a wolf nose, the part that is receptive to smell
      is nearly 14 times greater than a human nose.

      • Smell
        and taste are connected- Wolves have a vomeronasal organ, a
        highly sensitive organ between the floor of the nasal cavity and
        the roof of their mouth. This helps them to smell through their
        mouth.

    • Ears-
      A wolf’s ears are roughly 2” long and a bit rounded at
      the top. A wolf’s ears can rotate a 180* and tilt many
      directions, forward, down, up and back. Etc.
      

      • The
        Gray Wolf which lives in the cooler climate in North America is
        bigger with smaller ears. The Red Wolf which lives in the warmer
        climate of South American is smaller with bigger ears.

      • Eyes-
        Wolves have keen eyesight and are quick to detect the slightest
        movement in front of them. Being major predators, their eyes are
        on the front of their heads. And they probably have a little less
        than 180* vison unlike prey species who can see over 360* of a
        circle.

      • Color-
        most common is amber or gold. Only blue if something is wrong.

  • Adaptation

One
of the ways wolves have uniquely adapted to their environment is
their