![]() The Utes and other Indigenous people made a habit of leaving some of their bison carcasses behind for wolves, whom they also occasionally killed for fur. In Ute mythology, the wolf is the creator and hero, while his younger brother, Coyote, is a trickster-a relationship that reflects the ecological tie between wolves as hunters and coyotes as their trailing scavengers. They figure prominently in the mythology of nearly every Indigenous nation in the continental United States. Wolves are an important part of Indigenous spirituality. In many of these places, including Colorado neighbors Wyoming and New Mexico, wolves were reintroduced after being wiped out in the first few decades of the twentieth century. Today, smaller populations of wolves roam parts of Alaska, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Historically, the gray wolf’s range covered more than two-thirds of the United States and a wide set of habitats, from tundra to prairies and deserts. They live in dens, small burrows where females give birth to between six and ten pups each year, usually in March. They sport bushy tails and gray-and-white fur, and can weigh between 60 and 145 pounds. Wolves resemble large dogs, especially German shepherds (dogs are evolutionarily descended from wolves). Adept carnivores, they will eat large ungulates such as deer, elk, and bison, as well as smaller prey such as beavers, rabbits, and small rodents. Wolves also possess remarkable intelligence and keen senses, allowing them to track and follow prey for many miles. The gray wolf is one of nature’s most imposing predators, with powerful jaws and sharp sets of canine teeth up to two and a half inches long. Since their eradication, wolves have garnered renewed public appreciation that has led to their controversial reintroduction in a number of places, including Colorado in 2020 Colorado became the first state to approve a ballot measure for wolf reintroduction. Before wolves were killed off in the state by the 1940s, they enjoyed a rather peaceful coexistence with humans. The gray wolf ( Canis lupus) was once one of the most prevalent predators in Colorado, stalking deer and bison across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains.
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