HOME BREEDING HABITAT HUNTING WOLVES
Gray wolf (Canis Lupus)
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) also called the timber wolf, is the largest of about 41 wild species within the dog family, Canidae, of the order Carnivora. They range in size from 26" to 38" shoulder height, 39" to 80" in length (tip of nose to end of tail), and vary in weight from 57 to 130 pounds. Their coats may vary in color from grey to brown, from white to jet black.
The gray wolf, Canis lupus, lives in the northern latitudes around the world. There are five subspecies of the gray wolf in North America and seven to 12 in Eurasia. The currently recognized subspecies in North America are:
Canis lupus baileyi, commonly referred to as the Mexican wolf or lobo.
Canis lupus nubilus, referred to as the Great Plains or buffalo wolf.
Canis lupus occidentalis, known as the Rocky Mountain wolf or Mackenzie Valley wolf.
Canis lupus lycaon, commonly referred to as the eastern timber wolf.
Canis lupus arctos, known as the arctic wolf.
Subspecies are often difficult to distinguish from one another. This is because they interbreed where their ranges overlap so that their populations tend to blend together rather than form distinctive boundaries. The different traits we see in subspecies are likely the result of geographic range, available habitat, and prey base. Skull dimensions, overall size, fur color, and the length of appendages are some of the characteristics that differ between subspecies of gray wolf.
Red Wolf (Canis Rufus)
Although it has been suggested that the red wolf (Canis rufus) originated as a fertile cross between gray wolves and coyotes, the red wolf may have existed in North America before both the gray wolf and the coyote. Fossils up to 750,000 years old indicate that the red wolf may be a close relative to a primitive ancestor of the North American canids.
Originally, the red wolf roamed as far north as Pennsylvania and as far west as central Texas. Like its relative the gray wolf, the red wolf was extirpated from its former range by large scale predator control programs. By the late 1930s, only two populations are believed to have remained; one in the Ozark/Quachita Mountain region of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, and the other in southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas. Nearly extinct only a few decades ago, the red wolf has begun to recover with the help of captive breeding and reintroduction programs.
Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus Baileyi)
Until the 1900s, the Mexican gray wolf had ranged throughout Central Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, and Western Texas. Settlers at this time began hunting the wolf's prey, forcing the wolf to turn to feeding on the settler's livestock, and this in turn lead to the settlers hunting the wolf.
The Mexican wolf is the smallest of the five subspecies of Gray wolf in North America. Its coat is a combination of brown, gray, rust, and tan. Its tail, legs, and ears are often highlighted with black.
The Mexican wolf lives in a pack of 5 or 6 individuals. The pack consists of two adults and their offspring from the current year. An adult pair usually stays together for life. The packs rarely encounter each other because of boundaries formed through howling and scent marking.
Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon Brachyurus)
Although it is a member of the Canedae family, which contains dogs, wolves, and foxes, the maned wolf is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon. It is considered not to be a "true wolf". It looks mostly like an overgrown fox with extremely long legs and a prominent crest of hair across its shoulders.
Head and body length: 1-3.5 feet, 2.5 feet high at shoulder. Tail: 18 inches long. Weight: 50 pounds. Red coat with black legs, muzzle and ’Äúmane’Äù (patch of long, erect hairs across the shoulders); white under chin, inside ears and tip of tail. No underfur. Pups born black with white-tipped tail. Largest canid in South America.
This species is listed as endangered, and commercial trade of this species is regulated by international law. Its range has decreased dramatically in recent years, in part due to hunting, but also due to disease. Because it is so rare, any habitat destruction in its current range would have an extremely adverse effect on its numbers. Lincoln Park Zoo participates in the Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan.
Artic Wolf (Canis Lupus Arctos)
Able to tolerate years of sub-zero temperatures, up to five months of darkness a year, and weeks without food, the arctic wolf lives in one of the few places on earth where it is safe from the greatest threat of all - man. Arctic wolves inhabit some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world. In April, the air temperature rarely rises above -22¬ƒ F. The ground is permanently frozen. The arctic wolf is one of the few mammals that can tolerate these conditions. Details of the animal's life through much of the year are virtually unknown.
Smaller and lighter than the southern wolves, the arctic wolf ranges year-round over most of the islands in Canada’Äôs Arctic. Roaming singly or in small packs, wolves hunt co-operatively using strategy to outwit the swift caribou, their major prey species. A large wolf can bring down and kill an adult caribou with a single crushing bite to the neck. Survival of pups depends on food supply and many die young, thus, wolf numbers are adjusted to fit the availability of prey. Though wolves were once shot on sight at Arctic bases, now only the Inuit hunters kill them. The furs are sold or used for parka trim.
European Wolf
European wolves, as most all others, live and hunt in packs which are extended families of an alpha (the dominant male), his mate, and their offspring. They usually stay within a home range, but may wander far outside their territory to hunt. They hunt and kill game up to 10 times heavier than their own weight. Wild reindeer, elk, and red deer are their favorite prey. European wolves will also eat much smaller animals such as mice and frogs. Because of the decline in the number of wild game, they have begun to prey on domestic horses, cattle, and dogs. Starving wolves will even eat potatoes, fruits, buds, and lichen.
The European wolf is one of the world's rarest mammals. Few European countries still have substantial numbers of wolves. European wolves have managed to survive only in the most remote, mountainous, or densely forested regions Wolves (Canis lupus) were the most widespread terrestrial mammal after humans, living throughout most of the northern hemisphere.
The last British wolf died in 1743. Wolves survived in Ireland until about 1773. Although the wolf is a protected species in most European countries, some hunters see no reason to stop killing wolves for sport, and will pay a great deal of money for the privilege. Wolf survival in Europe obviously requires more than simple legislations.
