North American Taxonomy

    A much debated topic is the determination of the subspecies of the wolf.  A subspecies is a group of individuals within a species that share a unique geographic area or habitat, unique physical characteristics, or a unique natural history. For many years there were 24 recognized subspecies in North America.  The table and image below break down each subspecies.

Map of the Graywolf taxonomic populations in North America the arctic tundra wolf; light in color. the Kenai Peninsula wolf; one of the largest of North American wolves; extinct by 1925 a white or very light-colored wolf from Greenland a large wolf found in the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta. a medium-sized, grayish wolf found on Vancouver Island. a large wolf found in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. a light-colored wolf found in northern Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. the Newfoundland wolf, now extinct, reported as almost pure white. a large wolf in the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta. a large wolf from Western Canada, also called the Mackenzie Valley wolf. a large wolf found in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. a medium-size, brownish wolf found on Vancouver Island. a brown-colored wolf from the Cascade Mountains; extinct by 1940. a medium-size, light colored wolf from the northern Rockies. a light-colored wolf from the Great Plains, sometimes referred to as the "buffalo" wolf; extinct by 1926. the Southern Rockies wolf; a light-buff color; extinct by 1935 found in Arizona and New Mexico; this medium size wolf was extinct by 1935. extinct by 1942, this wolf was found in Texas and New Mexico.

North Americas original subspecies division

1..Tundrarum the arctic tundra wolf; light in color.
2. Oambasileus a dark-colored wolf from Alaska and the Yukon.
3. *Alces the Kenai Peninsula wolf; one of the largest of North American wolves; extinct by 1925
4. Mackenzii the Northwest Territories wolf; not recognized as a subspecies until 1943
5. Orion a white or very light-colored wolf from Greenland
6. *Bernardi a large wolf found in the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta.
7. Arctos a medium-sized, grayish wolf found on Vancouver Island.
8. Manningi a brownish-colored wolf from the Cascade Mountains; extinct by 1940.
9. Hudsonicus a large wolf found in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
10. Labridorius a light-colored wolf found in northern Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.
11. *Beothucus the Newfoundland wolf, now extinct, reported as almost pure white.
12. Lycaon the wolf of Labrador and norther Quebec.
13. Ligoni a small, dark-colored wolf from the Alexander Archipelago in the arctic islands.
14. Columbianus a large wolf in the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta.
15. Occidentalis a large wolf from Western Canada, also called the Mackenzie Valley wolf.
16. Griseoalbus a large wolf found in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
17. Crassodon a medium-size, brownish wolf found on Vancouver Island.
18. *Fuscus a brown-colored wolf from the Cascade Mountains; extinct by 1940.
19. Irremotus a medium-size, light colored wolf from the northern Rockies.
20. *Nubilus a light-colored wolf from the Great Plains, sometimes referred to as the "buffalo" wolf; extinct by 1926.
21. *Youngi the Southern Rockies wolf; a light-buff color; extinct by 1935
22. *Mogollonensis found in Arizona and New Mexico; this medium size wolf was extinct by 1935.
23. *Monstrabilis extinct by 1942, this wolf  was found in Texas and New Mexico.
24. Baileyi indistinguishable from the monstrabilis and mogollonensis, this the smallest of the the North American gray wolf, was originally found form Mexico to the Southwest United States.
* indicates an extinct subspecies

    The table above is useful to give you an idea of characteristics of wolves in their different ranges.  It also shows the times at which some of the populations became extinct.

    At the North American Wolf Symposium in 1992 it was suggested to reclassify the North American Canis lupus into five groups.  This is based on a better understanding of wolf genetics and behavior.  The following are the five groups that were suggested.

occidentalis of most of Alaska and western Canada (including alces, columbianus, griseoalbus, mackenzii, occidentalis, pambasileus and tundrarm).
nubilus of most of the western United states, southeastern Alaska and central and north eastern Canada (including beothucus, crassodon, fuscus, hudsonicus, irremotus, labradoius, lycaon of Minnesota, lingoni, manningi, mogollonensis, monstrabilis and youngi).
lycaon of southeastern Canada and northeastern United States.
arctos of most of the Canadian Arctic islands and Greenland (including  arctos, bernardi  and orion).
baileyi of Mexico and the extreme southwestern United States.

Additionally there are two other canids classified as separate wolf species, they are:

Canis rufus, or "The Red Wolf" used to inhabit the southeast corner of the US.  Some biologist think it is a hybrid of the coyote and the gray wolf.  Others feel that it is a true species, and that it may represent the descendant of a primitive wolf.  They also believe that it was forced into the southeast corner of the continent by the larger gray wolf.  A third group believes that the red wolf is descended from a wolf from the Pleistocene and was isolated by glaciation.

    Politically speaking the exact status is crucial for the red wolf. If it is not a separate species, it would not be protected under the Endangered Species Act.  The Act does not make provisions for hybrids.  In fact, after a 1992 study was released suggesting that the red wolf was a hybrid, ranchers from Texas and North Carolina tried to have it removed from the endangered species list.  The prevailing view today is that the red wolf is a distinct species that has had a large amount of interbreeding with coyotes that create a "hybrid swarm" that has moved towards the east.

There are 3 subspecies recognized: Canis rufus floridanus (extinct by 1930), Canis rufus rufus (extinct by 1970), ad Canis rufus gregoryi (extinct in the wild by 1980).

All red wolves today can trace their roots back to 14 "pure" red wolves that were captured and bred in an effort to save the species.

Last updated 02/10/2008