Canis rufus

Canis rufus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports — NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports — Canis rufus ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

The red wolf (Canis lupus rufus is a canine native to the southeastern United States which has a reddish-tawny color to its fur. Morphologically it is intermediate between the coyote (Canis latrans) and gray wolf (Canis lupus), and is very closely related to the eastern wolf (Canis lupus lycaon) of eastern Canada.

The red wolf’s proper taxonomic classification (in essence, whether it is an admixture of wolf and coyote, a subspecies of the gray wolf, or a third, distinct species) has been contentious for well over a century, and is still under debate. Because of this, it is sometimes excluded from endangered species lists, despite its critically low numbers. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently recognizes the red wolf as an endangered species and grants protected status. Canis rufus is not listed in the CITES Appendices of endangered species. Since 1996 the IUCN has listed it as a critically endangered species.

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