Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
Coyotes, Dogs, Foxes, Jackals, and Wolves Family (Canidae)
Red wolf is a slender gray wolf with black and sometimes yellowish to rusty hairs interspersed in the coat, reaching 90 lbs and 5.5 feet long. The underside, legs, and muzzle are more tawny. It is larger than the coyote and smaller than the gray wolf. Mating occurs from January to March. The one litter per year of 3-6 pups is born in the spring in a den found usually in a hollow log or burrow. Both sexes help with rearing the pups. Lives in a small family unit or alone. Preys upon most anything that it can catch, but mostly rabbits, rodents, deer, and even dead animals. Mostly active at night. Found in many habitats, usually with some dense vegetation available. Once found throughout the southeast, it is now apparently extinct in the wild, but several small mostly experimental populations exist with the most successful in northeastern North Carolina, which is thriving population. Several zoos have breeding programs. Also known as Canis lupus rufus (subspecies of the gray wolf) or classified with the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) by some authorities. Listed as endangered federally with nonessential experimental populations in NC and TN (moved to NC) and endangered by the state of Texas.
Copyright Brett Miley