Red wolf - wikipedia Red wolf This article is about the species Canis rufus. For other uses, see Red wolf ( disambiguation ). Red wolf Temporal range : Holocene 10,000 years ago -- present Red wolf showing typical coloration Conservation status Critically Endangered ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Mammalia Order : Carnivora Family : Canidae Genus : Canis Species : C. rufus Binomial name Canis rufus ( Audubon & Bachman, 1851 ) Subspecies † C. r. floridanis † C. r. gregoryi C. r. rufus Synonyms Canis lupus rufus Canis latrans × Canis lupus The red wolf ( Canis rufus or Canis lupus rufus ), also known as the Florida black wolf or Mississippi Valley wolf, is a canid native to the southeastern United States of unresolved taxonomic identity. Morphologically it is intermediate between the coyote and gray wolf, and is of a reddish, tawny color. The Red Wolf is a federally listed endangered species of the United States and is protected by law. It has been listed by IUCN as a critically endangered species since 1996. It is considered the rarest species of wolf and is one of the five most endangered species of wolf in the world. Red wolves may have been the first New World wolf species encountered by European colonists, and were originally distributed throughout the eastern United States from the Atlantic Ocean to central Texas, and in the north from the Ohio River Valley, northern Pennsylvania and southern New York south to the Gulf of Mexico. The red wolf was nearly driven to extinction by the mid-1900s due to aggressive predator - control programs, habitat destruction, and extensive hybridization with coyotes. By the late 1960s, it occurred in small numbers in the Gulf Coast of western Louisiana and eastern Texas. Fourteen of these survivors were selected to be the founders of a captive - bred population, which was established in the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium between 1974 and 1980. After a successful experimental relocation to Bulls Island off the coast of South Carolina in 1978, the red wolf was declared extinct in the wild in 1980 to proceed with restoration efforts. In 1987, the captive animals were released into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on the Albemarle Peninsula in North Carolina, with a second release, since reversed, taking place two years later in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Of 63 red wolves released from 1987 -- 1994, the population rose to as many as 100 -- 120 individuals in 2012, but has declined to 40 individuals in 2018. The red wolf 's taxonomic status has been a subject of controversy. A 2011 genetic study indicated that it may be a hybrid species between gray wolves and coyotes. Re-analysis of this study, coupled with a broader contextual analysis including behavioral, morphological and additional genetic information, led to arguments that the red wolf is an independent species, but has suffered from significant introgression of coyote genes likely due to decimation of red wolf packs and fragmentation of their social structure due to hunting. A comprehensive review in October 2012 concluded that the red wolf is a distinct species which diverged from the coyote alongside the closely related eastern wolf 150,000 -- 300,000 years ago, Although this 2012 review was not universally accepted among relevant authorities, two subsequent reviews of updated research in 2013 and 2014 suggest that the red wolf was once a species distinct from the gray wolf and coyote. A 2015 genetics study, using the most comprehensive mitochondrial DNA data, Y - chromosome data and genome - wide 127,235 single nucleotide polymorphism data, concluded that `` the most parsimonious explanation '' is that eastern wolves in Algonquin Provincial Park are `` a distinct remnant entity of a historical wolf that most likely existed throughout the eastern United States ''. This view is supported by the idea that the coyote and gray wolf did not historically range into the eastern United States, with current academic debate on red wolf taxonomy shifting to a new question : whether the eastern wolf and red wolf are conspecific ( belong to the same species ), a possibility considered by some researchers. In contrast, a 2016 study of 28 sequenced canid genomes concluded that red and eastern wolves have sequences that can be explained as resulting from gray wolf - coyote hybridization. Contents 1 Taxonomy 1.1 Taxonomic debate 1.2 Whole - genome analysis 2 Physical description and behavior 3 Range and habitat 3.1 History and extirpation in the wild 3.2 Captive breeding and reintroduction 4 Gallery 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links Taxonomy Comparative image of the red wolf ( C. rufus ) & the coyote ( C. latrans ). A 2016 genetic study of canid scats found that despite high coyote density inside the Red Wolf Experimental Population Area ( RWEPA ), hybridization occurs rarely ( 4 % are hybrids ). Skulls of North American Canis, with red wolf in the center The taxonomy of the red wolf is not clear, with this wolf being regarded as either a species with a distinct lineage, a recent hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote, or an ancient hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote which warrants species status. The mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft, writing in Mammal Species of the World ( 2005 ), regards the red wolf as a hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote, but due to its uncertain status compromised by recognizing it as a subspecies of the grey wolf Canis lupus rufus. However, the genetic authority NCBI / Genbank lists the red wolf as the species Canis rufus. The red wolf has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a critically endangered and unique species since 1996. The red wolf is also federally listed as a unique and endangered species of the United States, and is protected by law. Fossil remains of the red wolf date to 10,000 years ago, when the coyote appears to have been displaced from the southeast of the US by this small wolf until last century. The paleontologist Ronald M. Nowak proposes that the ancestor of all North American and Eurasian wolves was C. mosbachensis, which lived in the Middle Pleistocene 700,000 -- 300,000 years ago. C. mosbachensis was a wolf that once lived across Eurasia before going extinct. It was smaller than most North American wolf populations and smaller than C. rufus, and has been described as being similar in size to the small Indian wolf, Canis lupus papilles. He further proposes that C. mosbachensis invaded North America where it became isolated by the later glaciation and there gave rise to C. rufus. Taxonomic debate The taxonomy of the red wolf has been debated since before efforts began in 1973 to save it from extinction. In 1971, Atkins and Dillon conducted a study on the brains of canids and confirmed the basal characteristics of the red wolf. Many studies throughout the 1970s focused on the morphology of the red wolf came to the conclusion that the red wolf is a distinct species. In 1980, a unique allele was