Wolf species are often distinguished particularly by their powerful canines and sharp premolars. Despite the persecution to which they have been subjected, these canids are still quite present, particularly in Eurasia and North America. Some of its varieties have become extinct or are at risk of disappearing. In this article you will be able to find out much more about the Types of Wolves.
Los Lobos
The wolf is a mammal whose intake is exclusively carnivorous and our domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is part of that same species, despite the notorious differences in size and behavior. The name of the genus is Canis which means "dog" in Latin. The word "canine" comes from the adjective canine ("of the dog"), from which the term canine tooth also originates. All breeds of wolves or canines have relevant canine teeth, which they use to kill their prey that will be their form of food.
Characteristics of the Wolves
The existence of the wolf on earth dates back to about 800.000 years ago. Then they were distributed in large territories of the planet, such as America, Asia and Europe. Today, however, this has changed, as they tend to be primarily concentrated in North America and parts of Europe, particularly regions of Russia.
As part of the features of wolves, their resemblance to the domestic dog stands out. They usually weigh between 40 and 80 kilos, depending on the breed, and have a solid body with very strong and muscular legs, accompanied by powerful jaws with sharp teeth.
Wolf breeds can develop speeds of between 10 to 65 kilometers per hour, also having the ability to make great jumps, essential qualities to avoid mountainous regions and thus capture their prey. They have a highly developed sense of smell and a sense of sight that enables them to see in the dark, thanks to the fact that they have the tapetum lucidum, a membrane that allows them to improve their vision in low light situations.
On the other hand, their fur is thick, thick and firm, which serves not only to protect them from adverse weather conditions and dirt, but also keeps them warm in very cold weather and serves as camouflage. Immature wolves (that is, those unable to reproduce) are called cubs, and a grouping of them from the same gestation period is called a litter.
Types of Wolves
There is a whole diversity of species and sub-species of wolves that have been distributed throughout various regions of the planet, but what is the number of existing species? Of the genus Canis, sixteen varied species have been recognized, including Canis lupus, which, in turn, has recognized thirty-seven sub-species with many variations, among which a cross between a domestic dog and a gray wolf can be achieved. . There is, additionally, the Canis mesomelas elongae, a subspecies of the Canis mesomelas variety, which are not wolves, but jackals, as well as the Canis simensis, which is also a coyote.
According to this and since not all the species that are part of the genus Canis are wolves, how many kinds of wolves are there? According to the official institutions, the various studies carried out and as reported by the comparative toxicogenomics database (CTD), those indicated below are the only species of wolves that exist, of which there are different subspecies:
- canis anthus
- canis indica
- canis lycaon
- canis himalayensis
- Canis lupus
- canis rufus
Wolves of Europe, Asia and Oceania
Below we leave you the review of the best known wolf species and that are distributed throughout the territories of Europe, Asia and Oceania:
Grey Wolf
The gray wolf (Canis lupus), is a canine native to the wild and distant regions of Eurasia and North America. It is the largest member of its family, with males averaging 43 to 45 kilograms (95 to 99 pounds) while females weigh 36 to 38.5 kilograms (79 to 85 pounds). They differ from other varieties of Canis by their larger complexion and less pointed features, particularly in the ears and snout.
Its winter coat is extensive and dense, the predominant color of which is mottled gray, although it can also be almost pure white, red and brown to black. The worldwide population of this wolf breed is estimated at 300.000 individuals. The gray wolf is one of the best known and most studied animal species, with probably more books written than any other wild variety.
It is the only variety of Canis that is distributed both throughout Eurasia and North America, which had its origins in Eurasia in the Pleistocene era, colonizing North America on at least three different occasions in the "Rancholabrean" or late Pleistocene. It is a social animal, which moves in nuclear families that are made up of a mated pair, which is accompanied by the adult offspring of the pair.
The gray wolf is the typical predator that occupies the highest position in its food chain throughout its range. Only humans and tigers pose a serious threat to him. Usually feeds primarily on large ungulates (walking on hooves), but also eats smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage. A seven-year-old wolf is estimated to be more or less old, and its maximum life expectancy is about 16 years.
