The tundra wolf (''Canis lupus albus''), also known as the Turukhan wolf,Mech, L. David (1981),
The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species
', University of Minnesota Press, p. 353, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

and

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

-tundra zones from

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

to the

Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...

. It was first described in 1792 by Robert Kerr, who described it as living around the Yenisei, and of having a highly valued pelt.Kerr, R. (1792),
The animal kingdom, or zoological system, of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnæus: containing a complete systematic description, arrangement, and nomenclature, of all the known species and varieties of the mammalia, or animals which give suck to their young
', Printed for A. Strahan, and T. Cadell, London, and W. Creech, Edinburgh, p. 137

Description

It is a large subspecies, with adult males measuring in body length, and females . Although often described as larger than '' C. l. lupus'', this is untrue, as heavier members of the latter subspecies have been recorded. Average weight is for males and for females. The highest weight recorded among 500 wolves caught in the

Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administratively it is part of the Krasnoyarsk Krai Federal subject of Russia. Ge ...

and the

Kanin Peninsula The Kanin Peninsula () is a large peninsula in Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Geography It is surrounded by the White Sea to the west and by the Barents Sea to the north and east. Shoyna (also spelled Shoina) is one of the few communities o ...

during 1951-1961 was from an old male killed on the Taymyr at the north of the Dudypta River weighing . The fur is very long, dense, fluffy, and soft, and is usually light grey in colour. The lower fur is lead-grey and the upper fur is reddish-grey.Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N., P. (1998
''Mammals of the Soviet Union'' Vol. II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears)
Science Publishers, Inc., USA, pp. 182-184,

Habitat

The tundra wolf generally rests in river valleys, thickets and forest clearings.Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N., P. (1998
''Mammals of the Soviet Union'' Vol. II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears)
Science Publishers, Inc., USA, p. 210, In winter it feeds almost exclusively on female or young wild and domestic

reindeer The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...

, though

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

arctic fox The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Tundra#Arctic tundra, Arctic tundra biome. I ...

es and other animals are sometimes targeted. The stomach contents of 74 wolves caught in the

Nenets Autonomous Okrug The Nenets Autonomous Okrug (; ) also known as Nenetsia ( ) is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Naryan-Mar. It has an area of and a population of 42,090 ...

in the 1950s were found to consist of 93.1% reindeer remains. In the summer period, tundra wolves feed extensively on birds and small rodents, as well as newborn reindeer calves.Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N., P. (1998
''Mammals of the Soviet Union'' Vol. II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears)
Science Publishers, Inc., USA, p. 216,

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q932176 Mammals of Russia Carnivorans of Europe Subspecies of Canis lupus Wolves Mammals of the Arctic Mammals described in 1792 Fauna of Siberia