Lone Wolf Howls

Wolves howling

The Arctic Wolf

Arctic wolves are the safest mammals on earth, largely because they live in the most inhospitable regions of the planet. They are concentrated in North America, mainly along its polar edge, and in Greenland, where few humans adventured throughout history. However, some species can be found in Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada. Arctic Wolves (Canis Lupus Arctos) are in many ways similar to their Grey cousins, which can be found almost all the way across the western hemisphere.
Because Arctic wolves haven't dealt with humans as much as their gray counterparts have, they react in a specific way, should a human appear within their range. While most grey wolves seek safety either in attack or in flight, an Arctic wolf may simply stand still and stare. This can even contribute to establishing long-term contacts with animals and befriending them. A senior research scientist of the Biological Resources Division, managed to spend several summers in a company of Arctic Wolves. He even had his boots unlaced by one of them.

The Mexican Wolf

Canis Lupus baileyi (Mexican Wolf)

This is the smallest North American gray wolf. It occupies the most southern territory. It lives in the Sierra Madre and the surrounding region of western Mexico. It is generally dark and grizzly colored. It once roamed the areas of Arizona and New Mexico.

The Red Wolf

Some red wolf's pelt(coat) ranges from cinnamon red, gray, and black. Its smaller than a grey wolf and bigger than a coyote. Its weight is about 40-80 pounds. Red wolves travel in smaller packs then gray wolves. Most times the red wolf pack consists of an adult pair and their young offspring. Adults mate between February and March of every year. Two to three pups are born during April or May. Both males and females help raise their young. When the young are about 6 months old they are mature enough to leave home. Early this century the red wolf lived as far north as Pennsylvania and as west as central Texas. The last remaining red wolves live in coastal rairie and marsh areas. At present, the red wolf is extinct from the wild. Red wolves need between 10 and 100 square miles of habitat to hunt and live. Red wolves prefer to eat white-tailed deer and raccoon, but will eat any available small animal. Pure red wolves are thought to be extinct in the wild. Three problems threaten the future of red wolves - the loss of habitat, the hunting of wolves, and red wolves mating with coyotes. The expansion of agriculture, logging and human settlement cleared the forest home of red wolves. Between 1900 - 1920 red wolves were hunted because they preyed on cattle. As the population of red wolves declined, coyotes expanded into its territory. Today the red wolf population is at 300 captive animals in zoos and captive breeding facilities. Red wolves have been reintroduced at the lligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.