Common or European Wolf
The Eurasian wolf, European wolf (Canis lupus lupus), usually referred to as the common wolf or the Middle Russian forest wolf, is a subspecies of gray wolf native to Europe and the forest and steppe areas of the former Soviet Union. . Before the Middle Ages, it was widely distributed throughout Eurasia. Apart from its vast paleontological and genetic record, Indo-European languages traditionally used various terms to refer to the wolf, which shows the wide presence of the animal and its cultural symbolism.
They were highly esteemed in the Baltic, Celtic, Slavic, Turkish, Ancient Greek, Roman and Thracian cultures, while having an ambivalent reputation in the original Germanic civilizations. It is the largest among Old World gray wolves, averaging 39 kilograms (86 lb) in Europe; however, extraordinarily huge specimens have weighed 69 to 80 kilograms (152 to 176 pounds), although this can vary by region.
Its fur is more or less short and thick, and is usually a tawny color, with white on the throat that barely reaches the cheeks. Its howl is much longer and more melodious than that of the subspecies of gray wolves in North America, whose vocalizations are more powerful and emphasize the initial syllable.
Black wolf
The black wolf is only a fur variety of the gray wolf (Canis lupus), that is, it is not a subspecies of the wolf order. Like the gray wolf, the black wolf is found in North America, Asia, and Europe. This coat variant originates from a genetic mutation that occurred in a cross between domestic dogs and wild wolves. However, long ago there was a Florida black wolf (Canis lupus floridanus), which was declared extinct in 1908.
Siberian wolf
The Siberian wolf (Canis lupus albus), is a subspecies of gray wolf native to the Eurasia tundra and forest tundra regions from Finland to the Kamchatka Peninsula, first reported in 1792 by Robert Kerr, who detailed it as a species that lived in the vicinity of the Yenisei and that had a skin of enormous value. This Siberian wolf regularly rests in river valleys, thickets and forest clearings.
In winter it feeds almost exclusively on wild and domestic reindeer, although it occasionally feeds on hares, arctic foxes and other species. It is a large subspecies, with adult males reaching 118 to 137 centimeters (46,5 to 54 inches) in length and females 112 to 136 centimeters (44 to 53,5 inches).
Although it is often said that it is larger than Canis lupus lupus, this is not true, since heavier specimens of the latter subspecies have been documented. Their average weight is 40 to 49 kilograms (88 to 108 pounds) in males and 36.6 to 41 kilograms (81 to 90 pounds) in females. It exhibits a fairly long, thick, fluffy and smooth coat, which is usually clear and gray in color. The undercoat is lead gray and the top is reddish grey.
Steppenwolf
The species of steppe wolf (Canis lupus campestris) is sometimes divided into two varieties, desertorum and cubanensis (despite the fact that it is considered on other occasions as a variant of the Tibetan wolf). In both cases, they are small but stocky wolves, with short gray hair, which have managed to adapt to life in the steppes and deserts of the regions of southern Russia and central Asia.
russian wolf
The Russian Wolf (Canis lupus communis) is considered the most abundant among European wolves and the one with the widest distribution, since it is present in Eastern Europe and Russia, as well as from southern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean. .
Iberian wolf
The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is also known as the Spanish wolf. These types of wolves are a raised subspecies of gray wolf that can be found in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, that is, north of Portugal and northwest of Spain. There live between 2.200 and 2.500 wolves that have been kept from mixing with other wolf populations for more than a century. They constitute the largest wolf population in Western Europe.
Due to population controls and damage to livestock, Iberian wolves are currently the only wolf subspecies in Western Europe that can still be legally hunted. Even so, only in Spain, each year few hunting permits are granted, rigorously valid only for the north of the Duero river. Together with the difficulty of their hunting thanks to their vigilant nature and the fact that they are rarely seen, they are highly sought after by many European hunters as a prize for big game.
