Welcome to the
Red
Wolf
Habitat
Red Wolf
Classification
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: Rufus
Subspecies (Southern
U.S): C.l. rufus
Who Are Red Wolves?
The red wolf is one of the species comprising the Canidae in
the Order Carnivora. Currently, there are several recognized
subspecies – red wolves belong to the Canis rufus rufus
subspecies. The red wolf’s Genus name, Canis, is Latin for dog.
Rufus is Latin for red, in reference to the red wolf’s coloration.
There are approximately 100 red wolves in the wild and 200 in
breeding programs.
What Do They Look Like?
Red wolves are usually four to five feet in length (including the
tail) and they weight 50 to 80 pounds. Red wolves’ fur color is
mostly brown, buff, cinnamon, tan, and black in color. They
are called red wolves because of the brown red color mixed
through the back of the ears and neck and splashed through
their shoulders and legs. Red wolves have long legs, stand with
a height of about 26 inches (similar to a male German
shepherd dog), and are delicate compared to their cousin, the
grey wolf. They have sharper, longer muzzles and prominent,
pointed ears.
What Are Their Senses Like?
Red wolves are extreme hunters because they have heightened
senses that put those of humans to shame. Their senses of
smell, sight, and hearing are way beyond what we are able to
detect. During the night, red wolves are very active. They stalk
silently across the land, except when they are letting out the
Red Wolf Habitat
out the occasional howl (which is thought to be a means of communicating and bonding).
What Kind of Tracks Do They Make?
Red wolves are smaller than gray wolves, but larger than coyotes. The red wolf’s track is about 3-4
inches long and 2-3 inches wide. The wolf’s
front feet are usually broader and longer than
the rear feet. Wolf tracks can be seen in a
straight line, with rear foot prints overlapping
the front foot prints.
All wolves, including the red wolf, have adapted
to long-distance travel over different types of
terrain. Their toes can adapt to the uneven
ground so the animal can maintain speed when
necessary.
What Is Their Place in Nature?
The red wolf is considered a top predator and a keystone species. A top predator is one that is not
eaten by anything else in the ecosystem. This means they have control over the prey populations in
the ecosystem. A keystone species has a greater impact on the ecosystem than the number of
individuals in that area. For both these reasons the red wolf plays a very important part in the
environment and should be preserved. But due to fears of many humans in red wolf areas, this
species has had a very hard history.
Are They Endangered?
The red wolf is considered one of the most
endangered canids in the world. They were
hunted to extinction in the wild (meaning the
population was so small it was not able to
recover in the wild alone) by 1980 due to many
predator control programs that were started in
the 1960’s. But today the red wolf is the first
predator to be successfully brought back from
extinction in the wild. Captive breeding
programs are the reason for the great success of
the red wolf today. In the 1970’s captive
breeding programs were started in areas across
the United States (the Tallahassee Museum is one of these locations today). Even with the success
of this animal, there has been some debate among scientists as to whether the red wolf is a distinct
species that should be conserved or if it is simply a hybrid of the grey wolf and the coyote.
2
Red Wolf Habitat
Habitat
Habitat
What Kinds of Adaptations Have They Made?
The red wolf has gone through several
adaptations in order to help their population
survive in the wild. The first adaptation is the
ability to live in the climate of the southeast
United States. Since the red wolf has such a
heavy coat, the red wolves in the south now go
through a molt in which they will lose their
heavy fur for a lighter coat. Another way the red
wolf keeps itself cool in the hot southern
summers is with their large ears. These ears will
help the wolf loose through the large surface
area.
Another adaption scientists are looking into with the red wolves is their ability to survive heart
worm. There has been test done to see how many red wolves released in the wild have the disease.
All of the ones tested were positive for heart worm, yet there does not seem to be the same
mortality rate between the disease and red wolves as opposed to domestic dogs. This trait has
helped the red wolf population thrive because it seems to be one problem the small population
does not seem to worry about.
How Do They Hunt?
