Mastering Algorithms with Perl

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The animal on the cover of Mastering Algorithms with Perl is a wolf (Canis lupus). The wolf, a member of the dog family, is one of the most sociable of mammals. Wolves live and hunt in packs, which consist of one pair of alpha male and female wolves and several offspring. Pack size is usually five to nine wolves. Each wolf pack has its own territory, which they will mark and fight to defend. Wolves often travel long distance in their hunt for prey, and they keep in contact with other members of their pack by howling. Howling seems to be almost contagious to wolves-when one wolf begins to howl, others around it will almost always join in, creating an echoing, almost musical effect.

Wolves were once common throughout the northern hemisphere. Deserts and tropical forests are the only habitats that cannot support wolves. However, as a result of disease, parasites, starvation caused by habitat loss, and persecution by humans, wolves have been eradicated from much of their former territory and are limited in others. Significant wolf populations are now found only in Canada, Alaska, Minnesota, and parts of Asia. Smaller wolf populations can be found in Scandinavia and parts of Europe. In Greenland, the wolf was nearly extinct, but has managed ...