The Gray Wolf is a mammal of the Canidae family and the ancestor of the domestic dog. Wolves once had an nearly worldwide distribution, but are now limited primarily to North America, Eurasia, and the Middle East. The habitat of wolves include forests, tundra, taigas, plains, and mountains. In the Northern Hemisphere, human habitat destruction and hunting of the animals themselves have drastically reduced their range. The wolf is today frequently involved in conflicts between many different interests: tourism versus industry, city versus country, as well as conservationism versus urban development. Since the wolf is an apex predator, the state of the wolf can frequently be seen as a state of the land where it lives. Wolves are still endangered after being hunted down in the 17th century.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Wolf

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1517: According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses onto the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95_Theses)

1863: The Maori Wars resumed as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron began their Invasion of the Waikato along the Waikato River. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Waikato)

1922: Benito Mussolini became the youngest Premier in the history of Italy at age 39. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini)

1941: Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers completed the colossal busts of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore)

1984: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India was assassinated by two of her own bodyguards. Riots soon broke out in New Delhi. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

I can see lights in the distance trembling in the dark cloak of nightCandles and lanterns are dancing, dancing a waltz on All Souls Night. -- Loreena McKennitt -- (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Loreena_McKennitt)