Wolf

New insights into the changing human attitudes towards wild nature
through the depiction of wolves in human culture and heritage.Few animals arouse such strong
opinion as the wolf. It occupies a contested, ambiguous, yet central role in human culture
and heritage. It appears as both an inspirational emblem of the wild and an embodiment of
evil. Offering a mirror to different human attitudes, beliefs, and values, the wolf is,
arguably, the species that plays the greatest role in shaping our views on what nature is or
should be. North America and, more recently, Europe have witnessed a remarkable return of
the grey wolf (Canis lupus, and its close relative the Eurasian wolf, Canis lupus lupus) to
eco-systems. The essays collected here explore aspects of this recovery, and consider the
history, literature and myth surrounding this iconic species. There are chapters on wolf
taxonomy, including the coywolf, the red wolf, and the many faces of the dingo. We also meet
the Tasmanian wolf and encounter Nazi Werewolves from Outer Space. The book explores the
challenges of separating fact from fiction and superstition, and our willingness to co-exist
with large carnivores in the twenty-first century. Biologists, historians, anthropologists,
cultural theorists, conservationists and museologists will all find riches in the detail
presented in this wolf collection.