The Endangered Red Wolf
posted in Animal Species |
The red wolf is a small and a leaner cousin of the gray wolf. It is gray-black, with a reddish shed which gives it the color for which it is named. The red wolf is about 26 inches at the shoulders. It’s about 4.5-5.5 inches long and this includes the tail. A normal red wolf would weigh about 50-80 lbs. the life span of a red wolf is 6-7 years if it is in the wild and about 15 years in captivity.
The red wolf mainly feed on small mammals like rabbits and rodents. They also feed on insects, berries and rarely on deer.
The red wolves have been hunted to the verge of extinction. In 1980 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rounded up less than 20 pure red wolves to be bred in captivity. As of 2007, about 207 captive red wolves live at 38 captive breeding facilities across the United States. And it is indeed because of such programs more than 100 red wolves currently live in the wild.
Red wolves are mostly nocturnal, and they converse by scent marking, facial expressions, body postures and vocalization which include howling.
The red wolves are very shy and secretive. They hunt alone or in small groups. Red wolves have a tendency to form pair-bonds that lasts for life.
Their dens are often situated in hollow trees, stream banks and sand knolls.
The mating season is usually during late winter. The gestation period is from 60-63 days and they litter up to 8 pups at a time.
But the sad part is that like all other species even these animals are endangered. Threats to the red wolf include habitat loss due to human development, negative attitudes that hinder restoration, severe weather, deaths by motor vehicles, and illegal killings.