Red Wolves

 

Up in the North American region lives the Red wolf, a canid that used to roam even the Southeastern parts of the United States. Red wolves, like grey wolves, are also survivors of the late Pleistocene, and are also survivors of the ice age. Nowadays, a small cluster of red wolf population is being re-introduced in parts of North Carolina.

Now considered a very endangered species from the Canid family, efforts and projects for red wolves being repopulated in their old habitats are currently being done.

The red wolf is distinguished by its ceinnamon or brown-colored pelt. There are also sporadic gray and black highlights around the red wolf’s body, usually on the back and in some parts of the tail. The muzzle of a red wolf has white fur surrounding the area of its lips, and it moults annually during the winter season. The intermediate-sized red wolf is smaller than a grey wolf, but a bit bigger than the coyote. Its eyes are almond-shaped, and unlike the coyote, the red wolf’s ears are more noticeably larger.

The red wolf is also a rare canid in the sense that it is resistant to heartworm infestation. There have been red wolf specimens that have tested positive for heartworm, but infestations have been observed at a minimal and cannot be determined as a major source of death.