Red Wolf - William Motluk Bewley
The Red Wolf
By: William Motluk Bewley
http://i.imgur.com/iWEgb.jpg
Considered to be the rarest species of wolf in the world, the Red
Wolf has been listed as critically endangered by the IUCN since 1998.
Reintroduced in 1987 into eastern North Carolina after becoming extinct in the
wild, the Red Wolf population is currently estimated at less than 150
individuals.[i] The adult population in
the wild is closer to 50 or fewer. Red Wolfs were bread in captivity following
their wild extinction in 1980, and were later re-introduced by the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service. Even after their re-introduction, they remain
critically endangered and threatened by hybridization with coyotes.[ii] Though
the wolves historically bred with other wolves, their reduced numbers prompted
cross breeding with coyotes to such an extent that fewer than 20 captured
wolves were eligible for the captive breeding program.[iii]
Once released, the wolves bred in captivity face the same crossbreeding risks
as their predecessors, as well as the danger from humans. Though the predatory
animal elimination programs have ended, many people continue to see wolves as a
threat, despite their endangerment. The two greatest threats to the Red Wolf
are cross breeding, and death at the hands of humans, both intentionally and
accidental. Despite their re-introduction, the USFWS maintains a captive
breeding population in an effort to continue expanding the population.[iv]
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| https://www.fws.gov/redwolf/images/red-wolf-nep-2017.jpg |
Historically, evidence suggests that the Red Wolf’s range
stretched from the southeastern United States, to southeastern Canada and
possibly Ontario.[v] Red Wolfs were fairly
common in the eastern United States until predator control programs hunted them
to near extinction by the mid 1900’s.[vi]
As their population declined, Red Wolf-Coyote hybrids became more prevalent,
and the population of Red Wolfs became diluted more and more rapidly. Though
the topic has been heavily debated, there is no definitive answer as to whether
or not the Red Wolf is its own species. The more historically prevalent opinion
is that the Red Wolf is itself descended from a hybrid between Grey Wolfs, and
Coyotes.[vii]
The other, more recent findings support that the Red Wolf may be more closely
related to the Eastern Wolf rather than the Grey Wolf.[viii]
The Red Wolfs taxonomy has been a fiercely debated topic, and there is abundant
evidence for multiple opinions.
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| https://s3.amazonaws.com/user-media.venngage.com/528984-f2690cca430b17ac6483b14c7e927fb4.jpg |
Red Wolfs are unique in their physical features and behavior when
compared to Grey Wolfs or Coyotes. They have a more medium build, and average
53-63 inches long, and weigh between 50 and 85 pounds. A male Grey Wolf, in
comparison, weighs between 60 and 160 pounds. Red Wolfs typically have more
slender builds than Eastern Wolfs, and their fur is typically grey with streaks
of burnt red or tawny, from which their name arises. Their ears are also
unique; noticeably larger than an Eastern Wolf, the Red Wolf’s ears are
proportionately similar to those of a coyote.[ix]
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| For Comparison: A Coyote http://www.focusdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/coyote.jpg |
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| Pictured: A Red Wolf http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F8TySU9YK0Y/TiSULvahCcI/ AAAAAAAABhw/x784RQNQaNo/s1600/The%2BRed%2Bwolf.jpg |
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| Finally, a Grey Wolf https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/gray-wolf/ |
Prior to their extinction in the wild, the last refuge of the Red
Wolf along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana was not abundantly populated
with white tailed deer or prey of similar size.[x]
As a result, their primary food sources were rabbits, rodents, and nutria.
Nutria, a large semi-aquatic rodent is commonly referred to as a “giant swamp
rat”. Though an introduced and in some cases invasive species, they have made
for a good food source for the more southern Red Wolf populations. After
reintroduction, the Red Wolfs had more access to white tailed deer in their
North Carolina refugee. As a result their dietary habits have shifted to larger
game such as deer, but they still rely on smaller mammals and rodents.[xi]
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| https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Red_wolf_pups_ -_captive_breeding.jpg/794px-Red_wolf_pups_-_captive_breeding.jpg |
There is no denying that the Red Wolf recovery program has been
effective in bringing these beautiful animals back from the brink of
extinction. But there is so much more work to be done, and you can help. You
can stay informed regarding wildlife programs, and the legislation that impacts
it. In order to release these animals, they need safe, large areas in which to
roam and live. Without national parks, monuments, and reserves, this simply
isn’t possible. Your vote can impact thousands of animals. Elect
representatives that see the value of these animals the way you do. Tell your
representatives how important national treasures like the Red Wolf are, and
show them that you care. You can also donate to organizations that promote
conservation and animal recovery programs.
