Red Wolf: Canis rufus

Red wolves came very close to extinction in the 1960’s and are still struggling to survive as a species. In order to save the red wolf, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the few remaining red wolves from the wild and began a captive breeding program in the early 1970’s. The 14 wolves that began that program are the ancestors of all the approximately 300 wolves living today. About half that number lives in a wild population in Northeastern North Carolina that was established in 1987 by the USFWS. Today the red wolf is still listed as “critically endangered” and faces many challenges to survival.

Red wolves are similar in appearance to coyotes, which are very common in the U.S. The red wolf is larger and has more upright ears and has a build similar to a German Shepherd dog. Red wolves are smaller than their cousins the gray wolves, Canis lupus.

Red wolves mate for life and females usually have 2 or 3 pups in the spring. Red wolves do not hunt or live in large packs like gray wolves but they do usually travel in family units consisting of parents and recent offspring. The diet of the species consists of small mammals like rabbits, nutria and raccoons, as well as larger prey like white-tail deer. At the Museum, the wolves eat wolf chow, and rat treats from time to time.

The Museum of Life and Science’s first red wolf arrived in November 1992, followed by a litter of pups in May 1993 and another in April 2002. The red wolves living at the Museum are part of the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP).