A picture of a red wolf

A Red Wolf Looks Into the Distance in Asheboro, North Carolina, United States

Table of Contents Show

Is the red wolf extinct?
Why is the red wolf endangered?
Where do red wolves live?
How many red wolves are left?

The Red Wolf (Canis rufus) is the worlds most endangered canine. It is a uniquely American wolf, its entire historical range being limited to within the eastern United States. The red wolf subspecies is the product of an ancient genetic mix between the gray wolf and coyote, but is now considered a unique subspecies and worthy of conservation. The red wolf is smaller and thinner than the gray wolf. It is actually gray-black in color, but has a distinctive reddish cast for which it is named. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) started breeding them in captivity in the 1980's. In 1987 the red wolf was reintroduced into the wild but recovery efforts continue to be plagued by political attacks, misconceptions about wolves and weak recovery plans. As a result, red wolf populations are still declining in the wild and they are facing eventual extinction.

Family pack of five red wolves standing or sitting around a fallen tree, all looking toward the lens making a family portrait .The wolves in front are in focus and the wolves further behind softer in focus

Red wolg Living native to the southeastern United States. Picture from ZOO.

Red Wolf close-up profile view in the field looking at the camera, displaying brown fur, head, ears, eyes, nose, with a bokeh background in its environment and surrounding. Red Wolf close-up profile view in the field looking at the camera, displaying brown fur, head, ears, eyes, nose, with a bokeh background in its environment and surrounding. red wolf stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

A Female Red Wolf Walking in Snow

6 Week Old Red Wolf Puppy (Canis rufus)

Euroasian wolf cub staring to left in colorful grass from side

A portrait of a red wolf in Asheboro, NC, United States

A beautiful red wolf in North Carolina

Italian wolf, Canis Lupus Italicus, unique subspecies of the indigenous gray wolf. Adult specimen taken in the forest.

Vector illustration of a Gray wolf howling at the moon

A red wolf on the move at the Sewee Center in South Carolina.

Vector illustration of a Gray Wolf walking

Whether it's an eerie howl in the night, a playful pup by your feet, or the regal alpha gazing off in the distance, wolves are some of nature's most captivating creatures. With their complex social hierarchies, intelligence, and hunting techniques, wolves are one of the most fascinating animals on the planet.

Vector illustration of a Gray Wolf face. Cut out.

Rare (endangered) Red Wolf standing at the edge of a clearing. WA.

Animal, Car Accident, Crash, Dead, Fox

Close up of the front part of the endangered Red Wolf stood with its head up turned and in mid howl. Green grass as background

Tacoma, WA USA - circa August 2021: Exterior view of the Pacific Seas Aquarium building in the Point Defiance Zoo on a sunny day.

Beautiful wolf cub standing in the forest from side looking to the right side.

Dhole (Cuon alpinus lepturu) is a canid native to Central, South and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red wolf.

Akita inu under sunlight with blurry background

Wolf Red Wolf walking in the field with a close up profile viewing of its body, head, ears, eyes, nose, paws with foliage foreground and bokeh background in its environment and surrounding. Wolf Red Wolf walking in the field with a close up profile viewing of its body, head, ears, eyes, nose, paws with foliage foreground and bokeh background in its environment and surrounding. red wolf stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

A Profile Portrait of a Female Red Wolf Against a White Background

A red wolf relaxes in the grass on a cloudy winter day.

Red Wolf walking past rocks

pencil and colored pencil. Check out my other real drawings

Red wolf pup stares directly into camera

Three young red wolf pups stood together on a rock in a wooded area. The middle pup has its head up turned and howling and its sibling stood one each side, in slightly softer focus from moving to the rock to be with the howling pup

Animals Footprints - North American animals - vector set

The endangered Florida red wolf. This individual is from the captive breeding program in Tallahassee.

Red wolf during the fall season

A Red Wolf Drinking Water in Asheboro, NC, United States

Ussuri dhole (Cuon alpinus alpinus), also known as the Indian wild dog.

Dhole (Cuon alpinus lepturu) is a canid native to Central, South and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red wolf.

Profile Portrait of Red Wolf Against White Background

A red wolf drinking from a stream.

Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in the snow in the forest in winter

Red wolf roaming the forest at dawn.

An endangered Red Wolf talking a walk.

Is the red wolf extinct?

Least Concern (Population stable)Wolf / Conservation statusnull

Why is the red wolf endangered?

American red wolves are critically endangered and the most endangered wolf in the world due to poaching, trapping and habitat loss. According to the USFWS, there are only about 10 American red wolves living in the wild in North Carolina. In addition to these, about 250 are in managed breeding programs like ours.

Where do red wolves live?

HABITAT: Red wolves appear to be habitat generalists, given their wide historical range, but they currently occupy the swamps, forests, wetlands and bushlands of northeastern North Carolina.

How many red wolves are left?

There are only an estimated 35 or fewer wild red wolves, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies them as critically endangered.