Works Cited: Endnotes
[i] Kelly,
B.T., Beyer, A. & Phillips, M.K. 2008. Canis rufus.
The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species 2008: e.T3747A10057394.
[ii] Parker,
Warren T, et al. “Red Wolf- Recovery/Species Survival
Plan.” Environmental
Conservation Online System, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1990,
ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/901026.pdf.
[iii]
Parker, Warren T.
[iv] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2007.
Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
5-Year Status Review: Summary and Evaluation.
[v] Nowak,
R. M. (2002). "The original status of Wolves in Eastern North
America". Southeastern Naturalist. 1 (2):
95–130
[vi] “Causes of Mortality in Wild Red Wolves
(Canis rufus) 2012–2015 (PDF)(Report)”
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. January 11, 2016
[vii] VonHolt,
Bridgett M; "A genome-wide perspective on the evolutionary history of
enigmatic wolf-like canids". Genome
Research. (8): 1294–305. August 2011.
[viii]
Paul A. Hohenlohe, Linda Y. Rutledge, Lisette P. Waits, Kimberly R. Andrews,
Jennifer R. Adams, Joseph W.
Hinton, Ronald M. Nowak, Brent R. Patterson,
Adrian P. Wydeven, Paul A.
Wilson, Brad N. White (2017). “Comment on "Whole-genome sequence analysis shows two endemic species of
North American wolf are admixtures of the coyote and gray wolf””. Science Advances. 2017
[ix] Hinton,
Joseph W.; Chamberlain, Michael J. "Morphometrics of Canis
taxa in eastern North Carolina". Journal
of Mammalogy. 95 (4): 855–861. October 22, 2014.
[x] Shaw,
J. “Ecology, Behavior and Systematic of the Red Wolf (Canis rufus)”.
Ph.D. dissertation, Yale
University, New Haven, CT. 1975
[xi] McVey,
Justin M.; Cobb, David T.; Powell, Roger A.; Stoskopf, Michael K.; Bohling,
Justin H.; Waits, Lisette P.;
Moorman, Christopher E.
"Diets of sympatric red
wolves and coyotes in northeastern North
Carolina". Journal of Mammalogy. 94 (5):
1141–1148. October 15, 2013.
I think your blog did a really good job addressing the issue of telling how people see wolves as a threat and seeing how that way of thinking is really hurting their populations. I found it really interesting that scientists are unsure of where Red Wolves have originated from in terms of descending from whom. I personally always figured all wolves to be in the same family, but hearing that is not always the case is something I never thought of before. Overall, really good job and your citations looked really professional.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Plumb
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post; I appreciated the comparison of red wolf to coyote and grey wolf. I had no idea how similar the red wolf and coyote look. The story of the red wolf is also a pretty good general example of a species recovery program with all the different aspects at play. -Elizabeth Neill
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting that you included so much about the breeding and cross breeding of red wolves. I was not surprised to find out that humans were one of red wolves main threats of extinction, but I was surprised to find out that cross breeding was a major threat as well. I also really liked the look of your blog with all of the pictures included.
ReplyDelete- Skylar Millard
Splendid blog spot. It's interesting to think that the crossbreeding between wolves and coyotes affects the overall population of Red Wolves and ultimately makes it difficult to find ones that can be put into captive breeding programs.
ReplyDelete- Jeffrey Phunmongkol
This was a really cool blog post! I like that it was short but still packed with information, like the fact that red wolf are threatened by hybridization because of coyotes. I also really like that you added a comparison of a coyote, red wolf, and grey wolf. I think that helped me really understand the similarities and differences. Also, I found it interesting that red wolf like to eat nutria. I have never heard of this rat ever and had to google it. Cute little rats that are also called Coypu!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Gabi Morgan
I really enjoyed the visuals on your blog post. Sad that at some point it was extinct in the wild that it had to be reintroduced in North Carolina as well that they remain critically endangered. It also sad that due their really low population that have to crossbreed with other species. Hopefully, these beautiful creatures could be recovered.
ReplyDelete-Alejandrina Perez
Great article! It's incredible to learn about how the wolves are such a keystone species in almost all ecosystems that they live in. The photos are great and I like how you incorporated many different wolves into the post.
ReplyDeleteHenrik Moe
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really liked you're blog! I did not realize that the red wolf had such distinct taxonomy in comparison to other wolves.They are truly beautiful creatures! I have never heard of nutria, the giant swamp rat, and its interesting that they are apart of the wolves diet. Hopefully, we can fix the damage that has been done and eventually remove the red wolf from the endangered species list!
ReplyDelete-Jordi Oliver