Editing Wolf (section)

=== Diet ===

[[File:Wolf with Caribou Hindquarter.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Photograph of a wolf carrying a caribou leg in its mouth|A wolf carrying a [[Reindeer|caribou]] hindquarter, [[Denali National Park]], [[Alaska]]]]

Like all land mammals that are [[pack hunter]]s, the wolf feeds predominantly on [[ungulates]] that can be divided into large size {{cvt|240|–|650|kg}} and medium size {{cvt|23|–|130|kg}}, and have a body mass similar to that of the combined mass of the [[Pack (canine)|pack]] members.<ref name=Earle1987/><ref name=Sorkin2008/> The wolf specializes in preying on the vulnerable individuals of large prey,<ref name=Paquet2003/> with a pack of 15 able to bring down an adult [[moose]].<ref name=Mech1966/> The variation in diet between wolves living on different continents is based on the variety of hoofed mammals and of available smaller and domesticated prey.<ref name=Newsome2016/>

In North America, the wolf's diet is dominated by wild large hoofed mammals (ungulates) and medium-sized mammals. In Asia and Europe, their diet is dominated by wild medium-sized hoofed mammals and domestic species. The wolf depends on wild species, and if these are not readily available, as in Asia, the wolf is more reliant on domestic species.<ref name=Newsome2016/> Across Eurasia, wolves prey mostly on [[moose]], [[red deer]], [[Capreolus|roe deer]] and [[wild boar]].{{sfn|Mech|Boitani|2003|p=107}} In North America, important range-wide prey are [[elk]], moose, [[Reindeer|caribou]], [[white-tailed deer]] and [[mule deer]].{{sfn|Mech|Boitani|2003|pp=109–110}} Prior to their extirpation from North America, [[wild horse]]s were among the most frequently consumed prey of North American wolves.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Landry |first1=Zoe |last2=Kim |first2=Sora |last3=Trayler |first3=Robin B. |last4=Gilbert |first4=Marisa |last5=Zazula |first5=Grant |last6=Southon |first6=John |last7=Fraser |first7=Danielle |date=1 June 2021 |title=Dietary reconstruction and evidence of prey shifting in Pleistocene and recent gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Yukon Territory |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S003101822100153X |journal=[[Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology]] |language=en |volume=571 |pages=110368 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110368 |bibcode=2021PPP...57110368L |access-date=23 April 2024 |via=Elsevier Science Direct |issn=0031-0182}}</ref> Wolves can digest their meal in a few hours and can feed several times in one day, making quick use of large quantities of meat.{{sfn|Mech|1981|p=172}} A well-fed wolf stores fat under the skin, around the heart, intestines, kidneys, and bone marrow, particularly during the autumn and winter.{{sfn|Mech|Boitani|2003|p=201}}

Nonetheless, wolves are not fussy eaters. Smaller-sized animals that may supplement their diet include [[rodent]]s, [[hare]]s, [[insectivore]]s and smaller carnivores. They frequently eat [[waterfowl]] and their eggs. When such foods are insufficient, they prey on [[lizard]]s, [[snake]]s, and [[frog]]s, when available,{{sfn|Heptner|Naumov|1998|pp=213–231}} and have even been known to feed on [[Grasshopper|grasshoppers]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barton |first=Brandon T. |last2=Hill |first2=JoVonn G. |last3=Wolff |first3=Carter L. |last4=Newsome |first4=Thomas M. |last5=Ripple |first5=William J. |last6=Lashley |first6=Marcus A. |date=18 September 2019 |title=Grasshopper consumption by grey wolves and implications for ecosystems |url=https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.2892 |journal=[[Ecology (journal)|Ecology]] |language=en |volume=101 |issue=2 |doi=10.1002/ecy.2892 |issn=0012-9658 |access-date=20 April 2025 |via=Wiley Online Library}}</ref> Wolves in some areas may consume fish and even marine life.<ref name="Gable2018" /><ref name="Woodford2019" /><ref name="McAllister2007" /> Wolves also consume some plant material. In Europe, they eat apples, pears, [[Common fig|figs]], melons, [[Berry|berries]] and [[Cherry|cherries]]. In North America, wolves eat [[Blueberry|blueberries]] and [[Raspberry|raspberries]]. They also eat grass, which may provide some vitamins, but is most likely used mainly to induce vomiting to rid themselves of intestinal parasites or long guard hairs.<ref name="Fuller2019" /> They are known to eat the berries of [[Sorbus|mountain-ash]], [[lily of the valley]], [[Bilberry|bilberries]], [[Vaccinium vitis-idaea|cowberries]], [[Solanum nigrum|European black nightshade]], grain crops, and the shoots of reeds.{{sfn|Heptner|Naumov|1998|pp=213–231}}

In times of scarcity, wolves will readily eat [[carrion]].{{sfn|Heptner|Naumov|1998|pp=213–231}} In Eurasian areas with dense human activity, many wolf populations are forced to subsist largely on livestock and garbage.{{sfn|Mech|Boitani|2003|p=107}} As prey in North America continue to occupy suitable habitats with low human density, North American wolves eat livestock and garbage only in dire circumstances.{{sfn|Mech|Boitani|2003|p=109}} [[Cannibalism]] is not uncommon in wolves during harsh winters, when packs often attack weak or injured wolves and may eat the bodies of dead pack members.{{sfn|Heptner|Naumov|1998|pp=213–231}}{{sfn|Mech|1981|p=180}}<ref name=Klein1995/>