Grey wolf
Canis lupus
A large dog-like predator with grey-brown fur, erect ears, and long legs. It is resident in Georgia and is more common in the mountains than in the lowlands.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Diet
Carnivore
Status in Georgia
Resident
Size
1.3–1.6 m
Habitat
Mountain / forest
Family
Canidae
Conservation
LC
Human interaction: It has no venom. It can bite. It is a large predator; livestock killing is a documented conflict in Georgia. Kopaliani et al. 2014 note reports of more frequent livestock attacks since the 2000s and several reports of attacks on people — those are reports, not a verified clinical series on this page. In Georgia it is named among wild carnivores that can carry rabies. Do not feed or handle it. Keep dogs vaccinated. If you meet one, keep distance and back away slowly; do not run at it or crowd it.
Overview
What is Grey wolf
The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is a mammal in the dog family (Canidae) — the largest wild canid in Georgia. IUCN lists Georgia in the native range. It appears on national mammal checklists. At species level total length is often about 1.3–1.6 m; mass spans a wide range. It has no venom. The main human risks are a bite, rabies, and uncommon reports of attacks, not poison. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List.
Last updated
Gallery
Grey wolf in photos
David Gareja desert ·
Photo: Clément Bardot
Pescheray ·
Photo: Pieter-Paul G
Photo: Mas3cf
Bardu ·
Photo: Musicaline
Sainte-Croix ·
Photo: Frank Vassen
Białowieża Forest ·
Photo: Wilfredor
Innsbruck ·
Identification
How to identify Grey wolf
A large dog-like predator with grey-brown, often mottled fur, erect triangular ears, a thick muzzle, and long legs. It is resident in Georgia.
- 01
At species level total length is often about 1.3–1.6 m, the tail about 30–50 cm, shoulder height often about 70–90 cm. Mass is wide: Mech 1974 gives about 18–55 kg for females and 20–80 kg for males; extreme northern males sit near the upper end. Caucasian animals are usually in the middle of that range. There is no separate measured Georgian series on this page. Males are usually slightly larger than females. The muzzle is thick, the ears relatively short and erect.
- 02
Colour is usually grey mixed with brown, black, and pale hair. The belly is paler. Fully black or nearly white morphs exist in the species, but a typical wild animal in Georgia is grey-brown. The tail hangs and is bushy; a white tip, as in the red fox, is not a reliable mark.
- 03
The golden jackal (Canis aureus) also occurs in Georgia: much smaller, shorter-legged, more uniformly yellowish-grey, with a finer muzzle. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is smaller still, rusty-red, with black ear backs 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 hybrid is not always identifiable in the field.
- 04
It is not venomous. A bite or saliva can carry rabies risk. Do not handle it, especially if an animal approaches without fear or is aggressive. Daytime activity does not by itself mean rabies.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
In Georgia it is more common in the mountains than in the lowlands. Shakarashvili et al. 2020 confirm that pattern and also note an increase in numbers in recent decades, plus more sightings in the western lowlands, including near the Black Sea coast. Genetic samples in Pilot et al. 2014 come mainly from three Georgian areas: Kazbegi, Svaneti, and Colchis. Kikvidze and Tevzadze 2015 interviewed people in the Lanchkhuti area and Kazbegi District, linking more livestock and abandoned habitat with wolf conflict. A field photograph on this page is from the David Gareja desert, 7 December 2019 — that is a named locality, not a municipality list. Those are named study areas, not a complete regional map. This page does not map administrative regions. A municipality-by-municipality list is not compiled here. Do not assume even density across the whole country. Species-level habitat is broad: forest, mountains, open country, and sometimes the edge of settlement. A Georgia-specific elevation range in metres is not published on this page.
Diet
There is no single national stomach-content study for Georgia on this page. Pilot et al. 2014 state that in Colchis and Kazbegi the main prey is often domestic ungulates (cattle, sheep, goats and others). The same paper names wild ungulates in the South Caucasus fauna and, among non-ungulate prey, the brown hare. A 2010 NACRES / GCCP questionnaire on Vashlovani winter pastures named the wolf as the main problem predator for most respondents; that is a survey, not a full verified kill census. At species level the wolf is a carnivore: ungulates, medium-sized mammals, carrion; the local menu depends on what prey is available.
