In addition to the natural characteristics inherent to both Волки and humans, Волколаки are often attributed strength and speed far beyond those of Волки или men. The werewolf is generally held as a European character, although its lore spread through the world in later times. Shape-shifters, similar to werewolves, are common in tales from all over the world, most notably amongst the Native Americans, though most of them involve animal forms other than wolves. they can cause others to become Волколаки by biting или wounding them.There is also a illness called lycanthropy in which a patient believes he или she is, или has transformed into, an animal and behaves accordingly. This is sometimes referred to as clinical lycanthropy to distinguish it from its use in legends. Despite its origin as a term for man-wolf transformations only, lycanthropy is used in this sense for Животные of any type