found in Canis specimens from within the red wolf range, supporting the conclusion that the red wolf is a distinct species. Nevertheless, some in the scientific community considered it a subspecies of the gray wolf or a hybrid of the gray wolf and the coyote. In 1992, the USFWS conducted an exhaustive review of the literature, including their own, and concluded that the red wolf is either a separate species unto itself or a subspecies of the gray wolf. Many agency reports, books and web pages list the red wolf as Canis rufus but genetic research re-opened the debate about the taxonomy of both the red wolf and Canada 's eastern wolf ( Canis lupus lycaon ). In 2000, an mDNA study indciated that between 150,000 -- 300,000 years ago, the North American branch evolved into the red wolf, eastern wolf, and the coyote. The study proposed that the eastern wolf and red wolf should be considered as sister taxa due to a shared common ancestor, and that these should be recognized as distinct species from other North American canids, and not as subspecies of the gray wolf ( Canis lupus ). However, these conclusions were disputed, and MSW3 listed them both in 2005 as subspecies of the gray wolf. In May 2011, an analysis of red wolf, eastern wolf, gray wolf, and dog genomes suggested that the red wolf was 76 -- 80 % coyote and only 20 -- 24 % gray wolf, suggesting that the red wolf is actually much more coyote in origin than the eastern wolf. This study analyzed 48,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs ) and found no evidence for a unique eastern wolf or red wolf species. However, X-ray analysis of the 16 red wolf specimens used in the SNP study were later shown to be wolf - coyote hybrids via cranial morphometric analysis, rendering the finding that the red wolf was a gray wolf - coyote hybrid inaccurate. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS ) still considers the red wolf a valid species ( Canis rufus ) and plans to make no changes to its recovery program. In 2012, re-analysis of the 2011 SNP study argued that the original SNP study suffered from insufficient sampling, and noted that gray wolves do not mate with coyotes. Another Y - chromosome genetic study in 2012 also argued that the eastern wolf and red wolf are not hybrids, but rather are a distinct species from the gray wolf, although eastern and red wolves do intermix with coyotes. The same authors have argued that the 2011 SNP study finding that red wolves are not an independent species is flawed and that historical hunting and culling of wolves, leading to invasion of coyotes into eastern North America, has led to introgression of coyote mitochondrial and nuclear DNA into fragmented, decimated eastern wolf packs. They and other authors have postulated that large populations of eastern and red wolves with intact social / pack structures are less likely to interbreed with coyotes. The controversy over the red wolf 's species status was the subject of a comprehensive review of the 2011 and 2012 genetics studies, which concluded that there are three separate species of wolf in North America : the red wolf, eastern wolf, and gray wolf. In a pair of 2012 reports, scientists critical of the May 2011 paper outlined three main points of criticism. First, the 2011 paper relied on mtDNA SNPs derived from boxer and poodle genomes and used these to extrapolate inference about genetic variation within wild canids across the globe. While it is true that many SNPs were examined, whether loci important to red wolf genetic variation were actually identified and analyzed ( for example, nuclear DNA was not compared in the SNP analysis ) remains unclear. Second, the study sampled modern red wolf specimens, and not historic red wolf specimens from prior to 1900 ( when extensive hybridization with coyotes is known to have taken place ), which obfuscates the reliability of the study 's findings. This is important because using historic red wolf genetic material would have created a baseline genetic profile for the species against which to test the modern captive - bred specimens. ( It is common knowledge that the captive - bred red wolves are likely slightly hybridized, but this is a separate issue from interpreting their species origin as due to hybridization. ) Third, the authors lumped eastern wolf specimens ( which critics from Trent University warn are of unverified origin ) with other Great Lakes wolf specimens, and did not test them separately, which again obfuscated any genetic differences that may have been present. The controversy over the eastern wolf 's origins is not considered by the scientific community to be laid to rest, although it may be synonymous with the red wolf. When considered as a full species, three subspecies of red wolf were originally recognized by Goldman ; two of these subspecies are extinct. The Florida black wolf ( Canis rufus floridanus ) ( Maine to Florida ) has been extinct since 1908 and Gregory 's wolf ( Canis rufus gregoryi ) ( south - central United States ) was declared functionally extinct in the wild by 1980. The Texas red wolf ( Canis rufus rufus ), the third subspecies, was also functionally extinct in the wild by 1980, although that status was changed to critically endangered when captive - bred red wolves from Texas were reintroduced in eastern North Carolina in 1987. The current status of the `` non-essential / experimental '' population in North Carolina is endangered and the population numbers around 100 wild animals. The subspecies designations are essentially moot since two are extinct but the genetic evidence for the three subspecies appears to have been unconvincing anyway. In 2013, an experiment which produced hybrids of coyotes and northwestern gray wolves in captivity using artificial insemination contributed more information to the controversy surrounding the eastern wolf 's taxonomy. The purpose of this project was to determine whether the female western coyotes are capable of bearing hybrid western gray wolf - coyote pups, as well as to test the hybrid theory surrounding the origin of the eastern and red wolves by comparing them to both. The resulting six hybrids produced in this captive artificial breeding were later transferred to the Wildlife Science Center of Forest Lake in Minnesota, where their behaviors are now being studied. However, by 1999, introgression of coyote genes was recognized as the single greatest threat to wild red wolf recovery and an adaptive management plan which included coyote sterilization has been successful, with coyote genes being reduced by 2015 to < 4 % of the wild red wolf population. A 2016 genetic study of canid scats found that despite high coyote density inside the Red Wolf Experimental Population Area ( RWEPA ), hybridization occurs rarely ( 4 % are hybrids ) as a result of the management plan and red wolf mate choice / assortative mating. High wolf mortality related to anthropogenic causes appeared to be the main factor limiting wolf dispersal westward from the RWEPA. High anthropogenic wolf mortality similarly limits expansion of eastern wolves outside of protected areas in south - eastern Canada. In 2014, the review of Chambers et al. ( 2012 ) which suggested the eastern wolf should be listed either as a distinct species closely related to the red wolf or conspecific with the latter became controversial, forcing the USFWS to commission a peer review of it, known as NCAES ( 2014 ), which took issue with the review. However, more recent reviews suggest the evidence has `` tilted towards a North American canid assemblage composed of the eastern wolf, red wolf, and coyote as distinct taxa... that descended from a common ancestral canid of North American origin '' before arrival of the gray wolf from Eurasia. Whole - genome analysis Red wolf in forest In early 2016, an mDNA analysis of 3 ancient ( 300 -- 1900 years old ) wolf - like samples from the south - eastern United States found that they grouped with the coyote clade, although their teeth were wolf - like. The study proposed that the specimens were either coyotes and this would mean that coyotes had occupied this region continuously rather than intermittently, a North American evolved red wolf lineage related to coyotes, or an ancient coyote -- wolf hybrid. Ancient hybridization between wolves and coyotes would likely have been due to natural events or early human activities, not landscape changes associated with European colonization because of the age of these samples. Coyote -- wolf hybrids may have occupied the southeastern United States for a long time, filling an important niche as a large predator. In July 2016, a whole - genome DNA study proposed, based on the assumptions made, that all of the North American wolves and coyotes diverged from a common ancestor less than 6,000 -- 117,000 years ago. The study also indicated that all North America wolves have a significant amount of coyote ancestry and all coyotes some degree of wolf ancestry, and that the red wolf and Great Lakes region wolf are highly admixed with different proportions of gray wolf and coyote ancestry. One test indicated a wolf / coyote divergence time of 51,000 years before present that matched other studies indicating that the extant wolf came into being around this time. Another test indicated that the red wolf diverged from the coyote between 55,000 -- 117,000 years before present and the Great Lakes region wolf 32,000 years before present. Other tests and modelling showed various divergence ranges and the conclusion was a range of less than 6,000 and 117,000 years before present. The study found that coyote ancestry was highest in red wolves from the southeast of the United States and lowest among the Great Lakes region wolves. The theory proposed was that this pattern matched the south - to - north disappearance of the wolf due to European colonization and its resulting loss of habitat. Bounties led to the extirpation of wolves initially in the southeast, and as the wolf population declined wolf - coyote admixture increased. Later, this process occurred in the Great Lakes region with the influx of coyotes replacing wolves, followed by the expansion of coyotes and their hybrids across the wider region. The red wolf may possess some genomic elements that were unique to gray wolf and coyote lineages from the American South. The proposed timing of the wolf / coyote divergence conflicts with the finding of a coyote - like specimen in strata dated to 1 million years before present, and red wolf fossil specimens dating back 10,000 years ago. The study concluded by stating that because of the extirpation of gray wolves in the American Southeast, `` the reintroduced population of red wolves in eastern North Carolina is doomed to genetic swamping by coyotes without the extensive management of hybrids as is currently practiced by the USFWS. '' In September 2016, the USFWS announced a program of changes to the red wolf recovery program and `` will begin implementing a series of actions based on the best and latest scientific information ''. The service will secure the captive population which is regarded as not sustainable, determine new sites for additional experimental wild populations, revise the application of the existing experimental population rule in North Carolina, and complete a comprehensive Species Status Assessment. In 2017 a group of canid researchers challenged the recent finding that the red wolf and the eastern wolf were the result of recent coyote - wolf hybridization. The group highlight that no testing had been undertaken to ascertain the time period that hybridization had occurred and that, by the previous study 's own figures, the hybridization could not have occurred recently but supports a much more ancient hybridization. The group found deficiencies in the previous study 's selection of specimens and the findings drawn from the different techniques used. Therefore, the group argues that both the red wolf and the eastern wolf remain genetically distinct North American taxa. This was rebutted by the authors of the earlier study. Physical description and Behavior Red wolf The red wolf 's appearance is typical of the genus Canis, and is generally intermediate in size between the coyote and gray wolf, though some specimens may overlap in size with small gray wolves. A study of Canis morphometrics conducted in eastern North Carolina reported that red wolves are morphometrically distinct from coyotes and hybrids. Adults measure 136 -- 160 cm ( 53.5 -- 63 in ) in length, and weigh 23 -- 39 kg ( 50 - 85 lbs ). Its pelage is typically more reddish and sparsely furred than the coyote 's and gray wolf 's, though melanistic individuals do occur. Its fur is generally tawny to grayish in color, with light markings around the lips and eyes. Like the eastern wolf, the red wolf has been compared by some authors to the greyhound in general form, owing to its relatively long and slender limbs. The ears are also proportionately larger than the coyote 's and gray wolf 's. The skull is typically narrow, with a long and slender rostrum, a small braincase and a well developed sagittal crest. Its cerebellum is unlike that of other Canis species, being closer in form to that of canids of the Vulpes and Urocyon genera, thus indicating that the red wolf is one of the more plesiomorphic members of its genus. The red wolf is more sociable than the coyote, but less so than the gray wolf. It mates in January -- February, with an average of 6 - 7 pups being born in March, April, and May. It is monogamous, with both parents participating the rearing of young. Denning sites include hollow tree trunks, along stream banks and the abandoned earths of other animals. By the age of six weeks, the pups distance themselves from the den, and reach full size at the age of one year, becoming sexually mature two years later. Using long - term data on red wolf individuals of known pedigree, it was found that inbreeding among first - degree relatives was rare. A likely mechanism for avoidance of inbreeding is independent dispersal trajectories from the natal pack. Many of the young wolves spend time alone or in small non-breeding packs composed of unrelated individuals. The union of two unrelated individuals in