Italian wolves live in the Apennine mountains, the long ridge of forested mountains that runs down the middle of Italy. They are shy, clever animals. They hunt in family groups called packs, working together to chase deer and wild boar through the trees. A single wolf can travel 30 or 40 kilometres in one night looking for food.
Wolves talk to each other a lot. They use howls to find lost pack members and to tell other packs where they are - 'this forest is taken'. They wag tails, lower ears and play-bow just like the dogs at home. In fact, the dog you might know is the wolf's closest cousin. Every domestic dog, from a Chihuahua to a Saint Bernard, traces back to wolves like these.
Around 50 years ago, Italian wolves were in real trouble - the population had crashed. So Italy gave the wolf full legal protection in 1971 and worked hard to bring back the forests and wild animals it needs. Slowly the wolves came back. Today they live not just in the mountains but increasingly closer to towns and farms.
The Apennine wolf is now the national animal of Italy. It appears on stamps, in folk tales, and even on the badges of some Italian sports clubs. Many Italian children grow up hearing stories about wolves in the forest, and a few lucky ones have heard one howling in real life.