20 Extinct or Endangered Wolves

I like to share information about wildlife, animals, and pets—dogs in particular.

Human has persecuted Canidae family members, wolves, jackals, dingoes, foxes from thousands of years, the man’s best friend “Dog” is also a descendant of the wolf, which was domesticated before ~40,000 years. But in recent years the need to growing residential land, hunting, and killing of these Canidae have pushed many species into or close to extinction. You may wonder to know more than a dozen wolves are extinct, find the list of 20 critically endangered or recently extinct wolves.

1. The Japanese Wolf

Japanese wolves or Honshu wolves are the rare wolves that were native from Honshu Iceland of Japan. The Honshu wolf has the physical appearance more likely to the Pariah dog or like Australian Dingos, though that is classified as a subspecies of gray wolf, and also considered Siberian wolf ancestors- that’s debatable. In Ancient Japa, people pet them to protection harvest by keeping wild boar, and other damaging pests away from crops. Japanese wolves are now extinct, the last official record about Japanese wolf is available, was in the year 1905.

Physical traits and info. about Japanese (Honshu) Wolf

2. The Hokkaido Wolf

The Hokkaido wolves were a subspecies of Gray Wolf that lived in inhabited coastal north-east Asia (Mainly in Japan) and also known as the Ezo wolf. They must not be confused with Japanese, Honshu wolf they both are different and classified in different subspecies of wolves. Which is officially extinct in the year 1839, but some taxonomists believe that it still survives on Sakhalin island of Japan. They survived till the Ainu Culture, the Ainu hunters were banned from killing them with poison arrows or by other ways but the Meiji government declared wolves as "harmful animals", trusting Dun to oversee the animals' extermination. Dun began his work at the Niikappu ranch with a mass-poisoning campaign.

Physical traits and info. about Hokkaido Wolves

3. Cascade Mountains wolf or British Colombian Wolf

Cascade Mountains Wolf were subspecies of Gray Wolf that were lived in British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington. They are an extinct wolf species and the reason for their extinction is not clear. Not much research had been done on the Cascade wolf before them extinct.

Physical traits and info. about Cascade Mountains wolf

4. Newfoundland Wolf

The Newfoundland wolf is an extinct wolf species that lived on the island of Newfoundland off the east coast of Canada. Recent evidence has suggested that the first wolves to inhabit the island may have been there prior to the last ice age, surviving the ice age in refugia, south of the glacial sheet. The wolf was said to be white with a black stripe down its spine. The last wolf was shot on the island in 1911. (Reference - wolf-dog.nl)

Physical traits and info. about Newfoundland Wolf

5. The Serengeti Wolf or African Golden Wolf

The African golden wolf was known as Egyptian Wolf, Golden Jackal, recent DNA test suggests that the golden jackal (Canis aureus) is actually comprised of two different species and one of them is a new species of wolf. They live in East Africa and Eurasia and also known as the Srengeti Wolf, golden wolf, African wolf or thoa.

Physical traits and info. about African Golden Wolf

6. Caspian Sea Wolf or Steppe Wolf

Steppe Wolves are small to medium-sized subspecies of the Grey Wolf, which have rough, short gray-brown fur and are also known as Caspian Sea Wolf. They have the presence in Steppe regions of the Caucasus (Available in the lower Volga region, southern Kazakhstan, the Europen region of old USSR, Afghanistan, and Iran). Once they were declining their presence and were introduced to Endangered, but now they are out of Endangered category and growing.

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Physical traits and info. about Steppe Wolf

7. Indian wolf

The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is a subspecies of Grey Wolf that was first defined in 1831 by the British ornithologist William Henry Sykes. They have the presence from Israel to the Indian Subcontinent (including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bhutan. The Indian wolf has very short and dense fur and medium sized, lean and athletic body and looks more are closer to the jackal. They are declining number because of limited food, residence, and Hybridisation with Pariah and domestic dogs and they are introduced to the High endangered list.

Physical traits and info. about Indian Wolf

8. Arctic Wolf or Polar Wolf

Arctic Wolves are also known as White or Polar wolf, which is a subspecies of the Grey Wolf. They unique white colored wolves but can be black and gray also, little shorter than gray wolves in height but heavier than them, also Arctic wolves have the short ear that helps them to preserve heat in cool temperature. They are listed to an endangered category that has presence around Alaska (North America, Upper Canada, Greenland).

Usually, Arctic wolves don't attach Human they but they are targeted by hunters for their fur and meat. The extinction of the Arctic wolf population was studied in the year between 1899 and 1939. That was collapsed and declined rapidly after the arrival of European commercial hunters.

Physical traits and info. about Arctic Wolf

9. Mexican Gray Wolf

The Mexican Gray wolf is a subspecies of the Gray wolf and Unlikely to most of other wolves, The Mexican Gray Wolves are very social animals, which are Commonly referred to as "El lobo,". They have long sturdy legs and sleek body that helps them to run fast. They have their presence in Southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas and northern Mexico. But in recent, their presence was reduced and they are introduced to the endangered list, only ~300 Mexican Gray wolves were counted in the year 1998. But the reintroduction program was to restore at least 100 wolves, helped them to grow 97 more Mexican wolves until the year 2006.

