![]() The originally-recognized red wolf range extended throughout the Southeast, from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, north to the Ohio River Valley and central Pennsylvania, and west to Central Texas and southeastern Missouri. 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. 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, which likely accounts for the discrepancy in their dietary habits listed here. In contrast, the red wolves from the restored population rely on white-tailed deer, raccoon, nutria and rabbits. Prior to its extinction in the wild, the red wolf's diet consisted of nutria, rabbits and rodents. 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. Denning sites include hollow tree trunks, along stream banks and the abandoned earths of other animals. It is monogamous, with both parents participating the rearing of young. It mates in January–February, with an average of 6-7 pups being born in March, April and May. ![]() The red wolf is more sociable than the coyote, but less so than the gray wolf. ![]() 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 basal members of its genus. The skull is typically narrow, with a long and slender rostrum, a small braincase and a well developed sagittal crest. The ears are also proportionately larger than the coyote's and gray wolf's. 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. Its fur is generally tawny to grayish in color, with light markings around the lips and eyes. Its pelage is typically more reddish and sparsely furred than the coyote's and gray wolf's, though melanistic individuals do occur. Adults measure 136–160 cm in length, and weigh 40-90 lbs. 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 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. ![]() ![]() 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 with fragmentation of their social structure from hunting. A 2011 genetic study indicated that it may be a hybrid species between gray wolves and coyotes. The red wolf's taxonomic status has been a subject of controversy. In 1987, the captive animals were released into North Carolina's Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, with a second release taking place two years later in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 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 in order to proceed with restoration efforts. Fourteen of these survivors were selected to be the founders of a captively bred population, which was established in the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium between 19. By the late 1960s, it occurred in small numbers in the Gulf Coast of western Louisiana and eastern Texas. Originally distributed throughout the Southeastern US, 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. It is generally, morphologically, an intermediate between the coyote and gray wolf, and is of a reddish, tawny color. The red wolf, also known as the Florida wolf or Mississippi Valley wolf is a canid native to the Southeastern United States. ![]()
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