What is a Mexican wolf?
The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus bailey) is the rarest, smallest, southernmost and most genetically distinct subspecies of the North American gray wolf. Historically, the Mexican wolf was found throughout mountainous regions from central Mexico in the south, northward into Arizona , New Mexico , Utah , Colorado and west Texas . Mexican wolves typically weigh 50 to 80 pounds and measure about 5 1/2 feet from nose to tail (about the size of an adult German shepherd). They have a distinctive, richly colored coat of buff, gray, rust, tan and black. Like other wolves, Mexican wolves have a complex social structure and live in extended family groups, consisting of an adult mated pair and their offspring. Wolves hunt cooperatively to bring down prey animals, usually much larger than themselves. Larger-sized native prey for Mexican wolves includes elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer.
