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When many people think of wolves, they may think of them the same way as dogs. However, while The Twilight Saga We may have exaggerated the size of the ancestor of man’s best friend, but wolves are surprisingly larger than most people think. But how big are they? We’ve created this wolf size comparison guide to better understand how their size compares to humans and even prehistoric wolves like dire wolf!
Hopefully this gives you an idea of how big the wolves are, without the opportunity to get to know one of them up close and personal (which is not recommended, especially in the wild)!
Types of wolves and their sizes
There are almost as many types or subspecies of wolves as there are dog breeds – well, not really, but there are several of them to be found right here in North America. Most of these fall under the gray wolf (also known as the gray wolf or forest wolf) category and include:
- Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos)
- Northwest wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis)
- Great Plains wolf (Canis lupus nubilus)
- Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi)
- Eastern wolf (Canis lycaon)
There is also a red wolf, although it is only found in a small region of North Carolina. Red wolves are generally much smaller than gray wolves and appear closer to coyotes with their small size of 80 pounds and 4 feet long.
The smallest wolf is the Arabian wolf. At its full adult size, it usually weighs only 45 pounds. For reference, this is roughly the same as the Miniature American Shepherd. They also don’t tend to get over 25 inches at the shoulders.
However, male wolves of various species and subspecies are known to exceed 150 pounds! In fact, the largest wolf ever recorded weighed 175 pounds!
There were also many photographs of wolves on their hind legs looking into each other’s eyes with their people caring for them.
The wolf is against. Comparison of human sizes
Did you know that wolf attacks on humans are some of the rarest of all apex predators? Even wild sightings are rare due to how fearful they are of humans. However, if you happen to bump into one of them, how do you think you compare to them?
If you happened to meet an Arabian wolf, it would be like meeting a Labrador Retriever – at least the size. For an adult, this means they are more likely to be at eye level with your top knee.
However, in some of the largest wolf species, they can reach up to the waist. And if they were on their hind legs, they could probably put their front legs on your shoulder and be at eye level. Let’s talk about the most dangerous hug.
Comparison of the size of the wolf with the Great Dane
The Titan, one of the largest Great Danes ever, set a 42-inch shoulder record. Though this dwarfs even the largest wolves, which usually cannot boast more than 32 inches (about 1 shell length shorter than the Titan, Dane).
But do wolves have a chance against the average Great Dane?
For the Great Dane, this is probably close. Females average 28 to 32 inches tall, with an estimated maximum of 130 pounds. Larger wolves such as the forest wolf or the Mackenzie Valley wolf may be larger than this, but smaller species such as the tundra wolf, Mexican wolf, or Arabian wolf will be several inches shorter.
Comparison of the size of a wolf with a coyote
Depending on your region, it can be difficult to distinguish a wolf from a coyote due to their similarities. One of their few distinguishing qualities is size, or lack thereof, in coyotes.
Wolves, similar to many of North America’s top predators, especially forest or gray wolves, are known for their lean but large size. In fact, when coyotes only reach a maximum weight of 50 pounds, gray wolves are nearly double their size. Wolves also tend to be about a foot taller than coyotes, which means they won’t make eye contact unless the wolf goes into an offensive, growling pose (and who wants to be on the other side of that?).
From snout to tail, wolves also benefit in length, growing from 5 to 6 feet in length – the average height of an adult. Cutouts, on the other hand, usually do not reach more than four feet, the average height of a five-year-old.
There is even a difference in the size of the paws! On average, a wolf’s feet are exactly twice the size of a coyote’s — all the better to support their larger bodies.
Wolf size comparison with dire wolf
That’s right: dire wolves exist outside of the world of your favorite fantasy shows. At least that’s how it was.
Although they have become extinct for tens of thousands of years, dire wolves were among the main predators in America and Asia, and they are the ancestors of modern wolves. Surprisingly, there is not much difference between these canine family members, even when analyzed and compared in size.
Dire wolves are most similar to gray wolves, where they are slightly heavier. To be more specific, the lean and athletic gray wolf typically gains around 145 pounds, while dire wolves have been known to be large, strong hunters with an estimated maximum weight of 175 pounds. In general, dire wolves were about 25% heavier than today’s gray wolves.
While they tend to agree when it comes to height, dire wolves were known for their large skulls and jaws, giving them a growth advantage over the gray wolf.
The largest subspecies of wolves today is the Mackenzie wolf. As noted earlier, the largest animal ever captured weighed 175 pounds, which means wolves in the Yukon and Alaska might be the closest modern day approximations to dire wolves!
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