a new home range is the predominant pattern of breeding pair formation. Inbreeding is avoided because it results in progeny with reduced fitness ( inbreeding depression ) that is predominantly caused by the homozygous expression of recessive deleterious alleles. Prior to its extinction in the wild, the red wolf 's diet consisted of rabbits, rodents, and nutria ( an introduced species ). In contrast, the red wolves from the restored population rely on white - tailed deer, raccoon, nutria and rabbits. It should be noted, however, that white - tailed deer were largely absent from the last wild refuge of red wolves on the Gulf Coast between Texas and Louisiana ( where specimens were trapped from the last wild population for captive breeding ), which likely accounts for the discrepancy in their dietary habits listed here. Historical accounts of wolves in the southeast by early explorers such as William Hilton, who sailed along the Cape Fear River in what is now North Carolina in 1644, also note that they ate deer. Range and habitat Historical range of the red wolf ( Canus rufus ) The originally recognized red wolf range extended throughout the southeastern United States from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, north to the Ohio River Valley and central Pennsylvania, and west to Central Texas and southeastern Missouri. Research into paleontological, archaeological and historical specimens of red wolves by Ronald Nowak expanded their known range to include land south of the Saint Lawrence River in Canada, along the eastern seaboard, and west to Missouri and mid-Illinois, terminating in the southern latitudes of Central Texas. Since 1987, red wolves have been released into northeastern North Carolina, where they roam 1.7 million acres. These lands span five counties ( Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, Washington, and Beaufort ) and include three national wildlife refuges, a U.S. Air Force bombing range, and private land. The red wolf recovery program is unique for a large carnivore reintroduction in that more than half of the land used for reintroduction lies on private property. Approximately 680,000 acres ( 2,800 km ) are federal and state lands, and 1,002,000 acres ( 4,050 km ) are private lands. Beginning in 1991, red wolves were also released into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee. However, due to exposure to environmental disease ( parvovirus ), parasites, and competition ( with coyotes as well as intraspecific aggression ), the red wolf was unable to successfully establish a wild population in the park. Low prey density was also a problem, forcing the wolves to leave the park boundaries in pursuit of food in lower elevations. In 1998, the FWS removed the remaining red wolves in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, relocating them to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina. Other red wolves have been released on the coastal islands in Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina as part of the captive breeding management plan. St. Vincent Island in Florida is currently the only active island propagation site. Given their wide historical distribution, red wolves probably used a large suite of habitat types at one time. The last naturally occurring population used coastal prairie marshes, swamps, and agricultural fields used to grow rice and cotton. However, this environment probably does not typify preferred red wolf habitat. Some evidence shows the species was found in highest numbers in the once extensive bottom - land river forests and swamps of the southeastern United States. Red wolves reintroduced into northeastern North Carolina have used habitat types ranging from agricultural lands to forest / wetland mosaics characterized by an overstory of pine and an understory of evergreen shrubs. This suggests that red wolves are habitat generalists and can thrive in most settings where prey populations are adequate and persecution by humans is slight. History and extirpation in the wild Audubon 's depiction of the species ( 1851 ) Melanistic individual at the Audubon Park, New Orleans ( 1931 ) Before the arrival of Europeans, the red wolf featured prominently in Cherokee mythology, where it is known as wa'ya ( ᏩᏯ ), said to be the companion of Kana'ti the hunter and father of the Aniwaya or Wolf Clan. Cherokees generally avoided killing red wolves, as such an act was believed to bring about the vengeance of the killed animals ' pack - mates. The red wolf was first described by William Bartram, who encountered it in Florida and wrote of it in his Travels ( 1791 ), noting that it was smaller and lighter in color than the gray wolves of Canada and Pennsylvania. John James Audubon was the first to describe the red wolf in detail, giving it the trinomial name of Canis lupus rufus in 1851. He described it as being more fox - like than the gray wolf, but retaining the same `` sneaking, cowardly, yet ferocious disposition ''. Audubon also recounted that red wolves occasionally fed on the battlefield corpses of fallen soldiers during the Mexican -- American War. The red wolf 's full specific rank was first given by Edward Goldman in 1937, who examined a number of skulls and noted that the red wolf 's skull and dentition differed from those of gray wolves, and closely approached those of coyotes. He wrote that by the time of writing, the species may have become extinct in the lower Sonoran zone, where it was heavily persecuted by ranchmen. Stanley P. Young noted in 1940 that the red wolf was still common in eastern Texas, where more than 800 had been caught in 1939, and further cast doubt over the prospect of fully exterminating them, due to their habit of living concealed in thickets. However, by 1962, red wolf sightings became increasingly rare, and few tracks or scats were found. Captive breeding and reintroduction USFWS worker with red wolf pups, August 2002 Formal efforts backed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began to save the red wolf from extinction in 1973, when a captive - breeding program was established at the Point Defiance Zoological Gardens, Tacoma, Washington. Four hundred animals were captured from southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas from 1973 to 1980 by the USFWS. Measurements, vocalization analyses, and skull X-rays were used to distinguish red wolves from coyotes and red wolf - coyote hybrids. Of the 400 animals captured, only 43 were believed to be red wolves and sent to the breeding facility. The first litters were produced in captivity in May 1977. Some of the pups were determined to be hybrids, and they and their parents were removed from the program. Of the original 43 animals, only 17 were considered pure red wolves and since three were unable to breed, 14 became the breeding stock for the captive - breeding program. These 14 were so closely related that they had the genetic effect of being only eight individuals. In December 1976, two wolves were released onto Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge 's Bulls Island in South Carolina with the intent of testing