Red wolf

The red wolf (Canis rufus) is a canine from the southeastern United States. It is about the size of a large coyote but smaller than a gray wolf (Canis lupus).

For many years, scientists have talked about whether the red wolf is its own special kind or if it is a mix of gray wolves and coyotes, called a coywolf. Because of this, the red wolf has sometimes not been on lists of animals that need protection, even though there are very few left.

Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has given the red wolf special protection as an endangered species. In 1996, scientists from the IUCN also said the red wolf is Critically Endangered, meaning it is in big danger of disappearing forever.

Even though it needs help to survive, the red wolf is not listed in the CITES Appendices.

History

Red wolves once lived across the southeastern and south-central United States, from the Atlantic Ocean to central Texas. They lived from the Ohio River Valley north to Canada. By the mid-1900s, red wolves were nearly gone. This was because of hunting, loss of habitat, and mixing with coyotes.

In the 1970s, scientists saved a small group of red wolves in zoos. These zoo-bred wolves were later released into the wild in North Carolina. For a time, their numbers grew. Then they fell again because they did not have enough protection.

Thanks to new efforts, red wolves are making a comeback. The first wild babies were born in 2022. Today, there are about 15 to 17 red wolves living freely in North Carolina.

Description and behavior

The red wolf looks like other wolves but is smaller and has a reddish coat. It is about the size of a large coyote. Adults measure between 136–165 cm (53.5–65 in) long and weigh from 20 to 39 kg (44–85 lbs). These wolves have long, slender legs and larger ears. Their fur ranges from tawny to grayish, often with lighter markings around the lips and eyes.

Red wolves are social animals. They mate in January and February and have an average of 6–7 pups each spring. Both parents help raise the young. The pups leave the den at six weeks and grow to full size by one year. These wolves usually avoid inbreeding by leaving their birth packs and forming new pairs with unrelated wolves. Before they disappeared in the wild, red wolves ate small animals like rabbits and rodents. Today, red wolves in captivity mainly eat white-tailed deer, pigs, raccoons, and other small animals.

Range and habitat

The red wolf originally lived across the southeastern United States, from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, north to the Ohio River Valley and central Pennsylvania, and west to Central Texas and southeastern Missouri.

Red wolves can live in many different kinds of places. They have been found in coastal marshes, swamps, agricultural fields, and forests. In northeastern North Carolina, where red wolves have been brought back to the wild, they live in areas with pine forests and evergreen shrubs. This shows that red wolves can adapt to various environments as long as there is enough food and they are not disturbed by humans.

Captive breeding and reintroduction

After the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was passed, people worked to save the red wolf from disappearing forever. They started a special program at the Point Defiance Zoological Gardens, Tacoma, Washington. They caught wolves from Louisiana and Texas. Out of 400 caught, only 43 were pure red wolves. These 43 were used to start the breeding program.

Over time, red wolves were let back into the wild in several places. This included national wildlife refuges in North Carolina and islands like Horn Island in Mississippi and St. Vincent Island in Florida. These efforts helped the population grow, but there are still challenges. Today, there are about 35 red wolves in the wild and around 270 in captivity. People continue to work to help them survive.

Relationship to humans

The red wolf has been important in the traditions of the Cherokee spiritual beliefs. The Cherokee people call the red wolf wa'ya (ᏩᏯ). They believe it is a companion to Kana'ti, a hunter and father of the Aniwaya or Wolf Clan. Because of this, the Cherokee traditionally did not kill red wolves. They thought doing so would bring bad luck.

Taxonomy

The red wolf's classification is debated. Some think it is its own species. Others think it is a hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote.

Naturalists John James Audubon and John Bachman first noticed that wolves in the southern United States looked different from wolves in other areas. In 1851, they recorded two types: the "Black American Wolf" in Florida and some southern states, and the "Red Texan Wolf" in Texas and nearby areas. In 1912, Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. renamed these wolves C. l. floridanus.

In 1937, Edward Alphonso Goldman named a new species, Canis rufus. He recognized three subspecies, but two are now extinct. The Florida black wolf went extinct in 1908, and the Texas red wolf in 1970. By the 1970s, only the Mississippi Valley red wolf remained, living in small areas of Texas and Louisiana. These wolves were moved to zoos for breeding and later released in eastern North Carolina in 1987.

In 1967, Barbara Lawrence and William H. Bossert thought that classifying the red wolf as its own species relied too much on wolves from Texas, where they mixed with coyotes. They believed that if more wolves from Florida were studied, the red wolf might not be a separate species from the gray wolf. The reference Catalogue of Life lists the red wolf as a subspecies of Canis lupus. In 2005, W. Christopher Wozencraft wrote in Mammal Species of the World that the red wolf is a hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote, but called it a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupus rufus.

In 2021, the American Society of Mammalogists decided the red wolf is its own species, Canis rufus.

Explanatory footnotes

The red wolf (Canis rufus) is a type of wild dog. It lives in the southeastern part of the United States. It is bigger than a coyote but smaller than a gray wolf. Scientists have talked about whether the red wolf is its own special type or a mix between a wolf and a coyote. This helps us learn how animals are related.