The gray wolf, also known as the timber wolf, is the largest member of the canid family in North America (66 to 97 cm at the shoulder).

As its name suggests, its fur is ash-grey but can vary from white to black. In North America, black wolves have inherited the allele responsible for melanism from past crossbreeding with dogs at least 15,000 years ago. In short, the black wolf is a gray wolf with a black coat.

The grey wolf is a sociable animal that lives in a highly hierarchical pack. Only the dominant male and female, who make a faithful couple, can reproduce. The other individuals are dominated and must wait for the dominant couple’s “permission” to feed.

Wolves hunt in packs, following a strategy. They spot their prey (often a weak, young, old or sick animal), surround it and then attack.

The female gives birth to four to ten cubs, sometimes more, in a den (one meter in diameter) connected to the outside through a tunnel from two to nine meters.

Overhunting and habitat destruction have reduced its numbers in Canada. Nevertheless, wolves are present throughout Quebec, except in the far south.