Levantine Wolf
The Levantine Wolf (Canis lupus deitanus) as well as the Iberian wolf, is a species that was named by Cabrera in 1907, but on this occasion there have always been many doubts about its legitimacy, since it was reviewed based on several specimens that were in captivity in Murcia and have not been observed in the wild. Levantine wolves were much smaller than Iberian wolves, with short, reddish hair. Possibly the Cabrera specimens were only abnormal individuals of the Iberian wolf. Whatever the case, they haven't been heard of since the early XNUMXth century.
Italic Wolf
The Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus), also called the Apennine wolf, is one of the classes of wolves raised as a subspecies of the gray wolf native to the Italian peninsula. It lives in the Apennines and the western Alps, although it has been spreading to the north and east. In 2005, the Italian wolf population was estimated at 500 individuals. It has been rigorously protected in Italy since the 70s, when its population fell to a minimum of 100 to XNUMX individuals. The population has been increasing, although illegal hunting and persecution continue to be a threat.
A census carried out in 2016 by the "Istituto superiore per la protezione e la ricerca Ambientale" revealed that, with great probability, between 1.269 and 1.800 wolves were in Italy from 2009 to 2013. From the 90s, their distribution area was It has spread to southwestern France and Switzerland. Although not universally recognized as a distinct subspecies, it does have a unique mitochondrial DNA haplotype and distinct skull morphology.
The Italian wolf typically weighs 25 to 35 pounds (55 to 77 kilograms), although some large males have reached 40 to 45 pounds (88 to 99 kilograms). They measure between 110 and 148 centimeters long and 50 to 70 centimeters high at the shoulders. Their fur is regularly gray in color, which tends to redden in summer. The abdomen and cheeks are lighter in color, and there are dark stripes on the back and end of the tail, and sometimes along the front legs.
Arabian Wolf
The Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs) is recognized as a subspecies of gray wolf, which inhabits the Arabian Peninsula. It is the smallest wolf that is known, to which is added that it is an animal that has become accustomed to life in the desert. It regularly gathers in modest herds and is completely omnivorous in nature, eating carrion and garbage, as well as small and medium-sized prey.
In one of the publications of the magazine specialized in the animal world, "Mammalogist Species of the World" (Especies of Mammals of the World) edited in 2005, special reference is made to the designation that the Arabian wolf received as Canis lupus arabs from the English zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock in 1934. Crosses with domestic dogs have taken place, but it is not sufficiently clear if this is the reason why said wolf is genetically closer to Canis lupus lupus. This suggests a concern of extinction by hybridization, since Arabian wolves are more suited to desert existence than wolf-dog hybrids.
In Israel and the Palestinian Territories there is some disagreement regarding the precise taxonomic status of wolves. Certain scientists affirm that two wolf subspecies are present, Canis lupus pallipes to the north and Canis lupus arabs to the south. They indicate that those from the south are smaller than those from the north, which are also darker and their hair is longer. Other researchers estimate that the region's wolf is an Arabian Canis lupus, with no real difference between northern and southern wolves. As in other places, there is interbreeding with wild dogs, which adds an element of uncertainty.
Ethiopian Wolf
Also called Abyssinian, the Canis simensis or Ethiopian wolf is actually a jackal or coyote, so it is not a kind of wolf. It lives only at 3.000 meters elevation in the mountains of Ethiopia. It has a small size similar to a dog, since it only usually weighs 10 to 20 kilos. Additionally, it has reddish fur with white spots under its neck and black tail. It gathers in herds organized in a hierarchical manner. Today, they are at risk of extinction due to the devastation of their habitat and the attacks to which they are subjected by humans to keep them away from livestock.
African Golden Wolf
The African golden wolf (Canis anthus) is a variety of wolf that can be found on the African continent. This creature is used to the semi-desert climate, but chooses to reside in regions with nearby water sources. Regarding its physical features, its size is smaller than that of other wolves, weighing about 15 kilos and exhibiting dark-colored fur on the back and tail and sand-colored fur on the legs and belly.
indian wolf
The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is a variant wolf subspecies of the gray wolf that is found from southwestern Asia to India. Its size can be located between that of the Tibetan and the Arabian wolf, and it does not have the exuberant winter coat of the former since it resides in more temperate climates. Two closely related haplotypes within this subspecies, which are the basis of all other living Canis lupus haplotypes, except for the most ancestral lineage Himalayan wolf, have been identified and silvered as a separate species.
