The wolf, or grey wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. With over thirty recognized subspecies, it's the largest wild member of the Canidae family. Wolves are distinguished by their less pointed ears and muzzle, shorter torso, and longer tail compared to other Canis species. They can also hybridize with smaller species like coyotes and jackals. Their fur is typically mottled in shades of white, brown, grey, and black, though Arctic subspecies can be nearly all white.
The last Japanese wolf was captured and killed in 1905.
According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1921, the infamous Custer Wolf relied on coyotes to accompany him and warn him of danger.
In 1954, Israel protected its wolves and has since maintained a moderately sized population through effective enforcement of conservation policies.
Farley Mowat's largely fictional memoir Never Cry Wolf was published in 1963 and is widely considered to be the most popular book on wolves.
In 1963, a museum specimen of a wolf from southern China showed a genome that was 12–14% admixed from an unknown canid.
In 1973, wolves were given protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the United States.
From 1977 to 1980, the Mexican and U.S. governments collaborated to capture all remaining Mexican wolves to prevent their extinction and established captive breeding programs for reintroduction.
In 1979, the wolf was strictly protected under the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Appendix II) in many EU countries.
From 1977 to 1980, the Mexican and U.S. governments collaborated to capture all remaining Mexican wolves to prevent their extinction and established captive breeding programs for reintroduction.
Since 1980, European wolves have rebounded and expanded into parts of their former range.
In 1992, the wolf was strictly protected under the Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (Annex II and IV) in many EU countries.
In 1999, a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) study was used to inform the decision about listing 38 subspecies of Canis lupus.
During the fifty years up to 2002, there were eight fatal attacks in Europe and Russia, and more than two hundred in southern Asia due to rabid wolves.
In 2003, the global wild wolf population was estimated at 300,000. The IUCN classifies the wolf as Least Concern on its Red List.
In 2005, W. Christopher Wozencraft listed 36 wild subspecies under Canis lupus in the third edition of Mammal Species of the World, also proposing two additional subspecies: familiaris and dingo.
As of 2007, there were around 2,500 wolves in the northwest Iberian peninsula.
A 2016 genomic study suggests that Old World and New World wolves split around 12,500 years ago followed by the divergence of the lineage that led to dogs from other Old World wolves around 11,100–12,300 years ago.
As of 2016, estimates of wolf numbers include: 4,000 in the Balkans, 3,460–3,849 in the Carpathian Mountains, 1,700–2,240 in the Baltic states, and 1,100–2,400 in the Italian Peninsula.
2017 evidence suggests that wolves range across all of mainland China.
As of 2018, the repopulation of wolves in Midwestern United States has been concentrated in the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan where wolves number over 4,000.
As of 2019, it is estimated that there are around 2,000–3,000 Indian wolves in the country.
In 2019, during a workshop hosted by the IUCN/Species Survival Commission's Canid Specialist Group, the New Guinea singing dog and the dingo were considered feral Canis familiaris, and should not be assessed for the IUCN Red List.
A 2021 study found that the Himalayan wolf and the Indian plains wolf are part of a lineage that is basal to other wolves and split from them 200,000 years ago.
In 2021, a genetic study found that the dog's similarity to the extant grey wolf was the result of substantial dog-into-wolf gene flow, with little evidence of the reverse.
As of 2024, the reintroduced Mexican wolf population numbers over 250 individuals.
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