Wolf Species

Species, Subspecies, & Extinct Forms of
Canis lupis
Wolves of the World


  Taxonomic Nomenclature*
*1992 revision of classification


TRUE WOLVES:
  • Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
  • Phylum: Chordata (Animals with notochords)
  • Subphylum: Vertebrata (Animals with backbones)
  • Class: Mammalia (Chordates that produce milk via mammary glands)
  • Subclass: Eutheria (Placental Mammals)
  • Order: Carnivora (Mammals that eat meat)
  • Suborder: Caniforma (Dog-like carnivores)
  • Family: Canidae (Dogs, foxes, jackals, dholes, etc.)
  • Genus: Canis (Dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals)
    • Species: lupus (GRAY WOLVES)
NORTH AMERICAN GRAY WOLVES

      • Subspecies: nubilus
        Contains most of the SE Alaskan, central and northeastern Canadian and western U.S. species. Includes:
)

      • Subspecies: lycaon
        Contains the southeastern Canadian and northeastern US subspecies. Includes:
        • Canis lupus lycaon [except for the Minnesota lycaons] (Eastern Timber Wolf-Federal Status: ENDANGERED, Wisconsin status: Threatened)



EURASIAN GRAY WOLVES
      • Subspecies: albus
        Occurs throughout the Eurasian tundra and forest-tundra from Finland eastward to the Kamchaika Peninsula. Includes:

      • Subspecies: arabs
        Occurs in Southern Arabia. Includes:

      • Subspecies: campestris
        Occurs in deserts and steppes of Central Asia.Includes:

      • Subspecies: chanco
        Centralchina, Southwest-Russia, Manschurai,Tibet. Includes:




      • Subspecies: desertorum
        Range??? Includes:

      • Subspecies: hattai
        Once roamed the area of Hokkaido, Japan. Includes:

      • Subspecies: hodophilax
        Once occurred in Hondo, Japan. Includes:


      • Subspecies: laniger
        Inhabits mainland China, Manchuria, Mongolia, Tibet, and southwestern Russia.-*see Canis lupus chanco*- Includes:

      • Subspecies: lupus
        Once occurred throughout Europe and the entire forest of Russia. . Includes:

      • Subspecies: lupaster
        Thought by some to inhabit Egypt and Libya. Includes:


      • Subspecies: pallipes
        Inhabits Iran and India and the lands in between these two countries. Includes:

      • Subspecies: signatus
        Occurs in northern Spain. Includes:

NORTH AMERICAN RED WOLVES
    • Species: rufus (RED WOLF-CRITICALLY ENDANGERED - NEAR EXTINCTION: Presumed extinct in the wild except 70-80 animals in reintroduced experimental populations. Another 200-230 are in captive breeding programs.)
      • Subspecies: Canis Rufus Rufus(Red Wolf- EXTINCT)
        South East of USA from Texas to Florida & up to North Carolina

      • Subspecies: Canis Rufus Gregoryi (Swamp Wolf, Mississippi Valley Red Wolf-CRITICALLY ENDANGERED)
        South East of USA from Texas to Florida & up to North Carolina


ETHIOPIAN WOLVES
    • Species: simensis (ETHIOPIAN WOLF-CRITICALLY ENDANGERED - NEAR EXTINCTION: Approximately 340 - 520 ethiopian wolves are left in the entire world. Only found in specialized habitat called the Afro-alpine, in the mountains of Ethiopia at an elevation of 3,000 - 4,377 m.)
      • Subspecies: simensis
        Occurs north of the Rift Valley. Includes:
      • Subspecies: citernii
        Occurs southeast of the Rift Valley. Includes:

DIRE WOLF
    • Species: dirus (DIRE WOLF-EXTINCT)


NOT TRUE WOLVES:
  • Family: Canidae (Dogs, foxes, jackals, etc.)
  • Genus: Chrysocyon (Maned Wolf is the only species)
    • Species: Chrysocyon brachyurus (MANED WOLVES)
  • Subclass: Theria
  • Infraclass: Metatheria (Changing Mammals)
  • Order: Marsupialia (Pouched mammals-kangaroo, opposum, koala, bandicoot, etc)
  • Suborder: Dasyuromorphia (Dasyuroid Marsupials, Marsupial Carnivores)
  • Family: Thylacinidae
  • Genus: Thylacinus (dog-headed) 
  • Species: Cynocephalus [pouched-dog] (TASMANIAN WOLF-EXTINCT)
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