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Big size difference between male and female wolf

Voyageurs Wolf Project | January 26, 2026



Two reasons this video from last winter is pretty neat. The first is that the video illustrates how much larger male wolves can be than female wolves. The two wolves in the latter part of the video are the breeding pair of the Pelican River Pack.

The breeding male of that pack is a big boy whereas his mate is considerably smaller (would guess ~20-25 lbs). She is not only smaller but also considerably shorter than her mate.

The average female wolf in our area is about 55 lbs/25 kg and average male is about 70 lbs/32 kg. However, mature adult males can be between 80-90 lbs.

For instance, the first wolf in the video was the breeding male of the Wandering Pines Pack. We collared him this summer and he weighed 76 lbs/34.6 kg in late summer—when wolves are the leanest—meaning he was likely 80+ lbs in this video. And the breeding male of the Pelican River Pack appeared larger than him from our perspective.

Regardless, there was a considerable difference in size between the Pelican River breeding pair.

The second reason this video is neat is that the camera was right on the edge of the Wandering Pines and Pelican River Pack territories.

The first sequence in this video was the breeding male of Wandering Pines scent-rolling at 12:51. And then, just 13 minutes later, the breeding pair of the Pelican River Pack comes running in, clearly fixated on the scent from the dominant male of the neighboring pack.

Although things like this probably happen all the time, we rarely get to see this kind of territorial behavior in this detail given how difficult it is to see wolves in our area.

Learn more about the Voyageurs Wolf Project:
Website: http://www.voyageurswolfproject.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VoyageursWolfProject
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/voyageurswolfproject/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VoyaWolfProject
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@voyageurswolfproject

Written by Voyageurs Wolf Project

Comments

This post currently has 20 comments.

  5. @camp44mag

    January 26, 2026 at 9:14 am

    Excellent! Thanks. It was interesting to guess what was occurring in the clips, then read the description for insights. Altogether possibly the most intriguing short upload here.

  6. @Terrierized

    January 26, 2026 at 9:14 am

    And quite noticeably the wolves are never obese, because they're eating their species specific diet. We should realise we're carnivores too, that's how we evolved.

  8. @CaSCHWANK

    January 26, 2026 at 9:14 am

    oh that's really cool. I wonder what sniffing the scent of the other pack's male makes them think. is it like "oh the neighbours were here" or is it more like "dang kids were on our turf again" 😆
    it's so cool how even with all the info we know about these animals it still just feels like the barest glimpses into their true inner lives 👀

Comments are closed.

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