Transcript Red Wolf
Red Wolf Endangered Species Critically Endangered According to the USA Wildlife Service, the Red Wolf is one of the most endangered animals in the world. Once a top predator of the food chain ranging across the Southeast USA, only 100 wolves were alive in the 1970s This is the Red Wolf story. Evolutionary History and Range Paleontological evidence suggested wolves first appeared as a separate species about 1-2 million years ago, branching from a wolf-coyote ancestor Between 150,000–300,000 years ago, the North American branch evolved into the Red Wolf. It may not be a true species; rather, the Red Wolf is possibly a cross between a Gray Wolf and a coyote. The Red Wolf survived when it became isolated from other species of wolves The original geographic distribution of the Red Wolf included much of South-Eastern North America including Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana and parts of Texas Facts The Red Wolf is a large carnivore mammal. An adult can grow to a length of 4.5 feet and can weigh up to 35 kilograms Red wolves live in a variety of habitats including swamps, forests, wetlands and bush lands Their diet consists of rodents, rabbits and other small mammals, as well as larger mammals such as deer Interesting Facts The Red Wolf is generally intermediate in size between a Grey Wolf and a Coyote. A Red Wolf pup begins with a dark gray pelt. As it matures, the Red Wolf’s pelt becomes a cinnamon colour with a black tipped tail. Scientific name is Canis rufus Extinction The Red Wolf was declared endangered in 1973 with only small, remnant wild populations found in remote parts of Louisiana and Texas. By1980, the Red Wolf was officially extinct in the wild The species was wiped out due to intensive human actions (e.g., hunting, predator control, forest clearing and other habitat destruction) Only 17 wolf pairs survived in this period – all in captivity. Reintroduction A breeding program called the Red Wolf Species Survival Program was started, and by 1987, enough red wolves had been raised in captivity to start a reintroduction program in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. The experimental repopulation area has been expanded to include three national wildlife refuges, government-owned lands and private property, totalling 1.7 million acres. By 2011, the Red Wolf was successfully surviving in 21 states including much of its historic range and part of Northeastern and Northwestern USA Ideas and Possible Solutions Formal efforts, backed by the U.S Fish and the Wildlife Services, were began in 1973. To save the Red Wolf a breeding program was established Reduce the amount of forest clearing and protect habitats in the historic range of Red Wolves Introduce laws and rules to manage hunting in populated Red Wolf areas Provide educational materials to schools and start an “Adopta-Red Wolf” program Bibliography http://www.earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?gr=M&mp =1&sp=938 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=red+wolf+pictures&hl=en &gbv=2&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=QO2pTR UO7zgSlM:&imgrefurl=http://wallpapersanimal.blogspot.com/2009/12/redwolf.html&docid=Onp7chweZjM6JM&imgurl=http://1.bp.b logspot.com/_Lo8n1_ejGIc/SxB7scM1TI/AAAAAAAAL_0/XJfVyxYrO4Y/s1600/r5.jpg&w= 754&h=1159&ei=GvHVT_alB6Pp6gHmyvGGAw&zoom= 1