Red Wolf

One of the most endangered animals in the world is a native of the southeastern United States. The Red Wolf is the rarest type of wolf. It is estimated that there are only 249 red wolves left and among those numbers 200 are in captivity. Two of the three species of red wolves are extinct. In the 1980’s one hundred of the last surviving species of Red Wolves were reintroduced to a refuge in North Carolina. They and others were relocated in fear of encounters with humans. Red wolves are actually very shy. They prefer to hunt alone or in small family packs. Red wolves mate for life, and both parents help raise their offspring. Despite the stigmata with wolves slaying livestock, the red wolves prey on small rodents and will rarely bring down a deer. Red wolves will also supplement their diet with berries and insects.

Very aggressive predator control programs caused the red wolves populations to become threatened. Historically, it was thought that the red wolf was not in fact it’s own species. Genetic evidence has shown that the red wolf is a result of hybridization between grey wolf and coyotes. Recently, coyote populations have started to replace the red wolves, adding to their lowering numbers.

Canis rufus

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Tracking sketches used by researchers to confirm wolf populations.