gray wolf

LC - Least Concern

N4 - Apparently Secure

S3 - Vulnerable

Threatened

In 1966 Congress passed the Endangered Species Preservation Act. A year later the gray wolf was classified as endangered. At that time only a few hundred remained in extreme northeastern Minnesota and a small number on Isle Royale, Michigan. In 1978 it was reclassified as threatened.

In 2012 gray wolf was delisted due to a significant increase in their numbers and their range. The delisting was controversial. In 2014 a federal judge forced the reinstatement of the wolf, and it was relisted as threatened. In January 2021 it was again removed from the protected species list.

Following a court order on 2/10/2022, “…gray wolves in the contiguous 48 states and Mexico – with the exception of the Northern Rocky Mountain population – are now protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as threatened in Minnesota and endangered in the remaining states.”. The court order has been appealed by a number of parties. The appeals are in abeyance until 2/2/2024, when the USFWS "… intends to submit to the Office of the Federal Register a proposed rule concerning the listing status of gray wolves in the lower-48 United States under the Act.”

delisted

In 1984, the gray wolf was classified as threatened in Minnesota only. Due to continued increase in their numbers it was reclassified as special concern in 1996 and delisted in 2013.

Eastern wolf (C. l. lycaon), also called timber wolf, is relatively small, with males weighing on average 67 pounds and females 53 pounds. They have longer ears and a narrower snout. They tend to be mottled gray.

Great Plains wolf (C. l. nubilus) is much larger, with males weighing on average 100 pounds. They have shorter ears and a broader snout. They can vary from black to white, though most are gray.

Great Lakes boreal wolf (C. l. lycaon x C. l. nubilus) mostly has intermediate traits, grading from more C. l. lycaon-like in the east to more C. l. nubilus-like in the west.

Total length: 59″ to 62″

Tail: 15½″ to 18″

Any type of habitat

Usually 6 to 8 years

Mostly white-tailed deer, but also beaver, other mammals, and wild fruits.

Sources

4, 7, 24, 29, 30, 76.

Minnesota DNR; The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Distribution and Abundance of Wolves in Minnesota, 2012-13, John Erb and Barry Sampson, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Minnesota DNR; The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Distribution and Abundance of Wolves in Minnesota, 2017-18, John Erb, Carolin Humpal, and Barry Sampson, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Locally common

Debate continues about whether there are different species of gray wolves in the world. In 2000, Wilson et al proposed designating the eastern wolf as a separate species, Canis lycaon. This proposal was not widely adopted.

Eastern wolf (C. l. lycaon), also called timber wolf, was originally found in the northeastern corner of the state. Great Plains wolf (C. l. nubilus) was originally found in the western counties, with hybrids occurring between the two. The dispersal ranges of the two subspecies overlap considerably and much hybridization occurs. The original genetic purity of the eastern and western population remains unknown. While is likely that genetically pure populations occur at the ends of the respective Minnesota ranges, the current Minnesota population consists mostly of hybrids of the two subspecies, known informally as Great Lakes boreal wolf, with more C. l. nubilus traits in the west and more C. l. lycaon traits in the east.

Coyote/wolf

I found this pair about 6 miles south of Houston on Thursday morning. I am not sure if they are wolves or coyote? They were out about 1/2 mile and sure looked big for out that far.

walking down country road like it owned it. Never stopped never looked around just kept going

this was at 645 am

Captive – Wildlife Science Center

Location: 6 miles south of Houston, MN

I found this pair about 6 miles south of Houston on Thursday morning. I am not sure if they are wolves or coyote? They were out about 1/2 mile and sure looked big for out that far.

Location: Faribault, MN

walking down country road like it owned it. Never stopped never looked around just kept going

this was at 6:45 am

Location: Wildlife Science Center

Captive