Dog or wolf?
How to tell them apart
A wolf has longer legs, bigger feet, a broader head and a straight tail carried low. Many dogs carry their tails curled or high.
Quick answers
They differ on 5 of the 8 quick answers: carnivore, domesticated, awake when, kept as a pet, do people eat it.
| Question | Dog | Wolf |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? differs | Omnivore | Yes |
| Dangerous? | Can be | Can be |
| Domesticated? differs | Yes | No |
| Awake when? differs | Daytime | Night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? differs | Commonly | No |
| Do people eat it? differs | In places | No |
At a glance
| Question | Dog | Wolf |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Worldwide | North America, Europe, Asia |
| Habitat differs | Towns, Farmland | Forest, Grassland, Mountains, Polar |
| Size differs | Medium | Large |
| Length differs | – | 105–160 cm |
| Height differs | – | 80–85 cm at the shoulder |
| Weight differs | Under 1 kg to about 70 kg, depending on breed | About 25–40 kg on average, by region |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | In packs | In packs |
| Lives for differs | 10–13 years | 6–8 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Dog
The first animal people domesticated, bred from wolves by hunter-gatherers more than 14,000 years ago, before farming began. There are around 450 official breeds, more than for any other mammal.
Wolf
The largest wild member of the dog family. Wolves live in family packs, usually a breeding pair and their young, that hunt large prey together over big territories.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.