Vancouver Coastal Sea wolf

For other uses, see Islands wolf (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Seawolf (disambiguation).

Vancouver Island wolf
A Vancouver Island wolf in Clayoquot Sound.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species:
C. lupus
Subspecies:
C. l. crassodon
Trinomial name
Canis lupus crassodon
Hall, 1932[1]
Historical and present range of grey wolf subspecies in North America.
Synonyms

Canis crassodon crassodon

The Vancouver Island wolf, also known as the coastal wolf or sea wolf (Canis lupus crassodon)[2] is a subspecies of grey wolf, endemic to the coast of the Pacific Northwest.[3] They are a unique subspecies of wolf due to their semi-aquatic lifestyle, which includes a diet that is almost entirely marine-based.

The wolves play important roles in the cultures and spiritual beliefs of local indigenous people, with mythical creatures like the Gonakadet and Wasgo, found among the Tsimshian, Tlingit, and Haida peoples of British Columbia and Alaska, being inspired by them.[4]

  1. ^ Fred H. Harrington (1982). Wolves of the World: Perspectives of Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Noyes. pp. 54–. ISBN 978-0-8155-0905-9. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Wolves". Discovervancouverisland.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Coastal wolves". Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  4. ^ Faris, Peter (25 September 2018). "Rock Art Blog: Wasgo/Gonakadet – Sea Wolves of the Pacific Northwest Coast". Rockartblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.