Arctic wolf family in Canada

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Avatars of the wolf moon

These pale predators are Arctic wolves, the only white wolves in the world. A subspecies of the larger grey wolf, you can find them in the extreme north of Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Islands. Here their light fur helps them blend into the snowy landscape as they hunt reindeer, moose, musk oxen and Arctic hares. The other advantage of living in this remote region is the lack of hunters - the Arctic wolf is currently the only wolf species which is not endangered or threatened. We’re featuring this handsome trio because tonight will be the Wolf Moon, traditionally the first full moon of the year. The name comes to us by way of the Algonquin people - one of North America’s largest indigenous populations - to signal the time of year that hungry wolves could be heard howling outside their homes.