In 2018, the sequencing of its entire genome was used to match the members of the genus Canis. The study was able to obtain evidence of genetic links between African golden wolves, golden jackals and gray wolves (from Saudi Arabia and Syria). An African golden wolf from the Sinai Peninsula revealed high admixture with Middle Eastern gray wolves and dogs, highlighting the role of the land bridge between the African and Eurasian continents in canid evolution.
It was discovered that the Indian or African golden wolf was descended from a canid that from a genetic perspective was mixed of 72% gray wolf and 28% Ethiopian wolf ancestry.
himalayan wolf
The Himalayan wolf (Canis himalayensis) is native to Nepal and northern India. It gathers in small groups and today there is only a small number of adult specimens. Regarding its appearance, it is a small and thin animal. His coat is firm and is shown in light shades of chestnut, gray and cream.
tibetan wolf
The Tibetan Wolf (Canis lupus chanco) exhibits a light gray almost whitish color, showing brown tones in the upper area of the body. It can be found throughout central Asia, reaching Mongolia in the north and the western Himalayas in the west. To a lesser extent, they can be found on the Korean Peninsula.
Dingo
The dingo is a dog native to Australia, whose species name is still a matter of debate: it is usually called Canis familiaris, Canis familiaris dingo, Canis lupus dingo or Canis dingo. It is a purebred dog, although it has been bred only in the wild, or through a hybrid of a dingo and a domestic dog. It is a medium-sized dog that has a slim and strong build, suitable for speed, agility and resistance.
The three essential dingo coat colors are: light ginger or tan, black and tan, or creamy white. The skull, the largest part of the animal, is wedge-shaped and huge in relation to its body. It is distinguished from the domestic dog by its broader palatal vault, shorter cranial elevation, and wider sagittal crest.
The oldest known dingo fossil was found in Western Australia, and dates back to around 3.450 years ago, suggesting that dingoes arrived in Australia with seafarers prior to that date. Its morphology has not been altered in the last 3.500 years, which suggests that no artificial selection has taken place in that period. The dingo is closely related to the New Guinea singing dog. Their lineage diverged early from the lineage that led to today's domestic dogs, which can be traced from the Malay Archipelago to Asia.
New Guinea Singing Dog
The New Guinea or New Guinea Highland Singing Dog (Canis lupus hallstromi) is a peculiar dog native to the highlands of the island of New Guinea. It is considered a relative of the Australian dingo, although its taxonomic status is controversial. In 2016, the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation told the media that it and the University of Papua had found and photographed a group of fifteen "highland wild dogs."
The animal is recognized by its particular vocalization. Little is known about New Guinea singing dogs in the wild, and as of 2016 only two photographs were known of sightings in such a condition: one taken in 1989 and made public in Tim Flannery's book "Mammals of New Guinea”, and the other taken in August 2012 by adventure guide Tom Hewett in the Star Mountains area of West Papua.
Other races of Europe, Asia and Oceania
- Gansu (Canis lupus filchneri)
- Romanian (Canis lupus minor)
- Tibetan (Canis lupus laniger)
- Sicilian (Canis lupus cristaldii (†)
- From Hokkaido (Canis lupus hattai = Canis lupus rex)(†)
- Honshu (Canis lupus hodophilax)(†)
Wolves of North America
In the following paragraphs we will present the description of those breeds of wolves that can be found in the territory of North America:
Arctic Wolf
The arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos), also known as the white wolf or polar wolf, is a subspecies of gray wolf native to the Queen Elizabeth Islands of Canada, from Melville Island to Ellesmere. It is a subspecies whose size is medium, and which differs from the northwestern wolf by being smaller, whiter in color, with a less extensive cerebral cortex and whose carnassials (meat teeth) are larger. Since 1930, there has been a gradual decrease in the volume of the skulls of this specimen, which is possibly the product of hybridization between wolves and dogs.
