HOME IS CALLING MEXICAN RED WOLVES
PATH MAKER MEXICAN RED and GRAY WOLF Mexican gray & red wolves are considered one of the rarest land mammals in the world. With less than 400 wolves left, they deserve the label of critically endangered. Predator control programs from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s caused the near extinction of this unique wolf. By the late 1960s, the Mexican gray wolf had virtually disappeared in the southwestern United States. It was listed as endangered on the federal endangered species list in 1976. Range & Habitat Mexican gray & red wolves prefer mountain forests, grasslands and scrublands. They once ranged widely from central Mexico throughout the southwestern U.S. Today, the Mexican wolf has been reintroduced to the Apache National Forest in southeastern Arizona, and may move into the adjacent Gila National Forest in western New Mexico as the population expands. Recently, Mexican wolves have also begun to be reintroduced in Mexico. Mexican gray & red wolves are very social animals. They live in packs, which are complex social structures that include the breeding adult pair (the alpha male and female) and their offspring. A hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals within the pack help it to work as a unit.
MANED WOLF PATROL What’s in a name? For this unique animal, it is a wolf in name only. It is however a canid, and therefore related to the wolf. Maned wolves are more closely related to the forest fox and the bush dog (canid species from South America). Despite this relationship, the maned wolf is the only species in its genus. It has a very different appearance than the wolves we are used to seeing, and more closely resembles a fox than a wolf. The maned wolf is a South American native whose range extends from the Amazon basin rain forest in Brazil to the dry shrub forests of Paraguay and northern Argentina. This mammal is found in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in south, central-west, and southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, northern Argentina, Bolivia east and north of the Andes, and far southeastern Peru. Maned wolves have chestnut red pelage over rather large bodies, and black pelage on their long, slender legs, feet and muzzle. They have long red fur covering necks, backs, and chests which they can stand on end to give the appearance of a mane. Why maned wolves are threatened: Much like our native wolves, the maned wolf is misunderstood and widely persecuted. For years it was hunted and killed by farmers who believed that the wolves were killing their poultry and livestock. The maned wolf’s small teeth and jaws make it hard for it to kill large prey, but it is often blamed because of its intimidating size. The maned wolf is listed as near threatened in its native range. This listing is due to loss of habitat by encroaching human populations, the introduction of certain diseases and a belief that certain of its organs have medicinal healing powers.
