Needlecoat Wolf
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Needlecoat Wolf is an extremely large canine, descended from arctic wolves. Needlecoat wolves often stand between five and eight feet at the shoulder (males typically larger than females), with incredibly bulky bodies more similar to that of bears than any canine. Their paws are much longer than that of wolves and take on a more plantigrade stance in the front limbs, similar to bears. Needlecoat claws can be as long as 7 inches and are quite thick, adapted to be able to tear through ice and frozen snow.
Needlecoat wolves are named such for their incredibly dense fur that is known for having incredibly sharp guard hairs. Needlecoat fur is often highly undesirable in the fur trade, due to that there is a long process to remove the so called barbs in order to make it into a usable garment. It's thought this adaptation is use in interspecies combat, for preventing bites in vulnerable areas, such as the throat and neck.
Genetics and Reproduction
Packs of needlecoat wolves are family groups, generally led by the oldest male and female pair, who are also the parents of the rest of the pack. In particularly large packs there may be as many as three of these pairs, and they are the only ones to breed. Breeding season is in mid winter, with typically 3-5 pups born in the spring.
Ecology and Habitats
Needlecoat wolves dominate the glacial zones and tundras as an apex predator, and can often spread into other similarly cold environments such as mountains within their range with similar prey. The needlecoat wolf primarily feeds on other megafauna, such as moose, seals, bison, yaks, and wool-hides, controlling their populations. As an apex predator in their environment, the needlecoat will also attack and hunt smaller animals when they are available, such as deer, caribou, wolves, and cougars.
Though originally from the arctic, far above the glacial line, needlecoat populations have begun to spread further south into Laramidia and Appalachia, as far south as Idaho. This is a disturbing trend for many biologists as well as the Pack of Ferventi, as needlecoat populations in their invasive regions has skyrocketed due to a much higher availability of food.
Dietary Needs and Habits
As an obligate carnivore, needlecoats hunt other animals. They usually hunt other forms of megafauna in their native range, including but not limited to moose, yaks, bison, seals, and Wool-Hide Elephants. Along the coasts, seals, fish, and even whales make up a part of their diets, although the latter has only been found to be in the case of beachings or scavenging. Needlecoats take advantage of all parts of a carcass, eating the bones, organs, and other tissues not normally digestible. Where their territories overlap, needlecoat wolves have been observed to hunt bears and wolves as well, mainly attacking dens during the breeding season and feasting on cubs and pups.
Behaviour
Like many animals native to regions above the glacial line, Needlecoat wolves do not have an adapted fear response to people or noises associated with them. The vast majority of Needlecoat wolves have never seen humanoids before, and their only experiences with them often being lost explorers or scientists, oftentimes needlecoats view them as prey. This has become especially troubling as Needlecoat populations have moved further south and the beasts are in much closer proximity to population centers.
Like their wolf ancestors, Needlecoats are a social animal and live in family groups, typically led by the eldest breeding pair with other members of a pack being their offspring. Packs can be as large as 18 members, though groups this large are often only observed in times of abundant food, such as after a whale beaching. More typical groups are generally between 3-8 members. It is thought that dispersal needlecoats, young adults who leave their family pack, stay in a close range to their parent's territory for at least 2-4 years and may intermittently rejoin their birth pack when they cannot find food on their own, before finding their own mates and establishing their own territory.
Breeding pairs are highly aggressive to other packs and take part in an array of behaviors to strengthen their territory to keep others at bay. Territory is marked through a wide array of behaviors, such as scent marking, vocal calls, sprays, hunting, and scratches on rocks, trees, and the ice. When territory overlaps, needlecoats are known to deliberately spend more time in the overlapping territory in attempt to drive out the other pack and from time to time may attack their rival's dens to force them into a further range. Breeding pairs are also known to chase out dispersal wolves from their territory to prevent their own offspring from breeding. Females are especially aggressive to male dispersals, as it's been known for younger females to often attempt to raise their first litter while still in their family pack, adding strain on the group's food demands. Despite this, cases of breeding pairs attacking or killing litters of their offspring's pups is very rare, and once born, the breeding pairs will often seem to adopt them themselves, stealing the pups away to their own dens.
Additional Information
Domestication
There have been attempts to domesticate the Needlecoat Wolf in the past, although all have been so far unsuccessful. Their dietary needs are beyond that which can be provided by people in the majority of cases, and due to their temperaments and destructive behaviors, even containment in zoos has proven difficult. As needlecoats often see people as prey, especially in the high north, there have been multiple cases of handlers being killed and eaten by captive specimens. It is thought that many of the invasive packs further south started as released captive individuals who started breeding populations in the wild.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Needlecoat wolves are often hunted for their fur by the Pack of Ferventi, their coats being highly prized and symbolic to the wolf god's followers. These are fashioned into capes, cloaks, and armor, most often to fight off the brutal cold. It is also done to keep the population in check as the needlecoat wolf has been spreading to other regions, and is highly regulated on who, when, and where they can be hunted. Meat from needlecoat wolves is often used as feed for War Wolves and dogs, though is often eaten by the pack's members as well.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
North America
Scientific Name
Canis lupus acrifurrure
Lifespan
20 to 30 years
Conservation Status
Least Concern/Invasive in some regions
Average Height
5-6 feet at the shoulder
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Typically white, pale cream, and light grey. Pups are born dark brown or black and will shed around 8 months of age into their adult colorations. Black, dark brown, or dark grey 'tear bands' are a common marking on the face, from the tear ducks down the muzzle. Some southern populations have begun showing darker coloration, such as brown and black fur year round.
Geographic Distribution
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