Eastern Wolf
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Wolf also known as Eastern Canadian Wolf or Eastern Canadian Red Wolf, may be a subspecies of gray wolf
(Canis lupus lycaon) or a distinct species of canid native to the eastern part of North America
since the Pleistocene
era. It seems to be closely related to the Red Wolf
. Some populations have also contained instances of hybridization with Coyote
s, known as coywolves
.
Many names were proposed, including the Eastern Wolf, Eastern Gray Wolf, Eastern Timber Wolf and Algonquin Wolf, although Eastern Wolf has appeared to gain the most recognition.
Eastern Wolf was recently recognized as a potentially distinct species, but closely related to red wolf
. Some authors disagree and the status as a distinct species is not official. Now, many international and government organizations carry out scientific research for their taxonomy and genetics to answer this question, as well as researching their ecology and influence on the ecosystem.
The Eastern Wolf is smaller than the Grey Wolf and has a grey-reddish coat with black hairs covering the back and sides of the thorax. The mtDNA analysis confirms that eastern wolf belonged to an ancient form of primitive wolf (with red wolf) originating some 750,000 years ago in the eastern part of North America (Nowak 1979, 1992). This distribution of haplotype
s shows elements similar to the red wolf and probably is a part of this species. Red Wolf
populations were extirpated from the wild in the southeastern United States, were reintroduced to the wild in recent decades and are now critically endangered.
On March 31, 2010, a presentation by Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources research scientist Brent Patterson outlined key findings about the Eastern Wolf (and coyotes): Most coyotes in Eastern Ontario are wolf-coyote
hybrids; wolves in Algonquin Park are, in general, not inter-breeding with coyotes; and the buffer zone around Algonquin Park is a great success with mortality rates down and populations remaining stable.
Proponents of distinct species designation believe that the Eastern Canadian Wolf is just the remnant northern range of a once continuous range of a native canid - the Eastern wolf (E.C. w & Red Wolf). The pre-Columbian range was thought to include U.S. states east of the Mississippi and south of the Canadian Shield-St. Lawrence corridor.
Unlike the Gray Wolf, the Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Park has never been recorded with an all-black or all-white coat (wolf research in Al. P. cited 2008). Eastern wolf mainly exist in Algonquin Park in Canada-USA border. Type Algonquin is a largely pure genetic population of Eastern wolf while type-Ontario is hybrid with grey wolf (possible with C. l. nubilus
or C. l. griseoalbus ad etc. ) (Wilson et al. 2000). Mech and Frenzel (1971) suggest that the northeastern Minnesota timber wolves are assigned to C. l. lycaon but are found in an area within 150 km of the range of C. l nubilus as described by Goldman (1944).
. It has a pale greyish-brown pelt
. The back and the sides are covered with long, black hairs. Behind the ears, there is a slight reddish color. These differences in attributes are thought to be a result of their Red Wolf
ancestry. The Eastern Wolf is also skinnier than the Gray Wolf and has a more coyote-like appearance. This is because wolves and coyote
s often mate and breed wolf/coyote hybrid
pups in the park. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society states: "Hybridization with coyotes has historically been a precursor to the decline of Eastern wolf populations. The Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has identified hybridization with coyotes as one of the major threats facing the Eastern wolf, and hybridization continues to pose a serious challenge to red wolf recovery efforts in North Carolina
." Because the two animals looks so much alike, a ban on the hunting of Algonquin wolves and coyotes has been in place to make sure no accidental deaths occur.
Grey wolves will attack, kill or drive out coyotes if they find them, but recent studies by John and Mary Theberge suggest that Algonquin wolf males mate and accept coyote females. John Theberge states that, because coyotes are smaller than wolves, that female wolves would be less likely to accept a smaller mate.
in Ontario
, and also ventures into adjacent parts of Quebec
, Canada
. It also may be present in Minnesota
and Manitoba
. In the past, this species might have ranged south into the United States, but after the arrival of Europeans, these wolves were heavily persecuted and became extirpated from the United States
. In Canada, exact numbers of Eastern Canadian Wolves are unknown.
In Algonquin wolves often travel outside the park boundaries, and enter farm country where some are killed. "Of all the wolf deaths recorded from 1988 to 1999, a minimum of 66% was caused by humans. Shooting and snaring outside park boundaries were the leading causes of death for wolves radio-collared in Algonquin Park". One wolf that was radio-collared in July 1992 was located in October in Gatineau Park (north of Ottawa), which is 170 km from Algonquin Park. By mid-December it had made its way back to Algonquin and then, in March 1993, this wolf's severed head was found nailed to a telephone pole in Round Lake, killed by a man who
, lagomorphs, and rodents including beaver, muskrat
, and mice. Preying on American black bear
was also reported. Studies in Algonquin Provincial Park
showed that three species accounted for 99% of the wolves' diet: moose (some of which is scavenged), white-tailed deer
, and beaver
(ca. 33% each). The wolves tend to prey more frequently on beaver in the summer, and on white-tailed deer in the winter.
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
(Canis lupus lycaon) or a distinct species of canid native to the eastern part of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
since the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
era. It seems to be closely related to the Red Wolf
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
. Some populations have also contained instances of hybridization with Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, known as coywolves
Coywolf
The coywolf or eastern coyote is a canid hybrid having a mixture of genetic stock from western coyote and either the Gray wolf or the Red wolf . They come from a constantly evolving gene pool and are viewed by some scientists as an emerging species...
.
Many names were proposed, including the Eastern Wolf, Eastern Gray Wolf, Eastern Timber Wolf and Algonquin Wolf, although Eastern Wolf has appeared to gain the most recognition.
