The Skull

Coyote and wolf skulls from the Beaver Creek Reserve collection.
Photos (c) P. Solfest 1999

According to some folk tales, wolf brains got larger and smaller according to the phases of the moon. Maybe people noticed that wolves have large, broad heads, but it has nothing to do with the moon. A wolf's skull does look different than a dog's or coyote's. It is one way to tell them apart.

If you look at a wolf's head from the side - its profile- it will be flat from the top of the skull to the tip of the nose. A dog's head, on the other hand, has a steeper angle and a more noticeable "forehead."  Wolves also have two dome shaped projections from the base of their skulls. These large, round areas are much smaller in dogs.

Wolf skulls are also different from those of coyotes. Coyotes have a smaller snout, or "rostrum", which gives the coyote's skull a long, thinner look compared to the wolf. Its skull is also much smaller than the wolf's.


Coyote and wolf skulls from the Beaver Creek reserve Collection.


The parts of the skull shows the wolf's role as predator. The broad muzzle of the wolf help it to hunt large prey. Wolves also have a well developed crest bone on the top of its skull. This is where a large muscle is anchored. The muscle operates the wolf's powerful jaws, giving it great strength, capable of producing 1,500 pounds per square inch of pressure.
 


Wolf skull from the Beaver Creek Reserve Collection
Photos (c) P. Solfest, 1999

Wolf skulls also have a large arching bone on the side. This bone serves to protect the eyes and auditory organs of the wolf. Without such protection, the wolf would be vulnerable to serious injury from the kicking hooves of prey,

Wild wolf skulls often show signs of bone injury. It is believed that younger wolves would be the most easily hurt by such blows since they are the least experienced hunters and more likely to be hit when they make their first attempts to hunt.

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