wolf myths the media doesn’t know about

wolves have gotta be one of, if not, the most misunderstood predator.

myth #1: wolves are extremely dangerous to humans and will attack on sight.

fact #1: wolves can pose a threat to humans, but not as much as other predators like bears or mountain lions. keep in mind that nonfatal attacks are already extremely rare, let alone fatal ones. in recent u.s history, wolves have only been responsible for two fatal attacks. one in 2005, the guy who died was kenton joel carnegie, and in 2010, candice berber died. if we put those numbers in perspective, it means you’re more likely to get killed by bees, dogs, cattle, shot by a hunter, struck by lightning, and even killed by tap water… yeah, tap water.

myth #2: the alpha wolf is the wolf that fought for the top rank.

fact #2: the alpha wolf is a myth, and an outdated term for a parent wolf. the term shouldn’t be used anymore because it implies that the wolf fought its way to get to that rank. it didn’t… no. i dunno where that myth came from, but the only way to become an “alpha” is finding a mate of the opposing gender, then the offspring are the subordinate wolves. not “omegas”.

myth #3: wolves only eat meat, and are true carnivores.

fact #3: wolves are carnivores, they’re in the order carnivora, but they’re also omnivores. or, if you wanna get specific, they’re facultative carnivores, in the group hypercarnivores. the obligate group is the group full of true carnivores, and a hypercarnivore is an animal who eats 70% meat and up, which can be in the obligate group, however, there’s been video evidence of wolves eating berries and watermelons.

myth #4: if you have a wound, heal it with a wolf’s saliva

fact #4: although it is true that a wolf’s saliva contains antiseptic properties, it is ill-advised to put a wolf’s saliva on a wound, as a wolf has just as much harmful bacteria as any carnivore. 

myth #5: there are no cases of wolves actually changing their fur color.

fact #5: in addition to having a unique shedding period, some wolves will undergo a process called phasing, which is phenomenal, imo. phasing is where a wolf will have a significant change in coat color. phasing causes animals to become lighter overtime. also, phasing can happen slower or faster in some wolves. it can take 4 years, 8 years, 12 years… for them to fully change color.

anyway that’s just me ranting about my special interest byeeee