Family: Canidae, Dogs view all from this family

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" (38-41 cm); L 4'7-5'5" (140-165 cm); 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).

Endangered Status The Red Wolf is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as endangered in North Carolina and Tennessee. By 1980, the Red Wolf had been completely eliminated from its natural range. Persecution by humans, the destruction of habitat, and interbreeding with Coyotes and domestic dogs contributed to its downfall. In the early 1970s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trapped a number of Red Wolves from the wild and initiated a breeding program, thereby preventing the animal’s extinction. The wolf was introduced on islands to allow natural matings to occur, producing wolves for introductions elsewhere. The first several pairs of Red Wolves were introduced at the Alligator River National Wildlife 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. In 1991 Red Wolves were released in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. The number of Red Wolves in existence is constantly changing, but recent counts indicate that there are at least 250 animals, most of which are in captive breeding facilities in the United States. There are perhaps 25 to 5O Red Wolves in the wild at Alligator River and perhaps 10 to 20 in the Great Smokies. Several other wolves live in the wild in a few other locations.

Similar Species Coyote is smaller, with smaller nose pad and hindfoot. Gray Wolf is larger.

Breeding Mates February or March of third year; 1 litter of 2-10 young born April-early June; gestation about 2 months.

Habitat Prairies, 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; Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee; Bull Island, South Carolina; Horn Island, Mississippi; and St. Vincent Island, Florida.

Discussion The Red Wolf can exist alongside humans, but is much less adaptable than the Coyote. It is possible that the Coyote has had success in the East because it fills a niche formerly occupied by the Red Wolf. The Red Wolf is mainly nocturnal, but tends to be more diurnal in winter. It makes its den along stream banks, in enlarged burrows of other mammals, under stumps, or in culverts or hollow logs. The usual social unit is a mated pair, sometimes with an extra male, but these animals are very social and often form temporary packs. The howl of the Red Wolf is closer to that of the Coyote in sound then to that of the Gray Wolf. The Red Wolf pursues the White-tailed Deer, but also regularly eats rabbits and hares, and even smaller prey on occasion, 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.