Red Wolf, Canis rufus
The red wolf is one of two species of wolves in North America, the other being the gray wolf, Canis lupus. As their name suggests, red wolves are known for the characteristic reddish color of their fur most apparent behind the ears and along the neck and legs, but are mostly brown and buff colored with some black along their backs. Intermediate in size to gray wolves and coyotes, the average adult red wolf weighs 45-80 pounds, stands about 26 inches at the shoulder and is about 4 feet long from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail.
Red wolves are social animals that live in packs consisting of a breeding adult pair and their offspring of different years, typically five to eight animals. Red wolves prey on a variety of wild mammals such as raccoon, rabbit, white-tailed deer, nutria, and other rodents. Most active at dusk and dawn, red wolves are elusive and generally avoid humans and human activity.
The red wolf is one of the world’s most endangered wild canids. Once common throughout the southeastern United States, red wolf populations were decimated by the 1960s due to intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat. A remnant population of red wolves was found along the Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana. After being declared an endangered species in 1973, efforts were initiated to locate and capture as many wild red wolves as possible. Of the 17 remaining wolves captured by biologists, 14 became the founders of a successful captive breeding program. Consequently, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service declared red wolves extinct in the wild in 1980.
By 1987, enough red wolves were bred in captivity to begin a restoration program on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina. Since then, the experimental population area has expanded to include three national wildlife refuges, a Department of Defense bombing range, state-owned lands, and private property, spanning a total of 1.5 million acres.
Over 100 red wolves roam their native habitats in five northeastern North Carolina counties and approximately 200 comprise the Species Survival Plan captive breeding program in sites across the United States, still an essential element of red wolf recovery. Interbreeding with the coyote (an exotic species not native to North Carolina) has been recognized as the most significant and detrimental threat affecting restoration of red wolves in this section of their historical home range. Currently, adaptive management efforts are making good progress in reducing the threat of coyotes while building the wild red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina.
Current red wolf facts:
- There are two species of wolves in North America: gray wolf and red wolf.
- Historically the red wolf roamed as a top predator throughout the southeastern United States.
- Aggressive predator control programs and clearing of forested habitat reduced the red wolf population to 17 wolves by 1980.
- In compliance with the Endangered Species Act, the first red wolf recovery plan was completed in 1973; implementation begins.
- Red wolves were declared extinct in the wild between 1980-87.
- Restoration began with 4 pairs of red wolves released into the ARNWR in 1987.
- Today 100-120 red wolves call northeastern North Carolina home. This is the world's only wild population of red wolves.
- There are over 40 Species Survival Plan captive facilities in the United States. Many have viewing opportunities visit: http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/rwfacilities.html
- Restoration area consists of 1.7 million public and private acres in Dare, Tyrrell, Hyde, Beaufort and Washington Counties.
- Approximately 20 packs live in the wild in northeastern North Carolina. A pack consists of an adult pair and often pups.
- Pups born annually in April and May. In 2009, there were 41 pups born among 11 litters in the wild population - PLUS 4 fostered pups. In the captive population, there were 12 pups born among 3 litters.
- Life span in the wild: 7-8 years / in captivity: up to 15 years.
- Red wolves are wary animals and rarely seen in the wild.
- Red Wolf Recovery Program is located in Manteo, NC, at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR) office.
Grey Wolf
largest member of the wild dog family, one of only two species of wolves known in the world. The only other wolf species is the red wolf of the south-eastern United States. Grey wolves that live in the treeless plains of the Arctic are called Arctic wolves, and those found in wooded, subarctic regions are known as timber wolves or eastern timber wolves. Scientists recognize only one subspecies of the grey wolf, which is commonly called the Mexican grey wolf.
The grey wolf has become a symbol of endangered animals. Grey wolves were once the most widespread of all large mammals other than humans, with a range that extended over much of the northern hemisphere. Today, grey wolves remain numerous in northern Europe, Asia, Alaska, and Canada. However, in central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, their range has been reduced to pockets of wilderness.
Grey wolves are powerful animals with dog-like faces, large, bushy tails, and long legs ending in large feet. The fur of most grey wolves is smoky-grey, but it may have a brownish or reddish tinge. Grey wolves commonly have white chests and abdomens, and black patches on their backs and sides. Some grey wolf populations are pure black or pure white.
An adult grey wolf measures up to 2 m (6 ft 8 in) in length, including the tail (less than half the body length) and weighs up to 80 kg (176 lb). They have a shoulder height of 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in). Females are smaller than males, and southern grey wolves are smaller than northern ones.
Grey wolves form packs of up to 24 members to hunt large herbivores, such as deer, caribou, and moose. Pack members cooperate to drive and ambush prey during hunts that begin in early evening and continue until morning. When hunting alone, individual wolves may feed on mice, rabbits, beaver, and domesticated animals.
Grey wolf packs are social groups that adhere to a strict hierarchy, in which some members are dominant and others are subordinate. When two members of a pack greet each other, the dominant one stands erect, while the subordinate one crouches. One social activity of wolf packs is howling, a vocalization that promotes unity within the pack and signals the pack’s presence to other wolves.
Grey wolves usually mate for life. Within each pack, only the dominant male and female, called the alpha pair, reproduce. Grey wolves mate in late winter, and after a gestation of 61 to 63 days, the female gives birth to a litter of four to seven pups. Both of the parents, as well as other adults in the pack, regurgitate food for the pups. Pups are raised in dens, such as underground burrows, rock crevices, hollow logs, and overturned stumps.
Although wolves rarely interfere with human beings, humans have a long history of intentionally destroying grey wolf populations. Some wilderness areas have provided havens for wolves, but habitat destruction has caused these areas to dwindle. In 1973, the grey wolf was placed on the United States Endangered Species list. This action provided protection for these wolves within the 48 contiguous states.
In 1987, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) initiated a plan to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park and parts of central Idaho. To overcome opposition to the plan, environmentalists and federal agencies agreed to compensate ranchers for any livestock that might be killed by wolves. These reintroduction programmes are considered highly successful by biologists.
Advocates for grey wolves have since turned their attention to the Mexican grey wolf, which has been absent for nearly 50 years from its historic territory in the south-western United States. In early 1998, the USFWS outlined a plan for reintroducing Mexican grey wolves to the Apache National Forest of Arizona.
Scientific classification: The grey wolf is a member of the dog family, Canidae, in the order Carnivora. It is classified as Canis lupus.The Mexican grey wolf is classified as Canis lupus baileyi
largest member of the wild dog family, one of only two species of wolves known in the world. The only other wolf species is the red wolf of the south-eastern United States. Grey wolves that live in the treeless plains of the Arctic are called Arctic wolves, and those found in wooded, subarctic regions are known as timber wolves or eastern timber wolves. Scientists recognize only one subspecies of the grey wolf, which is commonly called the Mexican grey wolf.
The grey wolf has become a symbol of endangered animals. Grey wolves were once the most widespread of all large mammals other than humans, with a range that extended over much of the northern hemisphere. Today, grey wolves remain numerous in northern Europe, Asia, Alaska, and Canada. However, in central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, their range has been reduced to pockets of wilderness.
Grey wolves are powerful animals with dog-like faces, large, bushy tails, and long legs ending in large feet. The fur of most grey wolves is smoky-grey, but it may have a brownish or reddish tinge. Grey wolves commonly have white chests and abdomens, and black patches on their backs and sides. Some grey wolf populations are pure black or pure white.
An adult grey wolf measures up to 2 m (6 ft 8 in) in length, including the tail (less than half the body length) and weighs up to 80 kg (176 lb). They have a shoulder height of 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in). Females are smaller than males, and southern grey wolves are smaller than northern ones.
Grey wolves form packs of up to 24 members to hunt large herbivores, such as deer, caribou, and moose. Pack members cooperate to drive and ambush prey during hunts that begin in early evening and continue until morning. When hunting alone, individual wolves may feed on mice, rabbits, beaver, and domesticated animals.
Grey wolf packs are social groups that adhere to a strict hierarchy, in which some members are dominant and others are subordinate. When two members of a pack greet each other, the dominant one stands erect, while the subordinate one crouches. One social activity of wolf packs is howling, a vocalization that promotes unity within the pack and signals the pack’s presence to other wolves.
Grey wolves usually mate for life. Within each pack, only the dominant male and female, called the alpha pair, reproduce. Grey wolves mate in late winter, and after a gestation of 61 to 63 days, the female gives birth to a litter of four to seven pups. Both of the parents, as well as other adults in the pack, regurgitate food for the pups. Pups are raised in dens, such as underground burrows, rock crevices, hollow logs, and overturned stumps.
Although wolves rarely interfere with human beings, humans have a long history of intentionally destroying grey wolf populations. Some wilderness areas have provided havens for wolves, but habitat destruction has caused these areas to dwindle. In 1973, the grey wolf was placed on the United States Endangered Species list. This action provided protection for these wolves within the 48 contiguous states.
In 1987, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) initiated a plan to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park and parts of central Idaho. To overcome opposition to the plan, environmentalists and federal agencies agreed to compensate ranchers for any livestock that might be killed by wolves. These reintroduction programmes are considered highly successful by biologists.
Advocates for grey wolves have since turned their attention to the Mexican grey wolf, which has been absent for nearly 50 years from its historic territory in the south-western United States. In early 1998, the USFWS outlined a plan for reintroducing Mexican grey wolves to the Apache National Forest of Arizona.
Scientific classification: The grey wolf is a member of the dog family, Canidae, in the order Carnivora. It is classified as Canis lupus.The Mexican grey wolf is classified as Canis lupus baileyi