Mexican wolf

Mexican wolf
Captive Mexican wolf running at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
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. baileyi
Trinomial name
Canis lupus baileyi
(Nelson & Goldman, 1929)
C. l. baileyi range in 2023

The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), also known as the lobo mexicano (or, simply, lobo)[a] is a subspecies of gray wolf (C. lupus) native to eastern and southeastern Arizona and western and southern New Mexico (in the United States) and fragmented areas of northern Mexico. Historically, the subspecies ranged from eastern Southern California south into Baja California, east through the Sonora and Chihuahua Deserts and into West Texas.

The Mexican wolf is the smallest of North America's gray wolves,[3] while also being one of the more colorful and visually-distinctive subspecies. It is similar to the Great Plains wolf (C. l. nubilus), albeit distinguishable by a smaller, narrower skull and darker, more variable pelage (which is typically a sandy- to yellowish-gray with "highlights" of blacks, browns and some whites). The snout, inner legs, neck and undersides are white, while golden-yellow and beige hues dominate the top of the head and much of the rest of the body. The fur around the chest and neck forms a grayish-black "collar", flowing onto the back where it is generally black all the way to the tail tip.[4]

Prehistoric Mexican wolf ancestors were likely among the first gray wolves to enter North America after the extinction of the Ice Age's Beringian wolf, as indicated by its southern range and basal physical and genetic characteristics.[5]

Though once held in high regard in Pre-Columbian Mexico,[6] Canis lupus baileyi became the most endangered gray wolf subspecies in North America, having been extirpated in the wild during the mid-1900s through a combination of hunting, trapping, poisoning and the removal of pups from dens, mainly out of fear, by livestock herders and ranch owners. After being listed officially under the Endangered Species Act in 1976, both the United States and Mexico collaborated to capture all lobos remaining in the wild. This extreme preventative measure would end up forestalling their imminent extinction; five wild Mexican wolves (four males and one pregnant female) were captured, alive, in Mexico between 1977 and 1980. Once settled in captive rescue centers, this group of wolves would prove vital in starting a captive breeding program. Thanks to these preemptive measures, captive-bred Mexican wolves were released into recovery areas in Arizona and New Mexico beginning in 1998 in an effort to recolonize the animals' historical range.[7]

As of 2024, there are at least 257 wild Mexican wolves in the US and 45 in Mexico, and 380 in captive breeding programs, up from the 11 individuals that were released in Arizona in 1998. The year 2021 was the most successful so far for the recovery program, as the highest number of individuals were counted, the most pups were born and survived, and the highest number of wolf packs. Approximately 60% of the lobos that year were found in New Mexico, and 40% in Arizona; historically, both states have had similar numbers of wolves. In 2021, the U.S. population had nearly doubled over a five-year span. These numbers represent a minimum as the survey only counts wolf sightings confirmed by Interagency Field Team staff.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ "Canis lupus baileyi". explorer.natureserve.org.
  2. ^ "Revision to the Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Wolf; Final Rule" (PDF). Federal Register. 87 (126): 39348–39373. July 1, 2022.
  3. ^ Mech, L. David (1981), The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species, University of Minnesota Press, p. 350, ISBN 0-8166-1026-6
  4. ^ Bailey, V. (1932), Mammals of New Mexico. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey. North American Fauna No. 53. Washington, D.C. Pages 303–308.
  5. ^ Chambers SM, Fain SR, Fazio B, Amaral M (2012). "An account of the taxonomy of North American wolves from morphological and genetic analyses". North American Fauna. 77: 1–67. doi:10.3996/nafa.77.0001. Note:"The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference valadez was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Nie, M. A. (2003), Beyond Wolves: The Politics of Wolf Recovery and Management, University of Minnesota Press, pp. 118–119, ISBN 0816639787
  8. ^ "Wild Population of Mexican Wolves Grows for Fifth Consecutive Year". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. March 12, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Mexican Wolf Numbers Soar Past 200 in Latest Count". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. February 27, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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