and honing reintroduction methods. They were not released with the intent of beginning a permanent population on the island. The first experimental translocation lasted for 11 days, during which a mated pair of red wolves was monitored day and night with remote telemetry. A second experimental translocation was tried in 1978 with a different mated pair, and they were allowed to remain on the island for close to nine months. After that, a larger project was executed in 1987 to reintroduce a permanent population of red wolves back to the wild in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge ( ARNWR ) on the eastern coast of North Carolina. Also in 1987, Bulls Island became the first island breeding site. Pups were raised on the island and relocated to North Carolina until 2005. In September 1987, four male - female pairs of red wolves were released in ARNWR in northeastern North Carolina and designated as an experimental population. Since then, the experimental population has grown and the recovery area expanded to include four national wildlife refuges, a Department of Defense bombing range, state - owned lands, and private lands, encompassing about 1,700,000 acres ( 6,900 km ). In 1989, the second island propagation project was initiated with release of a population on Horn Island off the Mississippi coast. This population was removed in 1998 because of a likelihood of encounters with humans. The third island propagation project introduced a population on St. Vincent Island, Florida, offshore between Cape San Blas and Apalachicola, Florida, in 1990, and in 1997, the fourth island propagation program introduced a population to Cape St. George Island, Florida, south of Apalachicola. In 1991, two pairs were reintroduced into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where the last known red wolf was killed in 1905. Despite some early success, the wolves were relocated to North Carolina in 1998, ending the effort to reintroduce the species to the park. In 2007, the USFWS estimated that 300 red wolves remained in the world, with 207 of those in captivity. Interbreeding with the coyote has been recognized as a threat affecting the restoration of red wolves. Currently, adaptive management efforts are making progress in reducing the threat of coyotes to the red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina. Other threats, such as habitat fragmentation, disease, and anthropogenic mortality, are of concern in the restoration of red wolves. Efforts to reduce the threats are presently being explored. Over 30 facilities participate in the red wolf Species Survival Plan and oversee the breeding and reintroduction of over 150 wolves. In 2012, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for jeopardizing the existence of the wild red wolf population by allowing nighttime hunting of coyotes in the five - county restoration area in eastern North Carolina. A 2014 court - approved settlement agreement was reached that banned nighttime hunting of coyotes and requires permitting and reporting coyote hunting. In response to the settlement, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission adopted a resolution requesting the USFWS to remove all wild red wolves from private lands, terminate recovery efforts, and declare red wolves extinct in the wild. This resolution came in the wake of a 2014 programmatic review of the red wolf conservation program conducted by The Wildlife Management Institute. The Wildlife Management Institute indicated the reintroduction of the red wolf was an incredible achievement. The report indicated that red wolves could be released and survive in the wild, but that illegal killing of red wolves threatens the long - term persistence of the population. The report stated that the USFWS needed to update its red wolf recovery plan, thoroughly evaluate its strategy for preventing coyote hybridization and increase its public outreach. Since the programmatic review, the USFWS ceased implementing the red wolf adaptive management plan that was responsible for preventing red wolf hybridization with coyotes and allowed the release of captive - born red wolves into the wild population. Since then, the wild population has decreased from 100 -- 115 red wolves to 50 -- 65. Despite the controversy over the red wolf 's status as a unique taxon as well as the USFWS ' apparent disinterest towards wolf conservation in the wild, the vast majority of public comments ( including NC residents ) submitted to the USFWS in 2017 over their new wolf management plan were in favor of the original wild conservation plan. In 2014, the USFWS issued the first take permit for a red wolf to a private landowner. Since then, the USFWS issued several other take permits to landowners in the five - county restoration area. During June 2015, a landowner shot and killed a female red wolf after being authorized a take permit, causing a public outcry. In response, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit against the USFWS for violating the Endangered Species Act. By 2016, the red wolf population of North Carolina had declined to 45 - 60 wolves. The largest cause of this decline was gunshot. Gallery Showing color variation In winter Red wolf in a breeding program. Less than 100 remain in the wild. With radio collar References ^ Jump up to : Nowak, R.M. ( 2002 ). `` The original status of Wolves in Eastern North America ''. Southeastern Naturalist. 1 ( 2 ) : 95 -- 130. doi : 10.1656 / 1528 - 7092 ( 2002 ) 001 ( 0095 : tosowi ) 2.0.co ; 2. ^ Jump up to : Kelly BT, Beyer A & Phillips MK ( 2008 ). `` Canis rufus ''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2008 : e. T3747A10057394. doi : 10.2305 / IUCN. UK. 2008. RLTS. T3747A10057394. en. Retrieved 12 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : Audubon, J. and J. Bachman. 1851. The quadrupeds of North America, Volume 2. New York, NY. p. 334. 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ISSN 0022 - 2372. Jump up ^ Darwin, Charles ( 1859 ), `` On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life '', Nature ( Full image view 1st ed. ), London : John Murray, 5 ( 121 ) : 92, Bibcode : 1872Natur... 5... 318B, doi : 10.1038 / 005318a0, retrieved 2011 - 03 - 01 ^ Jump up to : Hinton, Joseph W. ; Chamberlain, Michael J. ( 2010 - 01 - 01 ). `` Space and Habitat Use by a Red Wolf Pack and Their Pups During Pup - Rearing ''. Journal of Wildlife Management. 74 ( 1 ) : 55 -- 58. doi : 10.2193 / 2008 - 583. ISSN 1937 - 2817. Jump up ^ Sparkman, Amanda M. ; Adams, Jennifer ; Beyer, Arthur ; Steury, Todd D. ; Waits, Lisette ; Murray, Dennis L. ( 2011 - 05 - 07 ). `` Helper effects on pup lifetime fitness in the cooperatively breeding red wolf ( Canis rufus ) ''. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B : Biological Sciences. 278 ( 1710 ) : 1381 -- 1389. doi : 10.1098 / rspb. 2010.1921. ISSN 0962 - 8452. 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Jump up ^ McVey, Justin M. ; Cobb, David T. ; Powell, Roger A. ; Stoskopf, Michael K. ; Bohling, Justin H. ; Waits, Lisette P. ; Moorman, Christopher E. ( 2013 - 10 - 15 ). `` Diets of sympatric red wolves and coyotes in northeastern North Carolina ''. Journal of Mammalogy. 