The red wolf is a nocturnal animal which means it does its hunting a night. A wolf will hunt alone
or in a pair (usually the mating pair). The wolf will usually hunt for small mammals and rodents
and occasionally a deer. There is little to think that the red wolf will hunt in large packs, since they
do not hunt any large elk, bison, or moose. The red wolf will consume about two to five pounds of
food each day. This hunting changes in the winter. During the colder periods of the year, the red
wolf will hunt more during the day or dusk and dawn.
Where Do Red Wolves Live?
The red wolf had a historic range that spanned as
far north as Pennsylvania, as far south as Florida
and as far west as Texas. Today the red wolf can
only be seen in the wild in North Carolina. The
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is the
only place where wild red wolves can be seen,
although there are many zoos that are part of the
captive breeding program across the United
States.
3
Red Wolf Habitat
Do They Live in Groups?
The family unit or pack will usually consist of a
mating pair which is the alpha male and female
and their offspring. The pack will not always
hunt together by they will remain in the same
home range for a while. The pack has the
responsibility to protect the home range and the
young. After the young reach maturity they will
leave to find a mate. At this point the alpha male
and female will usually have another litter of
pups to replace the ones that are leaving.
What Is Their Habitat in the Wild Like?
Red wolves are very adaptive to different types of ecosystems and can live in most places including
forests swamps, coastal prairies, and others. The dens for the young are usually made in these
areas as well. Many dens can be found in sandy knolls, hollow trees, or banks of near by streams.
How Do Red Wolf Families Live?
The red wolf is a monogamous animal, meaning they only mate with one other individual for life.
The family unit or pack will usually consist of a mating pair, which is the alpha male and female
and their offspring. This group can be as large as six individuals or as small as three or four.
What Is Their Life Cycle?
Red wolves will mate around mid to late winter.
They will mate for life so both the male and the
female will raise the young. The pups (baby red
wolves) are born in April or May after a 60-63
day gestation period. After the pups are born
they will stay in the den on the mother’s milk
for about eight to ten weeks. After that period
the babies will begin to eat meat with the rest of
the pack. While the pups are still in the den,
they are not usually left alone. One individual
from the pack will be left to watch over the young. The pack will change every couple years or so, as
soon as the young reach maturity. Anywhere from 22 months to 46 months, the young will leave
the packs to go find a new home range. In captivity the wolves can live as long as 15 years but in the
wild these animals rarely live more than 8 years.
4
Red Wolf Habitat
Habitat
Habitat
References
and
Further Reading
“Red Wolves Threatened by Proposed Night Hunting of Coyotes!” Red Wolf Coalition.
<http://redwolves.com/rwc/index.html>.
“Wolf ClassificationWolf Web.<http://www.wolfweb.com/class.html>.
Toothman, Jessika. “When Red Wolves Roam.” Discovery Communications.
<http://animal.discovery.com/tv/night/animals-after-dark/red-wolf.html>.
“Red Wolf Recovery Program.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
<http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/>.
“Frequently Asked Questions about Wolves.” International Wolf Center.
<http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/faqs/faq.asp#15>.
“Wolves.” Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management.
<http://icwdm.org/handbook/carnivor/Wolves.asp>.
“Value of the Red Wolf.” Red Wolf Coalition.
<http://redwolves.com/rwc/about_wolves/value.html>.
“Red Wolf.” Defenders of Wildlife.
<http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/red_wolf.php>.
Lorem Ipsum
Dolor
“Top Predators Preserve Ecosystems.” Discovery News.
<http://news.discovery.com/animals/top-predators-ecosystems-110714.html>.
“Endangered Red Wolves.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
<http://library.fws.gov/Pubs4/endangered_red_wolves.pdf>.
“Canis rufus (C. niger).” Animal Info.
<http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/canirufu.htm>.
“Red Wolf.” IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.
<http://www.canids.org/species/Red_wolf.pdf>.
Photographs by Mark Conlin
Habitat Tracker is a research project of the Florida State University, and is funded by the
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (R305A100782)
http://tracker.cci.fsu.edu/
5