Grey Wolf
Canis lupus
Summary 7
The gray wolf or grey wolf (Canis lupus) is a canid native to the wilderness and remote areas of North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. It is the largest member of its family, with males averaging 43–45 kg (95–99 lb), and females 36–38.5 kg (79–84.9 lb). It is similar in general appearance and proportions to a German shepherd, or sled dog, but has a larger head, narrower chest, longer legs, straighter tail and bigger paws. Its winter fur is long...
Description of canis lupus 8
There are about 40 suspecies of Canis lupus (dogs and wolves) , including two domesticated subspecies (Canis lupus dingo in Australia and Canis lupus familiaris - mans best friend). Many subspecies of wolf occur throughout the Northern hemisphere. Canis lupus is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, as its relatively widespread range and stable population trend mean that the species, at global level, does not meet, or nearly meet, any of the criteria for the threatened categories. However, some local populations are classified as Endangered and some subspecies are endangered or extinct. The domestic dogs were derived from the gray wolf domestication about 15,000 years ago. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in human history. They quickly became widespread across world cultures. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and military, companionship, and, more recently, aiding handicapped individuals. In some cultures, dogs are also an important source of meat. In 2001, there were estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world. Over the 15,000-year span in which the dog has been domesticated, it has diverged into a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped by environmental factors and functional roles.Selective breeding has produced hundreds of varied breeds, showing more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal. Height measured to the withers ranges from a few inches in the Chihuahua to a few feet in the Irish Wolfhound; color varies from white through grays (usually called blue) to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark (red or chocolate) in a wide variation of patterns.
Range description 9
Originally, the Grey Wolf was the world's most widely distributed mammal, living throughout the northern hemisphere north of 15°N latitude in North America and 12°N in India. It has become extinct in much of Western Europe (Boitani 1995), in Mexico and much of the USA (Mech 1970). Their present distribution is more restricted: wolves occur primarily in wilderness and remote areas, especially in Canada, Alaska and northern USA, Europe, and Asia from about 75°N to 12°N.
Iucn red list assessment 10
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
Originally, the Grey Wolf was the world's most widely distributed mammal. It has become extinct in much of Western Europe, in Mexico and much of the USA, and their present distribution is more restricted; wolves occur primarily but not exclusively in wilderness and remote areas. Their original worldwide range has been reduced by about one-third by deliberate persecution due to depredation on livestock and fear of attacks on humans. Since about 1970, legal protection, land-use changes and rural human population shifts to cities have arrested wolf population declines and fostered natural recolonization in parts of its range and reintroduction in three areas of USA. Continued threats include competition with humans for livestock and game species, exaggerated concern by the public regarding the threat and danger of wolves, and fragmentation of habitat, with resulting areas becoming too small for populations with long-term viability.
Although the Grey Wolf still faces some threats, its relatively widespread range and stable population trend mean that the species, at global level, does not meet, or nearly meet, any of the criteria for the threatened categories. Therefore, it is assessed as Least Concern (LC). However, at regional level, several wolf populations are seriously threatened. In North America, some of the reintroduced populations are still threatened; and in Europe, http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/3746/1, http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/3746/3, the species is classified as LC globally but several regional populations, such as the Western-Central Alps population, are classified as Endangered (http://www.lcie.org/).
History
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2004Least Concern
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2004Least Concern(IUCN 2004)
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1994Vulnerable(Groombridge 1994)
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1990Vulnerable(IUCN 1990)
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1988Vulnerable(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
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1986Vulnerable(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
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1982Vulnerable(Thornback and Jenkins 1982)
Fuentes y créditos
- (c) linda, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/31122895@N05/3536386452
- John and Karen Hollingsworth, sin restricciones conocidas de derechos (dominio publico), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Canis_lupus_laying_in_grass.jpg/460px-Canis_lupus_laying_in_grass.jpg
- (c) Nara Simhan, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5673815323_d5cb559afd.jpg
- (c) blarrggg, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3514/3814618775_f5ae41c769.jpg
- (c) Árdís, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1004/4734735764_8ecb437f03.jpg
- (c) François Xavier TESTU, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/9618539103_bfd06a0e1c_o.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canis_lupus
- (c) Desconocido, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/23185675
- (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28038456
- (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28038455
