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 Red Wolf (Canis rufus)

Red Wolf | Canis rufus photo
Red Wolf at North Carolina zoo
Photograph by ucumari (Valerie). Some rights reserved.  (view image details)




Red Wolf | Canis rufus photo
Red Wolf photographed at Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, Florida.
Photograph copyright: Chad Anderson - all rights reserved. Used with permission.  (view image details)





RED WOLF FACTS
Description
The fur of the Red Wolf has a number of shades of pale brown, gray or black. the back is darker colored, and the muzzle and legs are reddish. The tail has a black tip. They become more reddish in winter. Red Wolves are smaller than Gray Wolves and are smaller with longer legs and ears and shorter fur.

Other Names
Southern Wolf, Timber Wolf

Size
Length 1.3m - 1.7m including tail of 30-40cm

Environment
mountains, lowland forests, and wetlands

Food
small mammals such as raccoons, rabbits, rats, muskrats. Also some carrion

Breeding
A litter of 3- 6 pups is born after a gestation period of about 60 days. Up to 12 pups have been recorded.

Range
Map shows estimated range before European settlement. Red wolves are found in small reintroduced populations in inaccessible swampland and mountainous terrain

Conservation Status
The conservation status in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals is "critically endangered".

Classification
Class:Mammalia
Order:Carnivora
Family:Canidae
Genus:Canis
Species:rufus
Common Name:Red Wolf


Relatives in same Genus
  Coyote (C. latrans)
  Gray Wolf (C. lupus)







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