Eastern wolf

The eastern wolf (Canis lycaon or Canis lupus lycaon), also known as the timber wolf, Algonquin wolf and eastern timber wolf, is a canine of debated taxonomy native to the Great Lakes region and southeastern Canada. It is considered either a unique subspecies of gray wolf, or red wolf, or a separate species from both. Many studies have found the eastern wolf to be the product of ancient and recent genetic admixture between the gray wolf and the coyote, while other studies have found some or all populations of the eastern wolf, as well as coyotes, originally separated from a common ancestor with the wolf over 1 million years ago and that these populations of the eastern wolf may be the same species as or a closely related species to the red wolf (Canis lupus rufus or Canis rufus) of the Southeastern United States. Regardless of its status, it is regarded as unique and therefore worthy of conservation with Canada citing the population in eastern Canada (also known as the "Algonquin wolf") as being the eastern wolf population subject to protection.

There are two forms, the larger being referred to as the Great Lakes-boreal wolf, which is generally found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, southeastern Manitoba and northern Ontario, and the smaller being the Algonquin wolf, which inhabits eastern Canada, specifically central and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec, with some overlapping and mixing of the two types in the southern portions of northeastern and northwestern Ontario. The eastern wolf's morphology is midway between that of the gray wolf and the coyote. The fur is typically of a grizzled grayish-brown color mixed with cinnamon. The nape, shoulder and tail region are a mix of black and gray, with the flanks and chest being rufous or creamy. It primarily preys on white-tailed deer, but may occasionally hunt moose and beavers.

In the US, gray wolves including the timber wolf are protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, although the protections were removed at the federal level in 2021 before being reinstated in 2022. In Canada, the eastern wolf is listed as Canis lupus lycaon under the Species At Risk Act 2002, Schedule 1 - List of Wildlife at Risk. In 2015, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada recognized the eastern wolf in central and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec as Canis cf. lycaon (Canis species believed to be lycaon) and a threatened species worthy of conservation. The main threat to this wolf is human hunting and trapping outside of the protected areas, which leads to genetic introgression with the eastern coyote due to a lack of mates. Further human development immediately outside of the protected areas and the negative public perception of wolves are expected to inhibit any further expansion of their range. In 2016, the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario recognized the Algonquin wolf as a Canis sp. (Canis species) differentiated from the hybrid Great Lakes wolves which it found were the result of "hybridization and backcrossing among Eastern Wolf (Canis lycaon) (aka C. lupus lycaon), Gray Wolf (C. lupus), and Coyote (C. latrans)".

Taxonomy

The first published name for a type of wolf from North America is Canis lycaon. It was named in 1775 by a German scientist, who based it on an earlier description of an animal thought to have been caught near Quebec. It was later classified as a subspecies of the gray wolf.

In 2005, a book called Mammal Species of the World listed the eastern wolf as a gray wolf subspecies. In 2021, the American Society of Mammalogists decided the eastern wolf is its own species, Canis lycaon.

Taxonomic debate

When European settlers came to North America, coyotes lived only in the western part of the continent. They lived in dry areas and on open plains, including the prairie regions of the midwestern states. Early explorers found some in Indiana and Wisconsin. From the mid-1800s, coyotes began to spread beyond their original range.

Scientists have two main ideas about North American wolves:

• One idea says there are two species: gray wolves (C. lupus) and western coyotes (Canis latrans). These gave rise to hybrids like the Great Lakes wolf, the eastern coyote, the red wolf, and the eastern wolf.
• Another idea says there are three species: gray wolves, western coyotes, and eastern wolves (C. lycaon). In this view, Great Lakes wolves are hybrids of gray wolves and eastern wolves, eastern coyotes are hybrids of eastern wolves and western coyotes, and red wolves are the same species as eastern wolves.

Genetic evidence

Studies of genetic material from wolves and coyotes show that eastern wolves have both gray wolf and coyote genes. Some studies suggest eastern wolves and red wolves evolved in North America after separating from coyotes a long time ago. Other studies show that eastern wolves are a mix of gray wolves and coyotes, with the mixing happening between 546–963 years ago.

Genomic evidence

A big study in 2016 looked at the full genetic makeup of North American wolves and coyotes. It found that all of them share a common ancestor that lived less than 117,000 years ago. The study showed that red wolves and eastern wolves have different amounts of gray wolf and coyote genes. The study also found that all North American wolves have some coyote genes, and all coyotes have some wolf genes.

Ancestor

Recent studies suggest that eastern wolves evolved from ancient coyotes and Beringian wolves long before modern coyotes and wolves arrived in North America.

Description and ecology

Charles Darwin heard stories about two kinds of wolves in the Catskill Mountains — one slim and fast like a greyhound, chasing deer, and another heavier with shorter legs. Eastern wolves usually have fur that is a mix of grayish-brown and cinnamon. Their sides and chest are often a reddish or creamy color, and their back, shoulders, and tail can be black and gray mixed together. Unlike gray wolves, eastern wolves very rarely have all-black fur. The first all-black eastern wolf found was a mix between an eastern wolf and a gray wolf. They are about the size in between a coyote and a gray wolf, with females weighing about 53 pounds on average and males about 67 pounds. They usually live about 3 to 4 years, but some have been known to live up to 15 years. Their size is thought to help them catch medium-sized animals, much like the Mexican wolf does in the southwestern US.

Eastern wolves mainly hunt small to medium-sized animals like white-tailed deer and beavers, unlike gray wolves that can hunt much larger animals like caribou, elk, moose, and bison. Even though they are meat-eaters, during July and August, packs in Voyageurs National Park sometimes eat blueberries when they are in season. Eastern wolf packs stay away from each other, and only lone wolves sometimes go into another pack’s area. Their territory is usually between 46 and 71 square miles, and young eastern wolves leave their packs as early as 15 weeks old, which is much sooner than gray wolves.

Distribution

The eastern wolf used to live in southern Quebec, most of Ontario, the Great Lakes states, New York State, and New England. Today, they are mainly found in the northern parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They also live in southeastern Manitoba, northern Ontario, and central and eastern Ontario, especially in places like Algonquin Provincial Park. Some eastern wolves have been seen in southern Quebec, New Brunswick, New York State, northern Vermont, and Maine. Recent studies show that wolves in these areas are related to wolves in Michigan. Some people believe wolves have started to live in New York and New England by moving north from Canada.

However, human activities make it hard for eastern wolves to grow their numbers outside of protected areas in southeastern Canada.

History, hybridization and conservation

Before Europeans arrived, eastern wolves may have numbered between 64,500 and 90,200 individuals. They lived across eastern North America, from southern Quebec to the Great Plains and towards areas like Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

Early European settlers saw eastern wolves as a threat to their livestock. They started campaigns to reduce wolf numbers, offering rewards for wolf heads and using traps. Despite these efforts, wolves remained common in places like New England and the Algonquin Highlands. By the mid-1900s, there were about 55 wolf packs in Algonquin Provincial Park, but many were killed each year until protection laws were passed in 1959. Even with protection, the wolf population declined due to human activities and mixing with coyotes. By 2012, the genetic makeup of these wolves had mostly returned to earlier levels. In 2013, scientists created hybrids of coyotes and gray wolves in labs to better understand the eastern wolf’s origins.

Relationships with humans

The wolf plays an important role in Algonquin mythology. In Algonquian languages, it is called ma-hei-gan or nah-poo-tee. The wolf is the spirit brother of the hero Nanabozho. It helped him in many adventures, like stopping bad spirits and helping to remake the world after a big flood.

In 1963, people found that eastern wolves would answer when humans made wolf sounds. This led to a popular event at Algonquin Provincial Park called Public Wolf Howls. Groups of visitors would go out at night to places where wolves had been seen. Park staff would make wolf sounds, and everyone would listen for the wolves to respond. This program was very popular and helped teach people about wolves. The last Public Wolf Howls event was in 2013. The program stopped in 2022 for several reasons, including concerns about disturbing wildlife and the environment.

There have been a few times when wolves acted strangely around people in Algonquin Provincial Park. In 1998, a wolf that did not seem to fear people followed a family with a young child. Later, it attacked a toddler, hurting him before being chased away. The wolf was killed that day, and it was discovered that the wolf was not sick.