What diet category does Wikipedia call the gray wolf?

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Wikipedia calls the gray wolf a carnivore.

Gray wolves are mammals that obtain energy primarily by hunting and eating other animals. Their usual prey includes ungulates such as deer, elk, moose, and caribou, along with smaller mammals. They also eat carrion when opportunities arise, but scavenging does not make them omnivores.

A common mix-up is confusing a broad dietary category with an exact menu. Wolves may occasionally consume plant material or human food, yet their anatomy, behavior, and normal diet are adapted to meat. Their powerful jaws, shearing teeth, pack hunting, and digestive system all reflect this specialization.

The gray wolf is also an apex predator, but “apex predator” describes its ecological position, not its diet. “Carnivore” answers what it eats; “apex predator” answers where it sits in the food web.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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