Coin Story: Canada - Gray Wolf

I really enjoyed researching the Gray Wolf, which is the animal on this Canadian coin. Canada happens to have the 2nd largest gray wolf population in the world, after Russia.   There are an estimated 60,000 wolves throughout most areas of Canada, and their population is stable or increasing.  There are concerns, of course, for the future as rural areas keep shrinking.

The Gray Wolf is the largest predator to survive the end of the last ice age about 11,000 years ago. A recent scientific study determined that they survived because they were able to adapt their diet in a short period of time with the climate changes.  They now mostly hunt moose and caribou.

At an interview of experts at the Calgary Zoo, they said the most impressive trait that the wolves show is teamwork.  They are intelligent and social animals that use teamwork to raise their young.  Most wolf packs are actually family units with the parents and their offspring creating packs.  It also takes a lot of teamwork for them to hunt animals, such as moose, that are much larger than they are.  They use unique sounds to communicate with each other, including the howl represented in this coins design.

Interesting Fact:  You can observe the wolf's status in their pack by the height they hold their tail.  The higher the tail, the higher their status!