Page 9 - The Great Wolf Rescue: Saving the Red Wolves

Glossary

adult: a red wolf that is at least a year old. An adult is able to reproduce at about three years old.

biologist: a scientist who studies living things

climate change: major long-term changes in expected weather patterns
den: a hidden home, such as a burrow, where the female red wolf gives birth to her pups

endangered: a species that is at risk of becoming extinct

extinct: gone forever, no longer having any alive
habitat: the natural home environment of a plant or animal

juvenile: a young red wolf from about three months old until about a year old. This is a period of
rapid growth and the beginning of joining adults for on-the-hunt training.
litter: a group of red wolf pups born at one time to a mother

nurse: to feed on milk from its mother’s body

pack: a family group of red wolves that live and hunt together, usually made up of the parents, their
current pups plus young adults until they are about two years old

predator: an animal that hunts, captures, and eats other animals

prey: an animal that a predator catches to eat
pup: a young red wolf from birth until about three months old

pup fostering: introducing captive-born wolf pups into a wild litter to be raised by a foster mother

territory: an area where a red wolf pack lives that has food, water, and a safe den site for the
female to give birth to pups

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