• ChaosInstructor@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    how come so many think a wolf is soooo big, the average wolf weighs slightly under 40kg. yes, there are some wolfs with recorded weight of almost 80kg, but there is also specimen weighing only 12kg. but, they have long legs and are on average 85 cm at their shoulder. as a comparison, i have a bullboxer (staffordshire bullterrier/boxer cross) and he weighs 45kg but his height is only 60cm at his shoulder. i had a St Bernard many years ago, he was even large for his breed, that was weighing 115kg…now that is large. oh…and he was 108cm to his shoulders.

    • prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works
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      1 hour ago

      Because humans hunted wolves nearly to extinction basically everywhere they exist because they were relatively dangerous to us.

      We have made them larger in media and paintings and basically anywhere a wolf is imaged.

      “Big bad wolf” is the common idea.

    • somethingsnappy@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      Have you come face to face with a wolf before? I went to a preserve and 2 ran out to lick my face. I took one on a walk. I’ve played with great danes ,bernards, Irish wolfhounds, newfies, mastiffs, it’s not the same.

    • Breezy@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Ive worked in a house where the owner had a pet wolf. It was fucking huge. Idk why you feel the need to say that there are small wolves, but i havent seen one.

      • ChaosInstructor@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        i dont feel a need to say that there are small wolves. at least not more than everyone who need to say that wolves are big, every time there is a wolf in the picture. many years ago i had my dream summer job at a zoo, handling wolves, 14 of them, ranging from 30 to 54kg. so yes, there are big ones, but not all are that big.

    • starlinguk@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Wolves come in different species. Canadian Timber Wolves are frigging huge. Not as big as a St Bernard huge, but still 80kg huge.

      • selokichtli@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        They are one species, like dogs, the variety is quite high. Wolves have numerous subspecies. As with other mammals, it’s quite common to find the largest ones closer to the poles.