gray wolf vs Thorny olive

Canis lupus compared with Elaeagnus pungens

Key Differences

gray wolf is Critically Endangered while Thorny olive is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	gray wolf	Thorny olive
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)	Elaeagnaceae
Genus	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)	Elaeagnus
Species	Canis lupus	Elaeagnus pungens

Conservation Status

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Thorny olive

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	gray wolf	Thorny olive
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	13 years	—
Average Length	1.6 m	—
Average Weight	45.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Thorny olive

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia, Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

gray wolf

The most widely distributed wild canid, gray wolves range from North America across Eurasia in diverse habitats including tundra, forests, and grasslands. Highly social animals living in family packs led by a dominant breeding pair. As keystone predators, wolves regulate prey populations and profoundly shape ecosystem structure, as demonstrated by their reintroduction in Yellowstone. Once heavily persecuted, populations are recovering in many regions.