In 1935, the English zoologist Reginald Pocock assigned the subspecies name Canis lupus arctos (Arctic wolf) to a specimen from Melville Island in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada. He pointed out that similar wolves could be found on Ellesmere Island. He also named another Greenland wolf from Cape York, northwest Greenland, Canis lupus orion. The two wolves are recognized as separate subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority "Mammal Species of the World" (2005).
Mexican wolf
The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), also referred to simply as a wolf by those closest to it, is a subspecies of gray wolf that was once native to southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas, and the north of Mexico. Among the North American gray wolves, it is the smallest and is similar to Canis lupus nubilus, although it differs by its smaller and narrower skull and its darker, yellowish-gray fur, intensely clouded with black on the back and The tail.
Their ancestors were quite likely the first gray wolves to enter North America after the demise of the Beringian wolf, as indicated by their basal physical and genetic traits and their southernmost range. Although it was once highly valued in pre-Columbian Mexico, it is the most threatened gray wolf in North America, which became extinct in the wild in the mid-XNUMXth century thanks to a mixture of hunting, trapping, poisoning and extraction of burrow pups.
After being incorporated into the Endangered Species Act in 1976, the United States and Mexico worked together to trap all remaining wolves in the wild. This extreme regulation prevented the extinction of wolves. Five specimens of this species (four males and one pregnant female) were trapped alive in Mexico from 1977 to 1980 and used to start a captive breeding program.
baffin's wolf
The Baffin Island wolf (Canis lupus manningi), also known as the Baffin Island tundra wolf, is a subspecies of gray wolf that lives only on Baffin Island and several nearby islands. It was not until 1943, when it was formally recognized as a subspecies, that Anderson granted it a taxonomic classification. This specimen is admitted as a subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority «Mammal Species of the World» (2005).
Baffin Island wolves are noted as light in color, sometimes white, and unusually small when compared to other wolf subspecies. It is said to be the smallest of all the Arctic wolves. Initial records and evidence suggest that the wolves of western Greenland came from Baffin Island and are thus descendants of the Baffin Island subspecies of wolves. In 1966, a study was carried out on this specimen, of which there was a previous evaluation of the previous year, in Wordie Bay, by the University of Toronto. It was also attended by university students.
Yukon Wolf
The Yukon Wolf (Canis lupus pambasileus) is a variety of gray wolf that gets its name from both the Alaskan Interior wolf in the United States and the Yukon wolf in Canada. There it is usually found in nearby areas of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. This subspecies is native to Interior Alaska and the Yukon, forming a preserve for the arctic coastal tundra zone.
This wolf is recognized as a subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority Species of Mammals of the World (2005), where it was first reported in 1905 by the American zoologist Daniel Elliot as Canis pambasileus and with the denomination of “timber wolf”. autocrat“, according to a specimen from the Susitna River, in the region of Mount McKinley, Alaska.
Elliot differentiates this specimen by the teeth in both jaws that are huge and heavy, and together with the skull exceed those of Canis lupus occidentalis (the northwestern wolf) of comparable body size. In 1944, the American zoologist Edward Goldman designated this wolf Canis lupus pambasileus with the name "Inland Alaskan wolf".
Vancouver Island Wolf
The Vancouver Island wolf (Canis lupus crassodon) is a variety of wolf that forms part of the subspecies of the gray wolf, typical of said island in British Columbia, Canada, which usually socializes with other wolves, and gathers in groups between 5 and 35 individuals. It is a very retiring breed and has rarely been seen by humans. Wolves in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve area are known to attack and kill unsupervised domestic dogs.
This animal is recognized as a subspecies of Canis lupus by the taxonomic authority "Mammal Species of the World" (2005). Studies using mitochondrial DNA have revealed that wolves in coastal southeast Alaska are genetically different from inland gray wolves, evidence of a pattern that has been identified in other taxa as well. They show a phylogenetic link with eradicated wolves from the south (Oklahoma), indicating that these individuals are the last traces of a once-widespread assemblage that was largely extirpated over the past century.