94 ( 5 ) : 1141 -- 1148. doi : 10.1644 / 13 - MAMM - A-109.1. ISSN 0022 - 2372. Jump up ^ Powell, W.S. ( 1973 ). Creatures of North Carolina from Roanoke Island to Purgatory Mountain. North Carolina Historical Review, 50 ( 2 ), 121 - 168. Jump up ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1997. Endangered Red Wolves. http://library.fws.gov/Pubs4/endangered_red_wolves.pdf:p7. ^ Jump up to : `` Current Red Wolf Facts, '' found on the Red Wolf Recovery web page, http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/index.html, accessed on July 5, 2011. Jump up ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1997. Endangered Red Wolves. http://library.fws.gov/Pubs4/endangered_red_wolves.pdf:1-pp.8-9. Jump up ^ National Park Service. `` Mammals ''. Retrieved 2014 - 08 - 06. ^ Jump up to : Phillips et al. ( 2003 ). `` Restoration of the Red Wolf '' In Wolves, Behavior, Ecology and Conservation. Edited by Mech, D. and Boitain, L. University of Chicago Press, University of Chicago Press. Jump up ^ Camuto, C. ( 2000 ), Another Country : Journeying Toward the Cherokee Mountains, University of Georgia Press, ISBN 0 - 8203 - 2237 - 7 Jump up ^ Lopez, B.H. ( 1978 ), Of Wolves and Men, J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, p. 109, ISBN 0 - 7432 - 4936 - 4 Jump up ^ Carley, C ( 1975 ). Activities and findings of the red wolf recovery program from late 1973 to July 1, 1975 ( Report ). Albuquerque, NM : U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Jump up ^ McCarley, H. & J. Carley ( 1979 ). Recent changes in distribution and status of red wolves ( Canis rufus ) Endangered Species Report no. 4 ( Report ). Albuquerque, NM : U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Jump up ^ Red Wolf Recovery / Species Survival Plan ( Report ). Atlanta, GA : U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1990. ^ Jump up to : Carley, Curtis J. 1979. `` Report on the Successful Translocation Experiment of Red Wolves ( Canis rufus ) to Bulls Island, S.C. '' Presentation at the Portland Wolf Symposium, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon, August 13 -- 17, 1979. Jump up ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cape Romain NWR, red wolf web page Jump up ^ USFWS. 2010. Red Wolf Recovery Program, 1st Quarter Report, October -- December 2010, Manteco, NC. Jump up ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2007. Red Wolf ( Canis rufus ) 5 - Year Status Review : Summary and Evaluation. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2011 - 05 - 24. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 29. ^ Jump up to : `` Protection of Red Wolves Animal Welfare Institute ''. awionline.org. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission > News > News Article ''. www.ncwildlife.org. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` WMI to Coordinate Comprehensive Review and Evaluation of the Red Wolf Recovery Program ''. www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ Resolution Requesting that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Declare the Red Wolf ( Canis rufus ) Extinct in the Wild and Terminate the Red Wolf Reintroduction Program in Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties, North Carolina ( January 29, 2015 ) ^ Jump up to : `` Red Wolf Recovery Program ''. www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Wildlife Management Institute Releases New Report on Red Wolf Recovery Program ''. Defenders of Wildlife. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Service Halts Red Wolf Reintroductions Pending Examination of Recovery Program ''. www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` 2015 Brings No Conclusions On Red Wolf Recovery Program In Eastern NC ''. wfae.org. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Public Overwhelmingly Supports Protecting Wild Red Wolves ''. www.biologicaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 25. Jump up ^ `` USFWS Grants Landowner Permit to Kill Critically Endangered Red Wolf Wolf Conservation Center ''. nywolf.org. Archived from the original on 2015 - 09 - 11. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` How management rule allows certain red wolf killings ''. newsobserver. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Weaver : No defense for death of red wolf ''. newsobserver. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Fish and Wildlife faces lawsuit over red wolf program ''. newsobserver. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 26. Jump up ^ Hinton, Joseph W. ; White, Gary C. ; Rabon, David R. ; Chamberlain, Michael J. ( 2017 ). `` Survival and population size estimates of the red wolf ''. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 81 ( 3 ) : 417. doi : 10.1002 / jwmg. 21206. Further reading Beeland, T.D. ( 2013 ). The Secret World of Red Wolves : The Fight to Save America 's Other Wolf. 256 pages. Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press. Chambers, S.M. ; Fain, S.R. ; Fazio, B. ; Amaral, M. ( 2012 ). `` An account of the taxonomy of North American wolves from morphological and genetic analyses ''. North American Fauna. 77 : 1 -- 67. doi : 10.3996 / nafa. 77.0001. ^ R. Nowak, R.M. ( 1992 ). `` The red wolf is not a hybrid. ''. Conservation Biology 6 : 593 - 595. Hinton, J.W. ; Chamberlain, M.J. ; Rabon, D.R. ( 2013 ). `` Red Wolf ( Canis rufus ) Recovery : A Review with Suggestions for Future Research ''. Animals. 3 ( 3 ) : 722 -- 744. doi : 10.3390 / ani3030722. PMC 4494459. PMID 26479530. Nowak, R.M. ( 1979 ). North American Quaternary Canis. Unpublished Monograph, University of Kansas Hays. Nowak, R.M. ( 2002 ). `` The original status of wolves in eastern North America ''. Southeastern Naturalist. 1 ( 2 ) : 95 -- 130. doi : 10.1656 / 1528 - 7092 ( 2002 ) 001 ( 0095 : tosowi ) 2.0.co ; 2. Nowak, R.M. ( 2003 ). Chapter 9 : Wolf evolution and taxonomy. In D. Mech & L. Boitani ( Eds. ), Wolves : Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation ( pp. 239 -- 258 ). Chicago : University of Chicago Press. Philips, M.K., Kelly, B., & Henry, G. ( 2003 ). Restoration of the red wolf In D. Mech & L. Boitani ( Eds. ), `` Wolves : Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation ( pp. 272 -- 288 ). Chicago : University of Chicago Press. ^ Roy, M.S., Geffen, E., Smith, D., Ostrander, E.A. & Wayne, R.K. ( 1994 ). `` Patterns of differentiation and hybridization in North American wolflike canids, revealed by analysis of micro satellite loci. ''. Molecular Biology and Evolution 11 : 553 -- 570. ^ Roy, M.S., Girman, D.G., Taylor, A.C. & Wayne, R.K. ( 1994 ). `` The use of museum specimens to reconstruct the genetic variability and relationships of extinct populations. ''. Experientia 50 : 551 - 557. L.Y. Rutledge ; S. Devillard ; J.Q. Boone ; P.A. Hohenlohe ; B.N. White ( July 2015 ). `` RAD sequencing and genomic simulations resolve hybrid origins within North American Canis ''. Biology Letters. 