A large dog-like predator with grey-brown fur, erect ears and long legs. It lives in Georgia all year round and is more common in the mountains than in the lowlands.
The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is a mammal of the dog family (Canidae) and the largest wild member of that family in Georgia. IUCN includes Georgia in its native range, and the wolf appears on Georgia’s national mammal checklists. Across the species, total length is often about 1.3–1.6 m, while body mass varies widely. The wolf has no venom: the main risks to people are a bite and rabies, and there are uncommon reports of attacks. IUCN assesses it globally as Least Concern; it is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List.
Identification
How to identify Grey wolf
The grey wolf is a large dog-like predator. Its fur is grey-brown and often mottled, its ears are erect and triangular, its muzzle is thick and its legs are long. It lives in Georgia all year round.
Across the species, total length is often about 1.3–1.6 m, the tail about 30–50 cm and shoulder height often about 70–90 cm. Weight varies widely: Mech 1974 gives about 18–55 kg for females and 20–80 kg for males; males from the far north are near the upper end. Caucasian wolves are usually in the middle of that range. There are no separate measurements of Georgian wolves on this page. Males are usually slightly larger than females. The muzzle is thick, and the ears are relatively short and erect.
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The coat is usually grey, mixed with brown, black and pale hairs. The belly is paler. Fully black or nearly white wolves occur in the species, but a typical wild wolf in Georgia is grey-brown. The tail is bushy and hangs low. A white tail tip, like the one a red fox has, is not a reliable sign for identifying a wolf.
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The golden jackal (Canis aureus) also occurs in Georgia. It is much smaller than a wolf, with shorter legs, a more uniform yellowish-grey coat and a finer muzzle. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is smaller still and rusty red, with black backs to its ears and often a white tail tip. A free-ranging dog can match a wolf in size and colour. A wolf typically has more erect ears, a thicker muzzle, longer legs and larger feet, but a wolf–dog hybrid cannot always be identified in the field.
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The wolf is not venomous. Its bite or saliva can carry a risk of rabies. Do not handle a wolf, especially one that approaches without fear or behaves aggressively. A wolf seen by day is not necessarily rabid.
Colour
GreyBrownBlackWhite
The grey wolf's coat colour varies across the species' range. The fur can be a mix of white, grey, brown (including reddish-brown) and black hairs. In Arctic populations a wolf can be pure white, while some colour phases are almost uniformly black. This description covers the species as a whole, not Georgian wolves specifically.
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
In Georgia the grey wolf is more common in the mountains than in the lowlands. Shakarashvili et al. 2020 confirm this pattern. They also report that wolf numbers have grown in recent decades and that wolves are seen more often in the lowlands of western Georgia, including near the Black Sea coast. For the genetic study by Pilot et al. 2014, most Georgian samples came from three areas: Kazbegi, Svaneti and Colchis. For a 2015 study, Kikvidze and Tevzadze interviewed local people in the Lanchkhuti area and Kazbegi District; the authors link wolf conflict there with growing livestock numbers and abandoned habitat. One field photograph on this page was taken in the David Gareja desert on 7 December 2019. The map on this page shades Kakheti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti as confirmed distribution: regions where public iNaturalist photo observations reach the table threshold. Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Abkhazia, Adjara, Imereti and Shida Kartli have only individual records, which do not yet count as regional distribution. Few or no records do not mean the species is absent, and record counts reflect observation effort, not density, so do not assume that wolves are equally common across the whole country. Across its whole range the species lives in many kinds of habitat: forest, mountains, open country and sometimes the edge of settlements.Read moreShow less
In Georgia the grey wolf is more common in the mountains than in the lowlands. Shakarashvili et al. 2020 confirm this pattern. They also report that wolf numbers have grown in recent decades and that wolves are seen more often in the lowlands of western Georgia, including near the Black Sea coast. For the genetic study by Pilot et al. 2014, most Georgian samples came from three areas: Kazbegi, Svaneti and Colchis. For a 2015 study, Kikvidze and Tevzadze interviewed local people in the Lanchkhuti area and Kazbegi District; the authors link wolf conflict there with growing livestock numbers and abandoned habitat. One field photograph on this page was taken in the David Gareja desert on 7 December 2019. The map on this page shades Kakheti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti as confirmed distribution: regions where public iNaturalist photo observations reach the table threshold. Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Abkhazia, Adjara, Imereti and Shida Kartli have only individual records, which do not yet count as regional distribution. Few or no records do not mean the species is absent, and record counts reflect observation effort, not density, so do not assume that wolves are equally common across the whole country. Across its whole range the species lives in many kinds of habitat: forest, mountains, open country and sometimes the edge of settlements.
