Hi all,
Welcome to day 3 in my Wolf Facts Week 🙂 As you know my new release is inspired by the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood – which, of course, has the Wolf as the bad guy, preying on the poor innocent girl and her grandmother. It’s not the only tale to cast a wolf in this role. The wolf has been the notorious villain of fables and fairy stories for centuries, yet this highly intelligent and sociable animal has done little to warrant its terrifying reputation.
Wolf fact #3
Many of the wolves that are portrayed as villains in both stories and movies are black wolves. However, did you know that black wolves don’t occur naturally?
A 2008 study at Stanford University found that the mutation responsible for black fur occurs only in dogs, so black wolves are the result of gray wolves breeding back with domestic canines. The mutation is a dominant trait, like dark hair in humans, and is passed down to the majority of offspring.
It is not entirely clear what benefit black fur has for the animals; they do not seem to be more successful hunters, but do show a marked improvement in immunity to certain infections. Black wolves are far more common in North America than they are in the rest of the world.
I’ve always had a soft spot for a villain, so the chance to try and ‘redeem’ the Big Bad Wolf was rather irresistible 🙂 I had originally pictured Damian as a black wolf when he was in his shifter form, but after learning the fact above, I realised that wouldn’t fit in with the pack history and backstory. Sometimes, research pays off! Besides, I think he works rather well as a grey wolf, even if I am a little biased.
Scarlett Legacy is on sale at Amazon now.
Take care x
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