Taxonomy
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
. Some authors disagree and the status as a distinct species is not official. Now, many international and government organizations carry out scientific research for their taxonomy and genetics to answer this question, as well as researching their ecology and influence on the ecosystem.
The Eastern Wolf is smaller than the Grey Wolf and has a grey-reddish coat with black hairs covering the back and sides of the thorax. The mtDNA analysis confirms that eastern wolf belonged to an ancient form of primitive wolf (with red wolf) originating some 750,000 years ago in the eastern part of North America (Nowak 1979, 1992). This distribution of haplotype
Haplotype
A haplotype in genetics is a combination of alleles at adjacent locations on the chromosome that are transmitted together...
s shows elements similar to the red wolf and probably is a part of this species. Red Wolf
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
populations were extirpated from the wild in the southeastern United States, were reintroduced to the wild in recent decades and are now critically endangered.
On March 31, 2010, a presentation by Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources research scientist Brent Patterson outlined key findings about the Eastern Wolf (and coyotes): Most coyotes in Eastern Ontario are wolf-coyote
Coywolf
The coywolf or eastern coyote is a canid hybrid having a mixture of genetic stock from western coyote and either the Gray wolf or the Red wolf . They come from a constantly evolving gene pool and are viewed by some scientists as an emerging species...
hybrids; wolves in Algonquin Park are, in general, not inter-breeding with coyotes; and the buffer zone around Algonquin Park is a great success with mortality rates down and populations remaining stable.
Proponents of distinct species designation believe that the Eastern Canadian Wolf is just the remnant northern range of a once continuous range of a native canid - the Eastern wolf (E.C. w & Red Wolf). The pre-Columbian range was thought to include U.S. states east of the Mississippi and south of the Canadian Shield-St. Lawrence corridor.
Unlike the Gray Wolf, the Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Park has never been recorded with an all-black or all-white coat (wolf research in Al. P. cited 2008). Eastern wolf mainly exist in Algonquin Park in Canada-USA border. Type Algonquin is a largely pure genetic population of Eastern wolf while type-Ontario is hybrid with grey wolf (possible with C. l. nubilus
Great Plains Wolf
The Great Plains wolf , also known as the Buffalo wolf, is the most common subspecies of the gray wolf in the continental United States. It currently inhabits the western Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada...
or C. l. griseoalbus ad etc. ) (Wilson et al. 2000). Mech and Frenzel (1971) suggest that the northeastern Minnesota timber wolves are assigned to C. l. lycaon but are found in an area within 150 km of the range of C. l nubilus as described by Goldman (1944).
Physical attributes
The Eastern Wolf is smaller than the Gray WolfGray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
. It has a pale greyish-brown pelt
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
. The back and the sides are covered with long, black hairs. Behind the ears, there is a slight reddish color. These differences in attributes are thought to be a result of their Red Wolf
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
ancestry. The Eastern Wolf is also skinnier than the Gray Wolf and has a more coyote-like appearance. This is because wolves and coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s often mate and breed wolf/coyote hybrid
Coywolf
The coywolf or eastern coyote is a canid hybrid having a mixture of genetic stock from western coyote and either the Gray wolf or the Red wolf . They come from a constantly evolving gene pool and are viewed by some scientists as an emerging species...
pups in the park. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society states: "Hybridization with coyotes has historically been a precursor to the decline of Eastern wolf populations. The Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has identified hybridization with coyotes as one of the major threats facing the Eastern wolf, and hybridization continues to pose a serious challenge to red wolf recovery efforts in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
." Because the two animals looks so much alike, a ban on the hunting of Algonquin wolves and coyotes has been in place to make sure no accidental deaths occur.
Grey wolves will attack, kill or drive out coyotes if they find them, but recent studies by John and Mary Theberge suggest that Algonquin wolf males mate and accept coyote females. John Theberge states that, because coyotes are smaller than wolves, that female wolves would be less likely to accept a smaller mate.
Range
The Eastern Wolf mainly occupies the area in and around Algonquin Provincial ParkAlgonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and also ventures into adjacent parts of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It also may be present in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. In the past, this species might have ranged south into the United States, but after the arrival of Europeans, these wolves were heavily persecuted and became extirpated from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In Canada, exact numbers of Eastern Canadian Wolves are unknown.
In Algonquin wolves often travel outside the park boundaries, and enter farm country where some are killed. "Of all the wolf deaths recorded from 1988 to 1999, a minimum of 66% was caused by humans. Shooting and snaring outside park boundaries were the leading causes of death for wolves radio-collared in Algonquin Park". One wolf that was radio-collared in July 1992 was located in October in Gatineau Park (north of Ottawa), which is 170 km from Algonquin Park. By mid-December it had made its way back to Algonquin and then, in March 1993, this wolf's severed head was found nailed to a telephone pole in Round Lake, killed by a man who
Diet
The Eastern Wolf preys on white-tailed deer, mooseMoose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, lagomorphs, and rodents including beaver, muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
, and mice. Preying on American black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
was also reported. Studies in Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased...
showed that three species accounted for 99% of the wolves' diet: moose (some of which is scavenged), white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, and beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
(ca. 33% each). The wolves tend to prey more frequently on beaver in the summer, and on white-tailed deer in the winter.
External links
- The Wolves of Algonquin Park PHVA Final Report, PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
includes the final recommendation on how to proceed with the Eastern Canadian Wolf. - The Wolves of Algonquin Provincial Park ? A Report by the Algonquin Wolf Advisory Group PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
- Status of the Eastern Wolf A PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
document outlining genetic research concerning the Eastern Canadian Wolf. - The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database which lists some of the Eastern Canadian Wolf's Genetic Information.