Interesting Facts About the Red Wolf

Although the wolf is seen as a dangerous predator it is also a beautiful creature among our planet's wildlife. The red wolf is a critically endangered species. Read on to learn some interesting facts about the red wolf.

Although it is called a red wolf the coat of this animal is actually a reddish or tawney shade mixed with gray and black.

The red wolf is primarily nocturnal.

The average weight of a red wolf is forty to ninety pounds. It is smaller and leaner than the gray wolf.

Normally the red wolf has an average lifespan of thirteen years in the wild and up to sixteen years in captivity but in recent years this animal may only live an average of four years in the wild.

The red wolf hunts and eats deer, rabbit, raccoons and other animals.

The red wolf is a pack animal meaning that it lives in a social organization.

The red wolf is one of the world's rarest animals.

Mating season for the red wolf occurs from January to April with the offspring being born in the spring.

An average of six cubs are born per litter.

The red wolf has one litter of cubs per year.

The female red wolf weans her young between the age of eight to ten weeks.

The decline of the red wolf has been due in part to hunting and trapping since the red wolf was seen as a threat to livestock and humans. Lack of habitat due to human intervention has also been a factor.

Red wolves were bred and raised in captivity and reintroduced in the late eighties.

Hybridization with coyotes continues to be the main threat to the continued existence of the red wolf.