| Where
in the world?
Historically the gray wolf was found over most of North American,
Europe and Asia. The Mexican wolf is the most southerly subspecies
of the gray wolf in North America. It was found in the arid grassland,
woodland and forests of the southwestern U.S.A. and northern Mexico.
What are some behaviors?
The basic gray wolf social unit is the pack or family group. The
pack hunts together and cooperates in raising young. There is a
dominance order within the pack. The pack commonly consists of an
alpha pair, yearlings, and pups. The alpha pair may form a long
term bond. Wolves achieve sexual maturity at two years of age. They
breed just once yearly, usually in February or March. Typically
four to six pups are born in an underground den or natural shelter
63 days later. It is typical for two year old wolves to leave the
pack. Wolves are old at ten years of age, but some can live to 17
years.
The natural behaviors of Mexican wolves are not
well documented, but they are probably similar to other gray wolf
subspecies. Some scientists speculate that Mexican wolves formed
small packs and large territories. Mexican wolves were already nearing
extinction before scientists thought to study them in the wild.
Gray wolf packs are territorial, ranging 25 to
250 square miles. They may move as far as 45 miles in a day, but
typically much less. A dispersing young wolf can move to new areas
as far as 500 miles from its birth territory. In North American,
humans are the primary cause of death.
Long distance communication is by howling and
scent marking. Close-up they communicate with facial expressions,
body language and some vocalizations, much like you would see and
hear in a domestic dog.
What about offspring?
Wolves are highly social and mate for life. Females give birth every
other year. Breeding occurs in late winter, and after a 63 day gestation,
some four to eight blind and helpless pups are born in a den. The
male hunts to feed his mate during the 6 to 8 weeks nursing period.
After a month or so the pups emerge from the den to receive food
from both parents and other pack members. Pups will stay with their
parents through their first winter, are full grown at about 10 months,
and of breeding age by their third winter. |
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What does it eat?
Gray wolves eat large hoofed mammals, like deer and elk. They will
take other prey, but gray wolf populations do not persist in the
absence of these prey. A typical prey for the Mexican wolf might
be the tiny Coues’ white-tailed deer. This is a little deer
weighing less then 110 pounds.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
In 1976 the Mexican wolf was placed on the U.S. Endangered Species
as an endangered species. In 2003, the status of all U.S. gray wolves
was reevaluated and the Mexican wolf remained as an endangered subspecies
within the Southwest Gray Wolf Distinct Population Segment.
The decline of the Mexican wolf began in the
early 20th century, when gray wolves became the focus of government-sponsored
predator extermination programs. By 1925, few Mexican wolves were
left in the U.S.A.. By 1950, there were few left in Mexico. The
last Mexican wolf recorded in the U.S.A. was in 1970 in New Mexico
and Texas. The last Mexican wolf recorded in Mexico was in 1981.
Recovery efforts for Mexican wolves began in
1976. A captive breeding program was established in 1978. Plans
were developed to reintroduce the Mexican wolf to the wild in 1982.
It took until 1998 to reintroduce the first Mexican wolves to the
Blue Range Wolf Recovery area of eastern Arizona and western New
Mexico. As of 2004, there were 8 packs living in the wild, many
of which were born in the wild. See the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website for updates on field
activities in the recovery area.
The Living Desert has a large role in Mexican
wolf recovery. We coordinate the captive breeding effort within
the 46 international zoos, nature centers, and wildlife sanctuaries.
The captive population is over 240 animals. The Living Desert is
also the keeper of the studbook, a registry of pedigrees for all
Mexican wolves ever born in captivity. The Living Desert is also
very involved in the planning for Mexican wolf recovery in the wild.
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