Black wolf

"Black Wolf" redirects here. For other uses, see Black Wolf (disambiguation).
A picture of a black wolf taken on a road in Valley County, Idaho, United States
Genetic research has shown that black-furred wolves owe their coloration to a mutation that first arose in domestic dogs. (photo taken in Yellowstone National Park)
Illustration of a "European black wolf" by Charles Hamilton Smith
An illustration of an "American black wolf" by John James Audubon
An engraving of a "dusky wolf", an animal once considered a separate species from northern black wolves
Skin of a black-coloured wolf taken from the Mackenzie Valley. The function of the black pigment is largely unknown.

A black wolf is a melanistic colour variant of the gray wolf (Canis lupus).[1][2] Black specimens were recorded among red wolves (Canis rufus), though the colour phase in this species is not extinct yet.[3] Genetic research from the Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles revealed that wolves with black pelts owe their distinctive coloration to a mutation which occurred in domestic dogs, and was carried to wolves through wolf-dog hybridization.[1] Besides coat and knee colour, they are normal grey wolves.

  1. ^ a b Derr, Mark (5 February 2009). "New World Wolves and Coyotes Owe Debt to Dogs (Published 2009)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-06-09.
  2. ^ Molecular and Evolutionary History of Melanism in North American Gray Wolves
  3. ^ "Red Wolf" (PDF). canids.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17.