Unusually large ears provide the maned wolf with a keen sense of hearing which is necessary when hunting rodents and other small mammals amid the tall savanna grasses. This size also allows body heat to dissipate which can be very beneficial in the tropical temperatures of South America. The pelage of the maned wolf is chestnut in color with black erectile hairs along the upper portion of the back and neck which form a mane, giving the species its name. White patches occur on the throat, underside and inside the ears. Similar to most wolves, maned wolves communicate by howling.
Maned wolves are opportunistic omnivores, feeding on available plants and animals.
They have weak jaws and are limited to a meat diet of rodents, reptiles, ground birds, eggs, fish, frogs and insects. Plant intake includes bananas, sugar cane and many wild fruits. Gestation lasts for 65 days. Females bear their young in a nest of thick vegetation rather than digging dens. For many years males were not believed to play an active role in the rearing of young.