The wolf map uses public iNaturalist photo observations from Georgia. Only regions marked confirmed in the records-by-region table are shaded as distribution; other points are individual records. Record counts reflect observation effort, not population density.
The grey wolf is a carnivore. Across the species it hunts ungulates and medium-sized mammals and also eats carrion. What it eats in a given place depends on which prey is available there. According to Pilot et al. 2014, in some parts of Georgia — for example the Colchis lowland and the Kazbegi region — the wolf's main prey is domestic ungulates: cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys and horses. According to the same paper, potential wild prey in Georgia includes red deer, European roe deer, wild boar and chamois, and the most common non-ungulate prey in the South Caucasus is the brown hare. In a 2010 NACRES / GCCP questionnaire on the Vashlovani winter pastures, most people surveyed named the wolf as the main problem predator. These are people's answers, not a full verified count of animals killed. This page has no nationwide diet study (stomach-content analysis) for wolves in Georgia.
The grey wolf is mainly active at dusk and at night, but where it is little disturbed it can also be seen by day. It lives in a family group, the pack, which is usually made up of the parents and their offspring. Wolves also travel alone or in pairs. Across the species, pregnancy lasts about 63 days, and pups are often born in spring, often 4–7 in a litter. These figures come from the species' wider range, not from dens studied in Georgia. Wolf tracks look like those of a large dog but are often more oval and larger. The forefoot has five toes, although one of them, the dew claw, often does not show in the print; the hind foot has four. Claw marks usually show, and a wolf's toe prints line up symmetrically. A Eurasian lynx print is round and asymmetrical and usually shows no claw marks, although a lynx does use its claws in heavy or hard-packed snow. In soft snow or a wet marsh a wolf spreads its toes, and its tracks can then be confused with a lynx's. Wolves rarely bark; howling is more typical. Do not feed or handle wild animals.
On the IUCN Red List, Canis lupus is assessed globally as Least Concern. The assessors are Boitani, Phillips and Jhala (2018 assessment, 2023 amended version). The global population trend is assessed as stable, although some regional populations are threatened. The wolf is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Government Resolution No. 190). It is listed as a hunting species; hunting quotas and seasons are set in agency documents, and current figures are not given here. Under CITES, Georgia’s wolves are in Appendix II; Appendix I applies only to the populations of Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Shakarashvili et al. 2020 report that wolf numbers in Georgia have increased in recent decades, but a national census is not confirmed on this page. Local threats can include hunting, conflict over livestock, interbreeding with free-ranging dogs and deaths on roads. Do not handle wild animals.
Diet
The grey wolf is a carnivore. Across the species it hunts ungulates and medium-sized mammals and also eats carrion. What it eats in a given place depends on which prey is available there. According to Pilot et al. 2014, in some parts of Georgia — for example the Colchis lowland and the Kazbegi region — the wolf's main prey is domestic ungulates: cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys and horses. According to the same paper, potential wild prey in Georgia includes red deer, European roe deer, wild boar and chamois, and the most common non-ungulate prey in the South Caucasus is the brown hare. In a 2010 NACRES / GCCP questionnaire on the Vashlovani winter pastures, most people surveyed named the wolf as the main problem predator. These are people's answers, not a full verified count of animals killed. This page has no nationwide diet study (stomach-content analysis) for wolves in Georgia.
