project "save the red"
Saving Red Wolves Means Saving Nature’s Balance
about red wolves
The red wolf (Canis rufus) is distinguished from the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and the coyote (Canis latrans) by size and coloring. Intermediate in size between coyotes and gray wolves, red wolves average 45-80 pounds. They are mostly brown and buff colored, sometimes with red shading around their ears, muzzle and the backs of their legs.
Habitat and Range
Red wolves were once well established as a top predator throughout the Southeast. Their original range is believed to be the entire eastern forested region of North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf Coast.
Diet
Red wolves are known to hunt individually and in packs, eating white-tailed deer, raccoons and small mammals such as rabbits and rodents. They have also been known to prey on domestic pets and livestock, but in very small numbers.
Breeding and Maturation
Similar to gray wolves, red wolves live in the social structure of a pack, with a defended territory, an adult breeding pair and older offspring that assist with pup rearing.