Gray wolf (Canis lupus). Copyright Marty Smith

The gray wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the timber wolf or wolf, is the largest wild member of the Canidae family and an ice age survivor originating during the Late Pleistocene around 300,000 years ago. A number of other North American gray wolf subspecies have been identified and include the red wolf (Canis rufus), Canadian eastern wolf (Canis lycaon), and the Mexican wolf (Canis baileyi).

Range of the North American Wolf (Canis)
Wolves were once common throughout all of North America but were killed in most areas of the United States by the mid 1930s. Today their range has been reduced to Canada and the following portions of the United States: Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Mexican wolves are found in New Mexico and Arizona.

Legal Status/Protection of the North American Wolf (Canis)
In 1973, gray and red wolves were two of the first species placed under federal protections by the Endangered Species Act. Under these protections, wolf populations have reestablished in portions of the lower 48 states with gray wolves in the northern Rockies and Great Lakes, Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest and red wolves in the Southeast.

Gray wolves are listed as endangered in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, and portions of North Dakota, Utah, South Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington. Wolves in Alaska are not listed under the Endangered Species Act

FAST FACTS>>

Height 26-32 inches at the shoulder
Length 4.5-6.5 feet from nose to tip of tail
Weight 55-130 lbs; Males are typically heavier and taller than the females
Lifespan 7-8 years in the wild, but some have lived 10 years or more

Red Wolf (Canis rufus)

• Status: threatened, critically endangered
• Has a reddish coat, silver-gray forehead and darker signs on white legs and a cream underbelly; has long ears and smooth coat with long legs
• It lives through the southeastern parts of the United States, from Texas to Florida; a population is being reintroduced into North Carolina
• More on the red wolf here

Canadian Eastern Wolf (Canis lycaon)

• Status: threatened, endangered
• Is smaller than the gray wolf and has a gray-reddish coat with black hairs cover on back and sides thorax
• Belonged to an ancient form of primitive wolf (with red wolf) origin from eastern North America 750,000 years ago
• More on the Canadian eastern wolf here

Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis baileyi)

• Status: threatened, critically endangered
• Is the rarest, most genetically distinct subspecies of the gray wolf in North America
• Is the smallest gray wolf subspecies present in North America, reaching an overall length no greater than 4 to 5 feet and a maximum height of about 32 in. Weight ranges from 60-80 pounds
• More on the Mexican gray wolf here

:: Sources: Defenders of Wildlife, Wikipedia