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Wolf Species
The Grey Wolf, which is also called the 'Timber Wolf'
and is commonly referred to simply as the 'wolf', has numerous subspecies. Some
sub species of wolf are quite rare and many are endangered species. Find out
more about the Grey Wolf and its numerous subspecies below, either click on
the image or the name of the wolf:
The
Grey Wolf
(Canis Lupus), also known as the 'Timber Wolf' was once in abundance and distributed
over North America, Eurasia and the Middle East. However, because of human-related
activity such as destruction of habitat and excessive hunting, Grey Wolves now
only occupy a fraction of their former range. Read
more....
The Red
Wolf (Canis Rufus), is the rarest and most endangered of all the wolf species.The
Red Wolfs original distribution included much of eastern North America, where
Red Wolves were found from Pennsylvania in the east, Florida in the south, and
Texas in the west. Read more...
The Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis)is known by many names in its range. Locally it is known as 'ky kebero', which means red jackal. It is also known as: Simien jackal, Abyssinian wolf, Simien fox and Ethiopian jackal.
The
Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is the rarest,
most genetically distinct subspecies of the Grey Wolf in North America. It is
also one of the smallest subspecies, reaching an overall length no greater than
135 centimetres. Read
more....
The Arctic
Wolf (Canis lupus arctos), also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a mammal
of the Canidae family and a subspecies of the Grey Wolf. Arctic Wolves inhabit
the Canadian Arctic and the northern parts of Greenland.
The
Eastern Wolf (Canis lupus lycaon),
also know as Eastern Canadian Wolf or Eastern Canadian Red Wolf is traditionally
considered to be a subspecies of the Grey Wolf. Sometimes it is also viewed
as a result of historical hybridizations between grey wolves and red wolves
or coyotes.
The Eurasian
Wolf (Canis lupus lupus), also known as the Common Wolf, European Wolf,
Carpathian Wolf, Steppes Wolf, Tibetan Wolf and Chinese Wolf is a subspecies
of the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) surviving mostly in Central Asia.
The
Italian Wolf (Canis lupus italicus),
also known as the Apennine Wolf, is a subspecies of the Grey Wolf found in the
Apennine Mountains in Italy. It was first described in 1921 and recognised as
a distinct subspecies in 1999.
The Tundra
Wolf (Canis lupus albus), is a subspecies of Grey Wolf that can be found
throughout northern Europe and Asia, primarily in the northern arctic and boreal
regions of Russia.
The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
appears as a cross among different species: the head and colouring of a wolf,
the large ears of an African hunting dog and the body of a hyena.
| Wolf Type Arabian Wolf |
Classification Canis lupus arabs |
Range Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman |
Status Critically endangered, declining |
| A
very small subspecies. Typically blended brown or completely brown with
a thin coat. Hunted regularly as a nuisance animal, though rarely encountered.
|
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| Caspian Sea Wolf |
Canis
lupus cubanensis |
Between
the Caspian and Black seas |
Endangered,
declining |
| A
smaller subspecies. Hunted as a nuisance animal.
|
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| Egyptian Wolf |
Canis
lupus lupaster |
Far
Northern Africa |
Critically
endangered, unknown |
|
A smaller subspecies. Usually
a grizzled or tinged grey or brown. Lanky. Very rarely encountered. |
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| Great
Plains Wolf |
Canis
lupus nubilus |
Southern
Rocky Mountains, Midwestern United States, Eastern and Northeastern Canada,
far Southwestern Canada, and Southeastern Alaska |
Stable |
| An
average-sized subspecies. Usually grey, black, buff, or reddish. The most
common subspecies in the contiguous U.S. Hunted legally in parts of Canada. |
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| Indian
Wolf |
Canis
lupus pallipes |
Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India |
Endangered,
declining |
| A
very small subspecies. Typically tawny, buff, or reddish with a very short,
dense coat. Hunted as a nuisance animal. |
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| MacKenzie
Valley Wolf |
Canis
lupus occidentalis |
Alaska,
Northern Rockies, Western and Central Canada |
Stable |
| A
very large subspecies. Usually black or a blended grey or brown, but full
colour spectrum represented. This subspecies was reintroduced to Yellowstone
National Park and Idaho starting in 1995. Hunted legally in Alaska and
parts of Canada. Protected in the contiguous states. |
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| Russian
Wolf |
Canis
lupus communis |
Central
Russia |
Stable,
declining |
| A
very large subspecies. Hunted legally.
|
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Extinct Wolves
Wolf Type Kenai Peninsula Wolf |
Classification Canis lupus alces |
Range Alaska |
Status Extinct |
It was a very
large wolf. The determination of the species and the size of the wolf
was done using recovered bones. |
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| Texas Grey Wolf |
Canis lupus
monstrabilis |
Texas and Northeast
Mexico |
Extinct |
This wolf
used to live in Texas and northeastern Mexico. Its members were usually
small and dark coloured. They were sometimes white. |
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| New Foundland Wolf |
Canis lupus
beothucus |
Newfoundland |
Extinct |
This wolf
was a medium sized wolf that was almost pure white. |
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| Southern Rocky Mountain Wolf |
Canis lupus youngi |
Mountainous regions
of Colorado, Utah and Nevada. |
Extinct |
| A larger subspecies. Full canine colour spectrum represented, though blended pelages predominate. First subspecies to be recognized in North America. Hunted legally in parts of Canada. | |||
| Mongollon Mountain Wolf |
Canis lupus
mogollonensis |
Central Arizona
and New Mexico. |
Extinct |
Their colour
was usually dark with some whites. |
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| Hokkaido Wolf |
Canis lupus
hattai |
Japanese island
of Hokkaido |
Extinct |
A smaller
subspecies. Became extinct in 1889 as a result of poisoning campaigns. |
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| Honshu Wolf |
Canis lupus
hodophilax |
Japanese islands
of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu |
Extinct |
A very small
subspecies. Became extinct in 1905 from a combination of rabies and human
eradication efforts. |
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| Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf |
Canis lupus
irremotus |
The northern
Rocky mountains of the United States, and southern Alberta. |
Extinct |
Medium to
large grey wolves. |
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| Dire Wolf |
Canis dirus |
The Dire Wolf
co-existed with the Grey Wolf in North America for about 100,000 years. |
Extinct |
The
Dire Wolf had a larger, broader head and smaller brain-case than that
of a similarly-sized Grey Wolf, and had teeth that were quite massive. |
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