Red Wolf

Red Wolves inhabit forest and wetland habitats in the southeastern United States.  These shy, rusty-coated wolves are one of the world’s most endangered large mammals with a population of less than 300 animals.  Although Red Wolves are capable of preying on deer, they specialize in hunting medium and small sized prey such as raccoons, rabbits and birds.  Red Wolves are one of the world’s only large predators to have their own reintroduction program, which releases zoo-born wolves back into the wild!

Physical Description

Red Wolves are medium to large-sized canids or wild members of the dog family.  They differ from other wolves by having relatively long ears, long legs and narrow snouts.   We can also tell them apart from other wolves by their reddish gray coats and cream colored bellies.  These wolves weigh from 40 to 90 pounds and reach lengths between 4.5 and 5.5 feet.  Red Wolves are generally more slender in build than their larger cousins, the Gray Wolves.  This is because Red Wolves specialize in hunting smaller prey than Gray Wolves.

Family Life

Only the dominant or alpha pair of wolves within the pack will give birth to pups.  After 2 months, Red Wolf mothers give birth to 2 to 8 pups on average.  These pups are born blind and helpless.  Mother, father and pack members will assist in raising them.  They nurse for 2.5 months and gradually switch over to a meat diet.  At 1 year of age, the wolves are large enough and fast enough to hunt within the pack.  Over the next few years, they may stay within the pack or start life on their own.

Diet

Rabbits, raccoons, rodents, birds, insects, berries and occasionally White-Tailed deer