Description:
Coat primarily gray, interspersed with blackish hairs; sometimes yellowish or reddish hairs, especially on legs and underparts. Nose pad more than 1" (25 mm) wide. Ht. 15"-16 1/8" (38-41cm); L. 4'7"-5'5" (140-165cm); T. 13 1/2"- 16 1/2" (34-42 cm); HF 8 1/4"-9 7/8" (21-25 cm); Wt. 40-80 lb (18-36 kg).
Breeding:
Mates February or March of third year; 1 litter of 2-10 young born April- early June; gestation about two months.
Habitat:
Praries, brush, forested areas, coastal plains, swamps, and bayous.
Range:
Originally se U.S. north to Missouri, Indiana, and Virginia, and west to Texas, but extirpated from all but sw Louisiana and se Texas by 1900. Reintroduced into Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, in Dare County, North Carolina; also Bull Island, South Carolina; Horn Island, Mississippi; and St. Vincent Island, Florida.
Persecution from humans, interbreeding with coyotes and domestic dogs and the destruction of habitat had led to it to be completely eliminated from its original range. In the 1970's, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trapped a number of red wolves from the wild and initiated a breeding program to prevent the species extinction. The wolf was then introduced to islands to allow natural matings to occur, producing wolves for introductions elsewhere. The first several pairs were introduced at the Alligator River refuge in North Carolina in 1987; by 1992 a total of 36 wolves had been introduced there. In the spring of 1992, at least 19 wolves were present in the refuge, including six of the original 36; the rest were pups from at least seven litters that had been produced in the wild by that time. As of January of 1992, there were 151 red wolves in existance: 26 wild, six on propogation islands, and the rest in captivity. The red wolf can exist alongside humans, but is much less adaptable than coyotes. It is possible that the coyote has had success in the East because it fills the niche formerly occupied by the red wolf.
The red wolf is most generally nocturnal, but tends to be more diurnal in the winter. Its dens are made along stream banks, in enlarged burrows of other mammals, under stumps, or in culverts or hollow logs. The social unit is usually a mated pair, sometimes with an extra male, but they are very social and will form temporary packs. The howl is closer to a coyote than to a gray wolf. The red wolf persues white-tailed deer, rabbits and hairs, and on occasion, even smaller prey such as small rodents and birds. At Alligator River, deer, raccoons, and marsh rabbits are the most important foods, followed by several species of mice.
The Gray Wolf
The Maned Wolf
The Mexican Wolf
Back Home