WOLVES OF NORTHAMERICA

3 Species Of WolvesRed Wolf (Canis rufus)Grey Wolf (Canis lupus)Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

Gray Wolf FactsPrey: Large hoofed animals (elk, deer, moose & caribou)

Size: 4.5- 6.5 feet long, 55-130 lbs.

Interesting Facts: They range in color from pure white in Arctic populations to brown, gray, cinnamon & black.

There are 14 subspecies of gray wolves.(Arctic wolf, Mexican gray wolf, Ethiopian wolf, etc)

Also known as Timber wolf

Former Range of Gray Wolf

Present Range

Former Range in U.S.

U.S. Range in 1974

Today

Mexican Wolf Facts:

The smallest of the gray wolf subspecies

Have been wiped out from the wild.

34 wolves have been returned to the Apache Reservation

200 wolves in captivity (including 4 at Brookfield Zoo)

In 2008, 50 more wolves were released

Red Wolf FactsPrey: Small mammals (rabbits, rodents, muskrats, etc) Occasionally they will eat berries, insects, or white-tailed deer.

Size: 4-5 feet long, 50-80 lbs. (between the size of gray wolf & coyote)

Interesting Facts: They were extinct from the wild in 1980. As of 2007, about 207 red wolves were in captivity. Since then, about 100 have been returned to the wild.

Their large ears help them cool off. They are nocturnal, unlike their gray wolf cousins.

Maned Wolf FactsPrey: Fruit, mice, rats, birds, and lizards.

Size: Much taller than gray wolves, but half the weight (40-50 lbs.)

Interesting Facts: They have the longest legs in proportion to their spine of any canine.

They only live in South America in the rainforest.

They are from a different genus from the Gray and Red wolves, so not very closely related to them.

The Success of the Hunt