The Mexican wolf is the smallest and the southernmost subspecies of the North American gray wolf. During the 1890's drought and over-grazing made ranching a marginal business in the Southwest. Timber wolves, also called gray wolves, are the largest wild members of the dog family. Males are usually bigger than females.
Timber wolves have silvery gray-brown backs, light tan underparts, and bushy tails.
In winter, their fur becomes darker on the neck, shoulders, and rump. The main unit of a wolf social system is the wolf pack. This commonly consists of a pair of breeding wolves, their current offspring and additional yearlings or other young wolves. The Gray Wolf Factsheet Most Native Americans and Eskimos revered the gray wolf, trying to emulate its cunning and hunting abilities. However, it was the belief by western settlers that the wolf caused widespread livestock losses that led to its near extinction in the lower 48 states in the early part of the 20th Century.