Iberian wolf

Iberian wolf
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. signatus
Trinomial name
Canis lupus signatus

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus,[2][3][1][4] or Canis lupus lupus,[5] Spanish and Portuguese: Lobo ibérico),[6] is a subspecies of grey wolf. It inhabits the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, which includes northwestern Spain and northern Portugal. It is home to 2,200-2,700 wolves which have been isolated from mixing with other wolf populations for over a century. They form the largest wolf population in Western Europe.[7]

Due to population controls and damage to livestock, Iberian wolves were, as of September 2021,[8][9][10] the only Western European subspecies of wolf whose hunting remained legal, yet only in Spain. Nonetheless, very few hunting permits were given every year, strictly north of the Douro river.[11] Along with the difficulty of their hunt by virtue of their vigilant nature and the rarity of their sightings, they were strongly desired by many European hunters as a big-game trophy.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Boitani2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cabrera1907 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Castello2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group ( Claudio Sillero). "Grey wolf Canis lupus". International Union for the Conservation of Nature - Canid Specialist Group.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference wozencraft2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Ángel Iglesias Izquierdo, Ángel Javier España Báez & José España Báez: Lobos Ibéricos - Anatomía, ecología y conservación Archived 2020-11-27 at the Wayback Machine [IBERIAN WOLVES - ANATOMY, ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION p.7]
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference gomez2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Sánchez, Esther (September 21, 2021). "Ya está aprobado en el BOE: el lobo no se puede cazar en España". EL PAÍS. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Cerrillo Barcelona, Antonio (September 21, 2021). "Ya es oficial: prohibida la caza del lobo en toda España". La Vanguardia. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  10. ^ Camazón, Alba (September 21, 2021). "Cazar lobos estará prohibido en toda España a partir de mañana". elDiario.es. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  11. ^ Rafael Méndez, "Bruselas frena el intento de Cañete de ampliar la caza del lobo ibérico" in EL PAÍS, March 25, 2012
  12. ^ [1] José Luis Vicente González: La gestión del lobo ibérico (Canis Iupus signatus Cabrera, 1907), en una población “estable” p. 237
  13. ^ [2] Crónicas de Cuenca: Lobo saltando sobre cerca. p. 2