Behavior
The grey wolf is mainly active at dusk and at night, but where it is little disturbed it can also be seen by day. It lives in a family group, the pack, which is usually made up of the parents and their offspring. Wolves also travel alone or in pairs. Across the species, pregnancy lasts about 63 days, and pups are often born in spring, often 4–7 in a litter. These figures come from the species' wider range, not from dens studied in Georgia. Wolf tracks look like those of a large dog but are often more oval and larger. The forefoot has five toes, although one of them, the dew claw, often does not show in the print; the hind foot has four. Claw marks usually show, and a wolf's toe prints line up symmetrically. A Eurasian lynx print is round and asymmetrical and usually shows no claw marks, although a lynx does use its claws in heavy or hard-packed snow. In soft snow or a wet marsh a wolf spreads its toes, and its tracks can then be confused with a lynx's. Wolves rarely bark; howling is more typical. Do not feed or handle wild animals.
Conservation
On the IUCN Red List, Canis lupus is assessed globally as Least Concern. The assessors are Boitani, Phillips and Jhala (2018 assessment, 2023 amended version). The global population trend is assessed as stable, although some regional populations are threatened. The wolf is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Government Resolution No. 190). It is listed as a hunting species; hunting quotas and seasons are set in agency documents, and current figures are not given here. Under CITES, Georgia’s wolves are in Appendix II; Appendix I applies only to the populations of Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Shakarashvili et al. 2020 report that wolf numbers in Georgia have increased in recent decades, but a national census is not confirmed on this page. Local threats can include hunting, conflict over livestock, interbreeding with free-ranging dogs and deaths on roads. Do not handle wild animals.
Short answers to the most important questions about Grey wolf.
Yes. IUCN lists the grey wolf as native to Georgia, which means it occurs here naturally. It is on Georgia’s national mammal checklists and on the list of hunting species. It lives in Georgia all year round.
In Georgia the wolf is found more often in the mountains than in the lowlands. Areas named in research include Kazbegi, Svaneti, Colchis and the Lanchkhuti area. One field photograph on this page was taken in the David Gareja desert on 7 December 2019. In recent decades wolves have also been seen more often in the lowlands of western Georgia, including near the Black Sea coast. Regions confirmed by photo observations are Kakheti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti; Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Abkhazia, Adjara, Imereti and Shida Kartli have individual records so far. See the map on this page.
The grey wolf is a large, long-legged dog-like predator with grey-brown fur, a thick muzzle and erect ears. A golden jackal is smaller and more yellowish. A red fox is rusty red and often has a white tail tip. Telling a wolf from a dog is not always easy, because a free-ranging dog can look like a wolf in size and colour.
Across the species, total length is often about 1.3–1.6 m. Weight varies widely, and males are usually slightly larger than females. There are no separate measurements of Georgian wolves on this page.
The grey wolf is a carnivore. In some parts of Georgia, for example the Colchis lowland and the Kazbegi region, its main prey is domestic ungulates — cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys and horses. Potential wild prey in Georgia includes red deer, European roe deer, wild boar and chamois. In the South Caucasus, its most common prey apart from ungulates is the brown hare. Its diet across the whole country has not been measured on this page.
Mainly at dusk and at night. It can also appear by day, especially where it is little disturbed. The wolf lives in Georgia all year round and does not migrate.
The wolf is not venomous, but it can bite. It also kills livestock. In Georgia it is named among wild carnivores that can carry rabies. Reports of attacks on people exist, but how often they happen is not measured on this page. Do not handle a wolf. If a wolf bites you, wash the wound and seek medical care.
The wolf is assessed globally as Least Concern and is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List. It is a hunting species: the hunting season and quota are set by official rules. International trade in wolves is regulated under CITES Appendix II.
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
