Eastern Wolf - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Eastern Wolf was recently recognized as a potentially distinct species, but closely related to red wolf. Some authors disagree and the status as a distinct species is not official. Now, many international and government organizations carry out scientific research for their taxonomy and genetics to answer this question, as well as researching their ecology and influence on the ecosystem.

The Eastern Wolf is smaller than the Grey Wolf and has a grey-reddish coat with black hairs covering the back and sides of the thorax. The mtDNA analysis confirms that eastern wolf belonged to an ancient form of primitive wolf (with red wolf) originating some 750,000 years ago in the eastern part of North America (Nowak 1979, 1992). This distribution of haplotypes shows elements similar to the red wolf and probably is a part of this species. Red Wolf populations were extirpated from the wild in the southeastern United States, were reintroduced to the wild in recent decades and are now critically endangered.

On March 31, 2010, a presentation by Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources research scientist Brent Patterson outlined key findings about the Eastern Wolf (and coyotes): Most coyotes in Eastern Ontario are wolf-coyote hybrids; wolves in Algonquin Park are, in general, not inter-breeding with coyotes; and the buffer zone around Algonquin Park is a great success with mortality rates down and populations remaining stable.

Proponents of distinct species designation believe that the Eastern Canadian Wolf is just the remnant northern range of a once continuous range of a native canid - the Eastern wolf (E.C. w & Red Wolf). The pre-Columbian range was thought to include U.S. states east of the Mississippi and south of the Canadian Shield-St. Lawrence corridor.

Unlike the Gray Wolf, the Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Park has never been recorded with an all-black or all-white coat (wolf research in Al. P. cited 2008). Eastern wolf mainly exist in Algonquin Park in Canada-USA border. Type Algonquin is a largely pure genetic population of Eastern wolf while type-Ontario is hybrid with grey wolf (possible with C. l. nubilus or C. l. griseoalbus ad etc. ) (Wilson et al. 2000). Mech and Frenzel (1971) suggest that the northeastern Minnesota timber wolves are assigned to C. l. lycaon but are found in an area within 150 km of the range of C. l nubilus as described by Goldman (1944).