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Wolves are usually compared to dogs in terms of basic structure and characteristics. But when studied, a number of differences will be noticed. In general, wolves are dogs who had to adapt to their wild environment. One will notice that the features of the skeletal system of a wolf are specifically designed for certain functions which are mostly for survival. The first interesting part about a wolf's skeleton is its skull. A wolf has a muzzle which is basically his nose and mouth. It is a known fact that dogs, hounds and wolves have extremely strong sense of smell. These very numerous smelling cells are located inside the muzzle. It also holds a wolf's very sharp teeth which it uses to wound or even kill its prey for food. 
Its teeth are also very strong enough to crush bones. This article is reading about the wolf skeleton. Wolves also have rough tongues to clean meat off from bones. Above the muzzle are the wolf's eyes and ears which are also keener than human's sense of hearing and sight. When compared to dogs, wolves will have a larger skull mainly for survival. A bigger skull can hold a bigger brain which wolves would need in the wild. It also has a bigger jaw and sharper teeth for because they would be necessary for hunting for food. The torsos of wolves are specially designed for moving through snow and for speed. At the end of its body is its tail which is not for balance or anything else but for communication. 
For their legs, wolves have locked radius and ulna bones. This provides a wolf stability as it prevent its front legs from rotating. Their legs, being strong and slim, coupled with its narrow torso, allows the wolves to run in such fast speeds which are highly useful in hunting. Wolves would have longer legs than dogs as well as larger paws. A wolf's paws are specially designed to tread through anything especially snow. Their widely spaced and slightly webbed toes prevent them from sinking in the snow as it helps spread their weight. Their far apart toes also help wolves in running as they run on their toes. They are also featured with blunt claws which help the wolves resist slippery surfaces through gripping. This article is reading about the wolf skeleton. Their paws also have sweat glands which release a certain scent specific to them. They use this as a marker to help packs of wolves together in a large area. Dogs do not have this feature. |
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