11 ( 7 ) : 1 -- 4. doi : 10.1098 / rsbl. 2015.0303. PMC 4528444. PMID 26156129. ^ Silverstein, A., Silverstein, V.B. & Silverstein, R.A. ( 1994 ). `` The Red wolf : endangered in America. ''. Brookfield : Conn. Millbrook Press. ^ Wayne, R.K. & Jenks, S.M. ( 1991 ). `` Mitochondrial DNA analysis implying extensive hybridization of the endangered red wolf Canis rufus ''. Nature 351 : 565 - 568. ^ Wayne, R.K., Lehman, N., Allard, M.W. & Honeycutt, R.L. ( 1992 ). `` Mitochondrial DNA variability of the grey wolf -- genetic consequences of population decline and habitat fragmentation ''. Conservation Biology 6 : 559 - 569. Wildlife Management Institute ( 2014 ). A Comprehensive Review and Evaluation of the Red Wolf ( Canis rufus ) Recovery Program. 171 pages. Wilson, P.J. ; Grewal, S. ; Lawford, I.D. ; Heal, J.N.M. ; Granacki, A.G. ; Pennock, D. ; et al. ( 2000 ). `` DNA profiles of the eastern Canadian wolf and the red wolf provide evidence for a common evolutionary history independent of the gray wolf ''. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78 ( 12 ) : 2156 -- 2166. doi : 10.1139 / cjz - 78 - 12 - 2156. External links Wikispecies has information related to Canis rufus Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Canis rufus ( category ) Summary of Red Wolf Genetic Analysis ARKive -- images and movies of the Red wolf ( Canis rufus ) Red Wolf Species Overview at Enature.com Red Wolf, International Wolf Center The Red Wolf Coalition Wolf Source Extant Carnivora species Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Mammalia Infraclass : Eutheria Superorder : Laurasiatheria Suborder Feliformia Nandiniidae Nandinia African palm civet ( N. binotata ) Herpestidae ( Mongooses ) Atilax Marsh mongoose ( A. paludinosus ) Bdeogale Bushy - tailed mongoose ( B. crassicauda ) Jackson 's mongoose ( B. jacksoni ) Black - footed mongoose ( B. nigripes ) Crossarchus Alexander 's kusimanse ( C. alexandri ) Angolan kusimanse ( C. ansorgei ) Common kusimanse ( C. obscurus ) Flat - headed kusimanse ( C. platycephalus ) Cynictis Yellow mongoose ( C. penicillata ) Dologale Pousargues 's mongoose ( D. dybowskii ) Galerella Angolan slender mongoose ( G. flavescens ) Black mongoose ( G. nigrata ) Somalian slender mongoose ( G. ochracea ) Cape gray mongoose ( G. pulverulenta ) Slender mongoose ( G. sanguinea ) Helogale Ethiopian dwarf mongoose ( H. hirtula ) Common dwarf mongoose ( H. parvula ) Herpestes Short - tailed mongoose ( H. brachyurus ) Indian gray mongoose ( H. edwardsii ) Indian brown mongoose ( H. fuscus ) Egyptian mongoose ( H. ichneumon ) Small Asian mongoose ( H. javanicus ) Long - nosed mongoose ( H. naso ) Collared mongoose ( H. semitorquatus ) Ruddy mongoose ( H. smithii ) Crab - eating mongoose ( H. urva ) Stripe - necked mongoose ( H. vitticollis ) Ichneumia White - tailed mongoose ( I. albicauda ) Liberiictus Liberian mongoose ( L. kuhni ) Mungos Gambian mongoose ( M. gambianus ) Banded mongoose ( M. mungo ) Paracynictis Selous ' mongoose ( P. selousi ) Rhynchogale Meller 's mongoose ( R. melleri ) Suricata Meerkat ( S. suricatta ) Hyaenidae ( Hyenas ) Crocuta Spotted hyena ( C. crocuta ) Hyaena Brown hyena ( H. brunnea ) Striped hyena ( H. hyaena ) Proteles Aardwolf ( P. cristatus ) Felidae Large family listed below Viverridae Large family listed below Eupleridae Small family listed below Family Felidae Felinae Acinonyx Cheetah ( A. jubatus ) Caracal Caracal ( C. caracal ) African golden cat ( C. aurata ) Catopuma Bay cat ( C. badia ) Asian golden cat ( C. temminckii ) Felis European wildcat ( F. silvestris ) African wildcat ( F. lybica ) Jungle cat ( F. chaus ) Black - footed cat ( F. nigripes ) Sand cat ( F. margarita ) Chinese mountain cat ( F. bieti ) Domestic cat ( F. catus ) Leopardus Ocelot ( L. pardalis ) Margay ( L. wiedii ) Pampas cat ( L. colocola ) Geoffroy 's cat ( L. geoffroyi ) Kodkod ( L. guigna ) Andean mountain cat ( L. jacobita ) Oncilla ( L. tigrinus ) Southern tigrina ( L. guttulus ) Leptailurus Serval ( L. serval ) Lynx Canadian lynx ( L. canadensis ) Eurasian lynx ( L. lynx ) Iberian lynx ( L. pardinus ) Bobcat ( L. rufus ) Otocolobus Pallas 's cat ( O. manul ) Pardofelis Marbled cat ( P. marmorata ) Prionailurus Fishing cat ( P. viverrinus ) Leopard cat ( P. bengalensis ) Sundaland leopard cat ( P. javanensis ) Flat - headed cat ( P. planiceps ) Rusty - spotted cat ( P. rubiginosus ) Puma Cougar ( P. concolor ) Herpailurus Jaguarundi ( H. yagouaroundi ) Pantherinae Panthera Lion ( P. leo ) Jaguar ( P. onca ) Leopard ( P. pardus ) Tiger ( P. tigris ) Snow leopard ( P. uncia ) Neofelis Clouded leopard ( N. nebulosa ) Sunda clouded leopard ( N. diardi ) Family Viverridae ( includes Civets ) Paradoxurinae Arctictis Binturong ( A. binturong ) Arctogalidia Small - toothed palm civet ( A. trivirgata ) Macrogalidia Sulawesi palm civet ( M. musschenbroekii ) Paguma Masked palm civet ( P. larvata ) Paradoxurus Golden wet - zone palm civet ( P. aureus ) Asian palm civet ( P. hermaphroditus ) Jerdon 's palm civet ( P. jerdoni ) Golden palm civet ( P. zeylonensis ) Hemigalinae Chrotogale Owston 's palm civet ( C. owstoni ) Cynogale Otter civet ( C. bennettii ) Diplogale Hose 's palm civet ( D. hosei ) Hemigalus Banded palm civet ( H. derbyanus ) Prionodontinae ( Asiatic linsangs ) Prionodon Banded linsang ( P. linsang ) Spotted linsang ( P. pardicolor ) Viverrinae Civettictis African civet ( C. civetta ) Genetta ( Genets ) Abyssinian genet ( G. abyssinica ) Angolan genet ( G. angolensis ) Bourlon 's genet ( G. bourloni ) Crested servaline genet ( G. cristata ) Common genet ( G. genetta ) Johnston 's genet ( G. johnstoni ) Rusty - spotted genet ( G. maculata ) Pardine genet ( G. pardina ) Aquatic genet ( G. piscivora ) King genet ( G. poensis ) Servaline genet ( G. servalina ) Haussa genet ( G. thierryi ) Cape genet ( G. tigrina ) Giant forest genet ( G. victoriae ) Poiana African linsang ( P. richardsonii ) Leighton 's linsang ( P. leightoni ) Viverra Malabar large - spotted civet ( V. civettina ) Large - spotted civet ( V. megaspila ) Malayan civet ( V. tangalunga ) Large Indian civet ( V. zibetha ) Viverricula Small Indian civet ( V. indica ) Family Eupleridae Euplerinae Cryptoprocta Fossa ( C. ferox ) Eupleres Eastern falanouc ( E. goudotii ) Western falanouc ( E. major ) Fossa Malagasy civet ( F. fossana ) Galidiinae Galidia Ring - tailed mongoose ( G. elegans ) Galidictis Broad - striped Malagasy mongoose ( G. fasciata ) Grandidier 's mongoose ( G. grandidieri ) Mungotictis Narrow - striped mongoose ( M. decemlineata ) Salanoia Brown - tailed mongoose ( S. concolor ) Durrell 's vontsira ( S. durrelli ) Suborder Caniformia ( cont. below ) Ursidae ( Bears ) Ailuropoda Giant panda ( A. melanoleuca ) Helarctos Sun bear ( H. malayanus ) Melursus Sloth bear ( M. ursinus ) Tremarctos Spectacled bear ( T. ornatus ) Ursus American black bear ( U. americanus ) Brown bear ( U. arctos ) Polar bear ( U. maritimus ) Asian black bear ( U. thibetanus ) Mephitidae Conepatus ( Hog - nosed skunks ) Molina 's hog - nosed skunk ( C. chinga ) Humboldt 's hog - nosed skunk ( C. humboldtii ) American hog - nosed skunk ( C. leuconotus ) Striped hog - nosed skunk ( C. semistriatus ) Mephitis Hooded skunk ( M. macroura ) Striped skunk ( M. mephitis ) Mydaus Sunda stink badger ( M. javanensis ) Palawan stink badger ( M. marchei ) Spilogale ( Spotted skunks ) Southern spotted skunk ( S. angustifrons ) Western spotted skunk ( S. gracilis ) Eastern spotted skunk ( S. putorius ) Pygmy spotted skunk ( S. pygmaea ) Procyonidae Bassaricyon ( Olingos ) Eastern lowland olingo ( B. alleni ) Northern olingo ( B. gabbii ) Western lowland olingo ( B. medius ) Olinguito ( B. neblina ) Bassariscus Ring - tailed cat ( B. astutus ) Cacomistle ( B. sumichrasti ) Nasua ( Coatis inclusive ) White - nosed coati ( N. narica ) South American coati ( N. nasua ) Nasuella ( Coatis inclusive ) Western mountain coati ( N. olivacea ) Eastern mountain coati ( N. meridensis ) Potos Kinkajou ( P. flavus ) Procyon Crab - eating raccoon ( P. cancrivorus ) Raccoon ( P. lotor ) Cozumel raccoon ( P. pygmaeus ) Ailuridae Ailurus Red panda ( A. fulgens ) Suborder Caniformia ( cont. above ) Otariidae ( Eared seals ) ( includes fur seals and sea lions ) ( Pinniped inclusive ) Arctocephalus South American fur seal ( A. australis ) Australasian fur seal ( A. forsteri ) Galápagos fur seal ( A. galapagoensis ) Antarctic fur seal ( A. gazella ) Juan Fernández fur seal ( A. philippii ) Brown fur seal ( A. pusillus ) Guadalupe fur seal ( A. townsendi ) Subantarctic fur seal ( A. tropicalis ) Callorhinus Northern fur seal ( C. ursinus ) Eumetopias Steller sea lion ( E. jubatus ) Neophoca Australian sea lion ( N. cinerea ) Otaria South American sea lion ( O. flavescens ) Phocarctos New Zealand sea lion ( P. hookeri ) Zalophus California sea lion ( Z. californianus ) Galápagos sea lion ( Z. wollebaeki ) Odobenidae ( Pinniped inclusive ) Odobenus Walrus ( O. rosmarus ) Phocidae ( Earless seals ) ( Pinniped inclusive ) Cystophora Hooded seal ( C. cristata ) Erignathus Bearded seal ( E. barbatus ) Halichoerus Gray seal ( H. grypus ) Histriophoca Ribbon seal ( H. fasciata ) Hydrurga Leopard seal ( H. leptonyx ) Leptonychotes Weddell seal ( L. weddellii ) Lobodon Crabeater seal ( L. carcinophagus ) Mirounga ( Elephant seals ) Northern elephant seal ( M. angustirostris ) Southern elephant seal ( M. leonina ) Monachus Mediterranean monk seal ( M. monachus ) Hawaiian monk seal ( M. schauinslandi ) Ommatophoca Ross seal ( O. rossi ) Pagophilus Harp seal ( P. groenlandicus ) Phoca Spotted seal ( P. largha ) Harbor seal ( P. vitulina ) Pusa Caspian seal ( P. caspica ) Ringed seal ( P. hispida ) Baikal seal ( P. sibirica ) Canidae Large family listed below Mustelidae Large family listed below Family Canidae ( includes dogs ) Atelocynus Short - eared dog ( A. microtis ) Canis Side - striped jackal ( C. adustus ) African golden wolf ( C. anthus ) Golden jackal ( C. aureus ) Coyote ( C. latrans ) Gray wolf ( C. lupus ) Black - backed jackal ( C. mesomelas ) Red wolf ( C. rufus ) Ethiopian wolf ( C. simensis ) Cerdocyon Crab - eating fox ( C. thous ) Chrysocyon Maned wolf ( C. brachyurus ) Cuon Dhole ( C. alpinus ) Lycalopex Culpeo ( L. culpaeus ) Darwin 's fox ( L. fulvipes ) South American gray fox ( L. griseus ) Pampas fox ( L. gymnocercus ) Sechuran fox ( L. sechurae ) Hoary fox ( L. vetulus ) Lycaon African wild dog ( L. pictus ) Nyctereutes Raccoon dog ( N. procyonoides ) Otocyon Bat - eared fox ( O. megalotis ) Speothos Bush dog ( S. venaticus ) Urocyon Gray fox ( U. cinereoargenteus ) Island fox ( U. littoralis ) Vulpes ( Foxes ) Bengal fox ( V. bengalensis ) Blanford 's fox ( V. cana ) Cape fox ( V. chama ) Corsac fox ( V. corsac ) Tibetan sand fox ( V. ferrilata ) Arctic fox ( V. lagopus ) Kit fox ( V. macrotis ) Pale fox ( V. pallida ) Rüppell 's fox ( V. rueppelli ) Swift fox ( V. velox ) Red fox ( V. vulpes ) Fennec fox ( V. zerda ) Family Mustelidae Lutrinae ( Otters ) Aonyx African clawless otter ( A. capensis ) Oriental small - clawed otter ( A. cinerea ) Enhydra Sea otter ( E. lutris ) Hydrictis Spotted - necked otter ( H. maculicollis ) Lontra North American river otter ( L. canadensis ) Marine otter ( L. felina ) Neotropical otter ( L. longicaudis ) Southern river otter ( L. provocax ) Lutra Eurasian otter ( L. lutra ) Hairy - nosed otter ( L. sumatrana ) Lutrogale Smooth - coated otter ( L. perspicillata ) Pteronura Giant otter ( P. brasiliensis ) Mustelinae ( including badgers ) Arctonyx Hog badger ( A. collaris ) Eira Tayra ( E. barbara ) Galictis Lesser grison ( G. cuja ) Greater grison ( G. vittata ) Gulo Wolverine ( G. gulo ) Ictonyx Saharan striped polecat ( I. libyca ) Striped polecat ( I. striatus ) Lyncodon Patagonian weasel ( L. patagonicus ) Martes ( Martens ) American marten ( M. americana ) Yellow - throated marten ( M. flavigula ) Beech marten ( M. foina ) Nilgiri marten ( M. gwatkinsii ) European pine marten ( M. martes ) Japanese marten ( M. melampus ) Sable ( M. zibellina ) Pekania Fisher ( P. pennanti ) Meles Japanese badger ( M. anakuma ) Asian badger ( M. leucurus ) European badger ( M. meles ) Mellivora Honey badger ( M. capensis ) Melogale ( Ferret - badgers ) Bornean ferret - badger ( M. everetti ) Chinese ferret - badger ( M. moschata ) Javan ferret - badger ( M. orientalis ) Burmese ferret - badger ( M. personata ) Mustela ( Weasels and Ferrets ) Amazon weasel ( M. africana ) Mountain weasel ( M. altaica ) Stoat ( M. erminea ) Steppe polecat ( M. eversmannii ) Colombian weasel ( M. felipei ) Long - tailed weasel ( M. frenata ) Japanese weasel ( M. itatsi ) Yellow - bellied weasel ( M. kathiah ) European mink ( M. lutreola ) Indonesian mountain weasel ( M. lutreolina ) Black - footed ferret ( M. nigripes ) Least weasel ( M. nivalis ) Malayan weasel ( M. nudipes ) European polecat ( M. putorius ) Siberian weasel ( M. sibirica ) Back - striped weasel ( M. strigidorsa ) Egyptian weasel ( M. subpalmata ) Neovison ( Minks ) American mink ( N. vison ) Poecilogale African striped weasel ( P. albinucha ) Taxidea American badger ( T. taxus ) Vormela Marbled polecat ( V. peregusna ) Taxon identifiers Wd : Q200442 ADW : Canis_rufus ARKive : canis - rufus EoL : 1243302 GBIF : 5219186 ITIS : 726841 MSW : 14000773 NCBI : 45781 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_wolf&oldid=838465167 '' Categories : IUCN Red List critically endangered species Mammals described in 1851 Mammals of North America Mammals of the United States Canid hybrids Controversial taxa Subspecies of Canis lupus Wolves Wolves in the United States ESA endangered species Hidden categories : Pages with DOIs inactive since 2017 CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter Articles with ' species ' microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies Ænglisc Azərbaycanca Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Italiano עברית ქართული Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Bahasa Melayu Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 33 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 April 2018, at 05 : 29. 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Question: where does the red wolf live in the world
Answer: the southeastern United States; southeastern United States; the southeastern United States; the southeastern United States