So…I’m watching Red Riding Hood right now, and one of the the things that strikes me about the werewolf in question is that it seems like it’s of a more realistic dimension than some, for example the ginormous Twilight wolves.
Just how big would one expect a wolf that weighed the same as an average size man, let’s say 180 to 200 pounds, to be if a typical north american gray wolf of ~80 pounds is 41–63" in length and 32–34" in shoulder height? (wiki). Given that’s what most werewolves look like, gray wolves. I know that it’s not realistic to just double the height and length because some of the added mass must go into increased width as well.
Or would said gray wolf just be much stockier than a normal sized one? I ask because dire wolves could weigh almost that much (110-174lbs) and were “only” 5’ in length. (though the article doesn’t say how big a length difference there’d be between the lightest and heaviest of these wolves. There has to be some, right?)
A typical grey wolf weighs about 80 lbs. To first order, since weight scales like the 3rd power relative to length, if you double the weight, you’d only increase the height by the cubed root of 2, or about 1.26. According to wikipedia, they are about 33 inches at the shoulder, so about 42 inches at the shoulder.
Think coyote to wolf-- they weigh about half as much.
I would actually have to see that Golden on a scale to believe it weighs that much. It is smaller than either of my Gordon Setters who weigh between 75-80 lbs.
No, he was weighed at the vet, who said he was overweight for his frame by about 15 lbs. His frame is large for a golden retriever, too. But absolutely he was weighed at the vet and that is how big he was. Seeing him next to other goldens you could see the size difference.
ETA: He looks smaller because his fur is close cut, rather than long like most goldens.
We had a Saint when I was a kid who was about 200 pounds, but Saints are considerably heavier in build than a wolf. The Irish Wolfhound linked above is probably closer in build, but I don’t think most of them get in the 200 pound range. More like 150, I think.
This is a 147 lb Alaskan Malamute, from a breeder of exceptionally large malamutes. She notes that non-overweight individuals above that size are very rare indeed, but anyway the proportions of a malamute are probably about as close in bodyform to a wolf as you’re going to find in a domestic dog. So take that massive boy and add an imaginary and in proportion 20% to get to the low end of your range ;).
Yes, he is overweight, but he is still nowhere NEAR the claimed weight. He is probably 24-26" at the withers and MAYBE 80 lbs, simply because he IS overweight.
I don’t need to see him next to other Goldens. I can see the small paws, fine bone structure and height from this picture. I have shown dogs for 29 years, been around literally HUNDREDS if not thousands of dogs between showing, training for the local obedience club and just plain having friends with lots 'o dogs.
If, if, that Golden is actually the weight you are claiming, it is just because it’s overweight. It looks no taller than any normal size Golden. It’s just fat.
There seems to be some doubt about the veracity of that photo, but even if it’s not real, that’s a good depiction of what a 200 lb wolf would look like. That head is pretty damn scary!
