This week's theme: The Wolf

Wolves are burned into the human psyche. To a pack of wolves, we are potential prey. If you are in the woods, you might not know they are there until it's too late. If you are in the open, you cannot out run them. Their stealth made them seem almost supernatural and their howl other worldly. Wolves have been revered, viewed as powerful totems and considered part of the spirit world. They have loomed large in the myths of many cultures and populated stories and legends of people for thousands of years. In reality, they wolf has been hunted to extinction in many parts of the world. In my home state of North Carolina, red wolves have been reintroduced into the wild and we now have 100 wolves living in their native habitat. While there are some places where the wolf population is not in danger, many countries have established successful restoration and protection programs.

You can learn more about the world's current population of wolves on wikipedia.

Hear and learn more about the different types of a wolf's howl on pbs.org.