Behavior
It is mainly active at dusk and at night; it can also be seen by day where disturbance is low. It lives in a family group (a pack): usually the parents and their offspring. Animals also travel alone or as a pair. At species level gestation is about 63 days; pups are often born in spring, often 4–7. Those figures come from the wider range, not a Georgian den sample. Tracks resemble a large dog’s but are often more oval and larger; the forefoot has five toes (the dew claw often does not show in the print), the hind foot four, and claws usually show. Barking is uncommon; howling is more typical. Do not feed or handle wild animals.
Conservation
Boitani, Phillips and Jhala assess Canis lupus as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2018 assessment, 2023 amended version); the global trend is assessed as stable, though some regional populations are threatened. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Government Resolution No. 190). It is listed as a hunting species; quotas and seasons are set by agency documents and are not copied here as current numbers. It is on CITES Appendix II (Georgia’s population); Appendix I applies only to the populations of Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Shakarashvili et al. 2020 note an increase in Georgia in recent decades. A national census is not confirmed on this page. Local pressures can include hunting, livestock conflict, hybridisation with free-ranging dogs, and road mortality. Do not handle wild animals.
Yes. IUCN lists it as native in Georgia. It is on national mammal checklists and on the list of hunting species.
More in the mountains than in the lowlands. Named study areas include Kazbegi, Svaneti, Colchis, and the Lanchkhuti area. This page includes a field photograph from the David Gareja desert (7 December 2019). More sightings in the western lowlands, including near the Black Sea coast, have been noted in recent decades. This page has no municipality list. The atlas map is not coloured.
A large, long-legged dog-like predator with grey-brown fur, a thick muzzle, and erect ears. A jackal is smaller and more yellowish; a fox is rusty-red and often has a white tail tip. Telling it from a dog is not always easy.
At species level total length is often about 1.3–1.6 m; mass spans a wide range. There is no separate measured Georgian series on this page.
It is a carnivore. In some parts of Georgia, including Kazbegi and Colchis, the literature names domestic ungulates as the main prey. Wild ungulates and hare also figure; a national menu has not been measured here.
Mainly at dusk and at night. It can also appear by day. It is resident and does not migrate like many birds.
It is not venomous. It can bite. It kills livestock. In Georgia it is named among wild carnivores that can carry rabies. Reports of attacks on people exist, but frequency is not measured on this page. Do not handle it. After a bite, wash the wound and seek medical care.
It is globally Least Concern and is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List. It is a hunting species; season and quota are set by official rules. International trade is regulated under CITES Appendix II.
- Boitani, Phillips & Jhala 2023 — IUCN Red List, Canis lupus
- Shakarashvili et al. 2020 — Grey wolf and golden jackal in Georgia
- Pilot et al. 2014 — Genetic variability of the grey wolf in the Caucasus
- Kopaliani et al. 2014 — Gene flow between wolf and shepherd dog in Georgia
- Kikvidze & Tevzadze 2015 — Wolf–human conflict in Georgia
- NACRES / GCCP 2010 — Human–carnivore conflict questionnaire
- Bukhnikashvili & Kandaurov 2002 — The annotated list of mammals of Georgia
- Eliava et al. 2007 — New data on animal biodiversity of Georgia
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- ნადირობას დაქვემდებარებული სახეობები — Canis lupus
- Mech 1974 — Mammalian Species 37, Canis lupus
- ASM Mammal Diversity Database — Canis lupus
- CITES Appendices — Canis lupus
- Experimental and Clinical Medicine 2024 — Rabies in Georgia at the modern stage
- Wikimedia Commons — Loup gris, Pescheray (Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Portrait of a Wolf (Pieter-Paul G, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Eurasian wolf, Bardu (Mas3cf, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Loup gris commun, Sainte-Croix (Musicaline, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Wolf tracks, Białowieża (Frank Vassen, CC BY 2.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Two Eurasian wolves, Alpenzoo (Wilfredor, CC0)
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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