Mexican wolves are sexually dimorphic (2 distinct gender forms): males are larger than females. Mexican wolves can have various colorations: dark brown, cinnamon, tawny, cream, grizzled, and brindle. The backs of their ears and the sides of their body range from cinnamon to brown. Their face is usually white to cream, as are the underparts of their body. The back of their neck, their back, and the top half of their tail have a blanket of grizzled black with shades of brown. Mexican wolves vary in color depending on the region. Mexican wolf fur is long and thick, with 2 coat layers. Their undercoat is thick, trapping air, and provides insulation beneath the guard coat. The visible guard coat is long and protects their undercoat from getting wet. They shed excessively in early spring. Mexican wolves' ears are erect, rounded, and set on top of an impressive head that has a short, thick muzzle and a large nose pad. Their chest is deep and their legs are long, with large, strong feet that enable them to travel long distances, grip the terrain in all weather conditions, bury food caches, and dig burrows. They have 42 strong teeth and powerful jaws, which they use to hold their prey, cut tendons, and crush bones.
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) SAFE Mexican Wolf Program
The Mexican wolf is the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America. Approximately 4,000 individuals once lived in their historic range, but they were all but eliminated from the wild by the 1970s. Their demise, which began in the early 1900s, resulted from antipredator campaigns in the United States and Mexico. Thanks to reintroduction efforts beginning in 1998, there are now a minimum of 257 Mexican wolves distributed across Arizona and New Mexico.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago participates in the AZA SAFE Mexican Wolf Program to help identify survival threats, support recovery, and offer you opportunities to learn more about at-risk species.
Threats
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