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The issue of wolf subspecies is a complex technical topic of disagreement among scientists. A subspecies is a group of individuals within a species that share a geographic location and may have some unique physical characteristics. Gray wolves throughout the world can be grouped into several subspecies, somewhat similarly to the way human populations are grouped into races.
For the past few decades, most wolf biologists agreed that 24 subspecies of the gray wolf lived in North America. This classification scheme was largely based on geographic location of each wolf population or the type of habitat in which it lived (e.g., eastern timber wolf). New research, especially studies of skull measurements, showed that many of these subspecies were basically the same as one another. In addition, researchers found that dispersing wolves traveled over great distances. They frequently crossed geographic boundaries that had been arbitrarily drawn by humans. These discoveries made the criteria for distinguishing among subspecies less distinct.
In light of these recent discoveries, in 1995 it was suggested that the 24 gray wolf subspecies be lumped into five. These fine distinctions are really only of importance to a few wolf scientists. Although debate continues, today's classification scheme is based on the five following subspecies:
Canis lupus arctos is the wolf of the high arctic. It inhabits the far northern regions of North America, primarily arctic islands such as Ellesmere Island. Since the predominant color phase of this subspecies is a creamy white, which camouflages it in snowy surroundings, it is often called the white wolf or the arctic wolf.
Canis lupus baileyi is the smallest North American gray wolf, originally found in Mexico and the southwest United States. It is commonly known as the Mexican wolf and, in Spanish, is called lobo. No known Mexican wolves remain in the wild in the United States, and only a few unverified sightings have been reported in Mexico. All known survivors of this subspecies are part of the government's captive breeding programs. Currently, a plan is being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce Mexican wolves into the Blue Range Area and the White Sands Missile Range in Arizona and New Mexico.
Canis lupus lycaon is the first subspecies to be recognized in the United States. It is commonly known as the eastern timber wolf. Canis lupus lycaon inhabited the eastern portions of the United States and southeastern parts of Canada. Before the classification scheme was revised in 1995, it was thought that this was the subspecies that inhabited Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. It is now thought that Canis lupus nubilus is the race that inhabits these areas, and Canis lupus lycaon lives in southeastern Canada. These distinctions may be confusing, since most people in the Lake Superior region generally refer to wolves as "timber wolves."
Canis lupus nubilus has the largest range in North America. It is commonly known as the Great Plains wolf or the buffalo wolf. It was thought to be extinct by 1926, but studies indicate that the wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan are descendants of this subspecies.
Canis lupus occidentalis is a large wolf from Alaska and western Canada. It is commonly referred to as the Mackenzie Valley wolf.
A species quite similar to the gray wolf also exists in the United States. Canis rufus, or the red wolf, inhabited the southeastern corner of the United States, where it was nearing extinction. Today, all members of this species are the descendants of 14 red wolves taken into captivity and maintained in breeding programs so that their offspring could be released into the wild. More than 50 red wolves have been reintroduced in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
The wolf in the contiguous 48 United States has long been on the federal government's list of endangered species, which includes both threatened and endangered populations. In Minnesota, the wolf is considered by the federal government to be threatened, whereas it is considered fully endangered elsewhere in the 48 states. In Alaska the wolf thrives in such numbers that it is neither threatened nor endangered.
Classifying the status of animals is a judgment call. In some cases, the judgment is easy. For example, the California condor population includes only a few remaining members and is clearly endangered. With other species, such as the wolf, the situation is far more complex.
Worldwide, wolves once lived everywhere north of about 20 degrees north latitude, a parallel that runs through Mexico City and southern India. Some 150,000 wolves remain in Eurasia, about 50,000 in Canada, and about 5,000 to 8,000 wolves in Alaska. However, they have been exterminated over perhaps a third of their former range. Mexico may have no remaining wolves. In many other countries, the wolf is long gone.
In the 48 contiguous states, wolf populations are scattered. Minnesota supports at least 2,000 wolves. This population seems to be increasing in numbers and in distribution. About 125 to 150 wolves live in Wisconsin and more than 100 in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan. Isle Royale holds 25 to 25. Montana supports about 70 to 100, and the state of Washington may contain a few wolves. In 1995 and 1996 the government reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and also into Idaho. In 1997, the wolves living in these two areas total over 150.
How should the wolf be classified in the 48 states? People who contend that the currently-used endangered classification is correct, cite the following reasons:
- In the contiguous 48 states, the wolf currently occupies only about 6 percent of its former range.
- Most of the wolf's former habitat in these 48 states is unsuitable for wolves, and probably never will be suitable, due mainly to human encroachment.
- Public attitudes toward wolves are mixed, with many residents of the wolf's range holding strong anti-wolf opinions.
- The long-term trends in land use suggest that much of the current or potential wolf range will continue to be developed and, thus, rendered unsuitable for wolves, even in Minnesota.
- It was only after wolves were given protection by the Endangered Species Act that wolf populations in the United States began to increase.
Opponents of the endangered species classification for the wolf in the contiguous 48 states counter with these arguments:
- About 2,000 wolves live in Minnesota, where their numbers are stable or increasing.
- Even if all the wolves were exterminated from the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Canada and several other nations support viable populations.
- Inclusion of wolves on the Endangered Species List precludes public harvesting of wolves and, thus, costs the government control program about $200,000 per year to control wolves and compensate for verified wolf damage to livestock. Money might be saved if wolves could be legally hunted and trapped.
- Endangered species money spent on wolves could be used to help save other, more endangered species.
The debate and controversy about the wolf continues to rage among knowledgeable people on both sides of the issue. What do you think?
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