The study also reveals that wolves in northern North America had initially spread from southern dens below ice age Wisconsin after the ice melted at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. These discoveries cast doubt on the taxonomic classification of Canis lupus nulibus proposed by Nowak. Other research found that British Columbia's coastal wolves were genetically and ecologically different from inland wolves, which included other British Columbia inland wolves.
Mackenzie Valley Wolf
The northeastern wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis), also known as the Mackenzie Valley wolf, Alaskan timber wolf, Canadian timber wolf, or northern timber wolf, is a subspecies of gray wolf from western North America. They can be located from Alaska, the upper valley of the Mackenzie River; south to the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, as well as the northwestern United States.
This specimen is recognized as a subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority «Mammal Species of the World» (2005). The subspecies was reviewed by the Scottish naturalist Sir John Richardson in 1829. According to a certain source, phylogenetic studies of North American gray wolves show that there are three groupings that correspond to Canis lupus occidentalis, Canis lupus nubilus and Canis lupus nubilus. lupus baileyi, each representing a separate arrival in North America of different Eurasian ancestors.
Canis lupus occidentalis, the most northwestern subspecies, comes from the last gray wolves to colonize North America. It may have crossed North America via the Bering land bridge after the last ice age, displacing Canis lupus nubilus populations as it went, a process that has continued to this day. Together with Canis lupus nubilus, Canis lupus occidentalis is the most widespread member of the five gray wolf subspecies in North America, with at least six different synonyms.
Eastern United States Wolf
Another class of wolves is the Eastern wolf (Canis lycaon), which lives from southeastern Canada to Florida. It shows a firm and extensive coat in black and light cream colors that are distributed in a disorganized way on its body. This variety of wolf populates the wooded areas of eastern North America, where it feeds on smaller vertebrates and gathers in packs. It is also a species at risk of disappearing due to the devastation of its habitat and the fragmentation of populations that this has caused in its herds.
Red Wolf
Leaving aside the subspecies of the gray wolf, the Canis rufus or red wolf is also part of the wolf varieties. It lives only in certain areas of Mexico, the United States and Canada, since it is in critical danger of extinction due to the hunting of the species with which it usually feeds, the introduction of strange specimens to its habitat and the effect of the transportation routes that have been built there. The red wolf is usually characterized by a weight of about 35 kilos and exhibiting a spotted coat, in which reddish, gray and yellow areas are observed. Their diet consists of deer, raccoons, and rodents.
Other North American Wolf Breeds
- Hudson's Bay (Canis lupus hudsonicus)
- Northern Rocky Mountain (Canis lupus irremotus)
- Labrador (Canis lupus labradorius)
- From the Alexander Archipelago (Canis lupus ligoni)
- Mackenzie River (Canis lupus mackenzii)
- Prairie (Canis lupus nubilus)
- Greenland (Canis lupus orion)
- Alaskan (Canis lupus pambasileus)
- American tundra (Canis lupus tundrarum)
- Giant Kenai (Canis lupus moose) (†)
- Newfoundland (Canis lupus beothucus)(†)
- Bernard's (Canis lupus bernardi)(†)
- British Columbian (Canis lupus columbianus)(†)
- Florida (Canis lupus floridanus)(†):
- Cascade Range (Canis lupus fuscus)(†)
- Manitoba (Canis lupus griseoalbus)(†)
- Mogollon (Canis lupus mogollonensis)(†)
- Texan (Canis lupus monstrabilis)(†)
- Southern Rocky Mountain (Canis lupus youngi)(†)
domestic dog
The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is one of the most widespread animal species on the planet and is one of the favorite pets. Their physical traits vary among the different recognized existing breeds, which exhibit abundant differences in size, color and type of coat, temperament and life expectancy, among others.
It is cataloged as a different subspecies, in its beginnings, according to the most recent hypotheses, the dog we know today was the product of crosses between dingo wolves, basenji wolves and jackals. However, some 14.900 years ago the lineages of dogs and wolves separated, although it is still recognized that their ancestors are common. Since this separation, each species continued its development independently and the dog could be domesticated.
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