Physical traits and info. about Mexican Gray Wolf

10. The Red Wolf

The red wolf is native to the eastern United States, which are different species from the gray wolf and also known as the Florida wolf or Mississippi Valley wolf. The red wolf is one of the most endangered canids in the world that are hunted to the edge of extinction, In Year in 1980, Only ~ 20 red wolves to be bred in captivity and the population was increased to 207 in the year 2007.

Physical traits and info. about Red Wolf

11. The Ethiopian wolf

The Ethiopian wolf is a very social animal which is native to the Ethiopian Highlands, They have red and white fur and look like a coyote in size and also known as the Abyssinian wolf, red jackal, Simien fox, Simien jackal and Abyssinian fox. The Ethiopian wolf is limited to seven isolated mountain enclaves only and identified as, one of the most endangered canid in the world and the only wolf species to be found in Africa, their population less than 500 in the wild.

Physical traits and info. about Ethiopian wolf

12. Alexander Archipelago Wolf

The Alaska's Alexander Archipelago Wolves are subspecies of the Gray or Timberwolf and rarely available wolves, that lives in Alaskan islands and are smaller than other wolves. They are critically endangered animals, they were almost Wiped Out in 1 Year. In the year 2014, their population was reduced from 221 to as low as 60 and 9 more wolves were permitted to be killed that may reduce the count as 51.

Physical traits and info. About The Alaska's Alexander Archipelago Wolves

13. Maned Wolf

The Maned Wolf is the only species in its genus. It’s appearance is very different from the wolves. It appears to have a mane and more closely resembles a fox than a wolf. Maned Wolves are native of South America, and they live in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Northern Argentina.

Maned Wolf is also known for its distinctive appearance such as its large body, long, slender legs, feet and muzzle, which has earned it the nickname of “fox on stilts”. They have almost no natural enemies, but are in great danger because people kill these wolves for their body parts, believed to have magical properties and certain of its organs have medicinal healing powers.

Physical traits and info. about Maned Wolves

14. Iberian Wolf

The Iberian wolf is a subspecies of grey wolf that lives in northern Portugal and north-western Spain, which is the National Animal of Portugal. Around 50 percent of the Iberian wolves reside in Northern Castilla y Len. According to the available records, ~ 2,000 in Spain and another 400 in Portugal, were left in the year 2003.and their population decreased to as few as 400 to 500 and they were classified as endangered.

Physical traits and info. about Iberian wolf

15. Italian wolf

The Italian wolf is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the Italian Peninsula and mountainous regions of the Apennines and the western Alps, which is a slightly different species from the European wolf and also known as the Apennine Wolf, that was originally described in 1921 Italian wolf are being illegally hunted and killed, outside towns and villages in Italy, in need to expand the safe zone for growing resistance. And because if their reducing population they were introduced to IUCN's Red Data Book of endangered species list since March 2016.

Physical traits and info. about Italian Wolf

16. Tibetan Wolf

The Tibetan wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf and also known as the "woolly wolf" or the Himalayan wolf, that lives in Central Asia, Turkestan, Tibet and Northern China, and mainly in Tibet (From the regions of Gansu, Qinghai, and Xichang) and also believed to found in some region of Pakistan, Nepal and India. They are dropping their population by mixing with local Pariah dogs and wild dogs.

17. Himalayan Wolf

Himalayan Wolves are the distinct species of wolves that lives around Himalayan regions. It’s debatable if Himalayan and Tibetan Wolf are same species of wolf or different but they have different identification and live to different geographical region. But they share almost similar region and adjacent boundaries and usually, they come in contact and mixing between. Also, because of shrinking inhabited areas now days they are making contacts with local Pariah and wild dogs and mixing in between that’s a treat for their extinction of original breeds.

18. MacKenzie Valley Wolf

MacKenzie Valley Wolf is an endangered gray wolf subspecies, which is also known Alaskan timber wolf, Canadian timber wolf, or northern timber wolf. MacKenzie Valley is mainly found in western North America and known as one of the largest wolf subspecies in North America that can grow up to the weight of 150 pounds and tall up to36 inches, which were migrated from, western Canada and Alaska including Unimak Island, In the year 1995-96. They reduced their population in recent years and because of human intervention by hunting, trapping, etc. Once they were on the risk to be introduced endangered but in the year 2006 their population grows surprisingly and count reached over 1200, and The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has decided to remove them from the federal endangered list.

19. Asiatic Wild dogs or Dhole

Asiatic wild dogs are Dhole lives to Eastern Asian countries mainly in India, which the separate canid species that doesn’t belong to wolf, coyote or fox species but usually they are being considered as wolves or wild dog. They were identified to endangered list but because of their re-habitation efforts, they are growing their population though still they are identified to the endangered category. They are the very social animal that doesn’t attack to humans, which are losing their population because of hunting and mixing with primitive dogs.

20. The Wolves of Koppal

They are an elusive Indian Wolf of Koppal district in North Karnataka, recognized since the year 1972, they are almost lost very few wolves still exist, even hardly people know that wolves even exist in India. The good news is, these animals are recognized to protect by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and, thus, demand the highest level of protection.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2017 ARADHYA