Species and Relitives

Wolves

The gray wolf is said to be one of the most successful hunters to ever live. The gray wolf lives in several places such as Europe, most of North America, and Asia. The gray wolf has many names such as the Eastern timber wolf, the tundra wolf, and the Artic wolf, they all mean the same thing, Canis lupus, its scientific name.

Though they are called gray wolves not all of them are, in fact gray. Some are black, white, or a mixture of the colors. The gray wolf may be up to 2 meters (6 feet) long, including the tail.

They also normally weigh 70-135 lbs. All of this means that the gray wolf is actually the largest wolf of all. Lastly the gray wolf eats different animals, such as dear and rabbits.

The red wolf, or to scientific, Canuc rufus is the next wolf we are going to talk about next. Though named red wolf this wolf is normally colored a cinnamon-brown, black, and grayish-brown. The red wolf is also a bit smaller than other wolves, because it has a body length of 1-1.2 meters and a weight of 40-90 lbs.

They live in the Southern U.S., but are close to extinction, like so many wolves. Unlike the gray wolf, the red wolf is shy and prefers to hunt alone or in small groups, instead of in large packs. Their diet consists of rabbits, raccoons, and other small rodents, with the occasional of some insects and berries.

Of confused with the red wolf the Canis latrans or coyote is also called the prairie wolf. They are found throughout North America and Central America. The word “coyote” actually comes from the Mexican-Spanish language.

The coyotes’ fur tends to be a mix of a grayish brown and yellow with white stomachs. They usually grow between 30-50 inches long and weigh from 20-40 lbs.

Coyotes also tend to nor roam in large packs. They will travel in small that aren’t unified and members will readily disappear and regroup.

Coyotes can, in addition, have a litter of anywhere from 1-19 pups, but most will have about 6. Their diet mostly consists of small mammals like voles, but will eat fruits and berries sometimes.

Although less abundant, various subspecies of the gray wolf live in Europe, and Asia. The two shown here are the Arabian wolf (shown left) and the Tibetan wolf (shown right.

Most of these wolves’ fur is grayish brown, but some are black or white. Also, in the desert regions, there is a subspecies that has short reddish fur, the Eurasian red wolf. In the center is a picture of a wolf that lived throughout Spain and Portugal,

but now the Iberian Wolf is facing extinction. There are a lot of other wolves throughout Europe and Asia not mentioned, so that other types of wolves can be mentioned.

Fox is the name given to about 27 species of small to mid-sized canids in the tribe Vulpini with sharp features and a bushy tail or brush.Most of us think of a red fox when the word comes up, but there are a lot of other kinds as well.

The gray fox of North and Central America is one, for example.Though both the red and gray fox live in the same area, they don’t act the same. The gray fox is noted for climbing trees, while the red fox is the adaptable, city dweller.

Though both of those foxes live in temperate climates, not all do. The arctic fox and desert fox live in very harsh climates, which they have adapted to. The arctic fox has small ears and dense fur to keep the warmth in, while the desert fox has large ears and very short fur to keep itself from overheating. No matter the climate, foxes can adapt to where they live.

The Ethiopian wolf has many names, such as the Abyssinian wolf, red jackal, red fox, Semien fox (or jackal) and jedalafardaa ("horse's jackal"). Though, the Ethiopian wolf looks a lot like a fox, yet recent molecular evidence seems to indicate that it is, in fact, a descendent of the gray wolf.

Located in the Afro-alpine regions of Ethiopia, it is one of the most endangered of all wolves because there are only about 550 adults remaining. They eat rodents, such as African mole rats and grass rats. However, they will go after small antelopes, as well as hares. They do tend to hunt alone, but are very territorial and will form packs.

Another relative of the wolf is the dingo. Most believe that the dingo has descended from the Indian wolf. Dingos are found in Southeast Asia and, of course, Australia. The dingo is also considered to be one of the most success feral dogs.

This means they live and breed without any or little human contact. Dingos also are probably the only remaining purebred descendents of prehistoric domestic dogs. Dingos eat a number of different small animals, such as rabbits, possum, and rats.

The last two carnivores I am going to talk about are the maned wolf and the dog wolf hybrid. The maned wolf is often called the red fox on stilts, but it is actually a wolf and is much larger than a fox. An adult maned wolf stands almost three feet tall and weighs 50 to 55 pounds. It’s unusually long legs are an adaptation to the wolf’s homeland of tall grasses in South America. The maned wolf doesn’t form a pack and will hunt rodents, hares, and even fish.

The last one is the dog wolf hybrid. Most places forbid the dog wolf as a pet because of its unpredictable behavior. Even though the first wolf mix that comes to mind is Balto, today there is four mixes that are all combinations of German Shepherds and wolves. Now, of course, there is a lot more to know about the magnificent and awesome wolf family, but due to limited time and space, I can’t write any more about them. I hope, you’ve learned something from reading this and please take the time to check out the other page.