The red wolf (Canis rufus) is the rarest of all wolves. It is also called Mississippi Valley wolf and Florida black wolf.
Red wolves occur in the southeastern United States including Pennsylvania, Atlantic Coasts, Gulf Coasts, southeastern Missouri, Ohio River Valley, and Central Texas.
Adult wolves measure 136–160 cm in total length and weigh 50 – 85 pounds. The shoulder height measures 26 inches.
The wolf makes habitat in swamps, marshlands, coastal prairie, and bottom-land river forests.
Red wolves eat rodents, rabbi
ts, white-tailed deer, and raccoon.
They will communicate either by howling, body postures and scent marking or simply by facial expressions.
Red wolves can run at a speed of 45 miles per hour.
The female produces 6 – 7 pups in March after a gestation period of 63 days.
The red wolf is less sociable as compared to grey wolf.
Red wolves can live 6 – 7 years in the wild. In captivity they can live as long as 15 years.
Predators of red wolf are coyotes and other wolves.
The global population of red wolf is estimated at 50 – 75 individuals in the wild. The red wolf is a critically endangered species.
