152 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 
Exploring often brings them in touch with 
strange wolves. With these there may be 
battles but more likely organized play, like the 
relay running of a deer or some other victim. 
When a number are together they are likely to 
make life miserable for a mountain lion in 
case they come upon the trail of one. They 
will even annoy a bear. 
The wolf has extraordinary endurance, great 
strength, senses amazingly developed, and ex- 
ceptionally powerful jaws. He is a good swimmer. 
I have seen wolves swimming vigorously in 
rivers, wide lakes, and among breakers. They 
appear to be equally at home in the mountains, 
in the forest, in thickets, or on the prairie. They 
probably live from eight to fifteen years. 
The coyote, or prairie wolf, is a distinct 
species, much smaller and with more fox traits 
than his big brother, the gray wolf. 
The wolf is closely related to the dog fam- 
ily; in fact, a Husky, or Eskimo dog, is a domes- 
ticated wolf. The track of a wolf is almost 
identical with that of a dog. 
The average weight of a mature gray wolf 
is close to one hundred pounds. In exceptional 
cases they have been known to weigh one hun- 
dred and fifty pounds. They are, therefore, 
about twice the weight of the coyote, or prairie 
wolf, and considerably larger and heavier than 
