Facts • Reintroduction • Geographic Boundaries

Mexican gray wolves (also called just Mexican wolves or "lobos") are mammals. The Mexican wolf is the smallest of the five kinds (subspecies) of gray wolf in North America. They are also the most endangered - there are only about 175 Mexican wolves in the world today. Adult lobos usually weigh 70 to 90 pounds and are about 4 to 5 feet long, about the size of a German shepherd. They usually have coats that are a mixture of gray, brown, rust and tan over light-colored underparts. The tail, ears, and legs are often highlighted in black. Wolves are very social animals.

Wolves live in a "pack," which is a family group of about 5 - 6 animals, consisting of the adults, their pups, and one or two older siblings (pups from previous years). The adult pair usually stays together for life. They breed in late January to early March, and give birth to an average of 4-6 pups in April or May. Caves, enlarged burrows, and areas under tree roots and rock ledges are used by Mexican wolves for shelter and den sites. Mexican wolves communicate with each other in a variety of ways. Packs of wolves rarely meet face to face because territory boundaries are "drawn" by howling and scent-marking (urine, feces and scratching). Within a pack, communication is even more varied.Ê Wolves howl, bark, whimper and growl, and they also communicate through facial expressions, body posture and movement. Most of these behaviors can be seen in our pet dogs today, as they try to communicate with us! Wolves are the ancestors (thousands of years ago) of domestic dogs. Reproduced with Permission U.S. Fish and Wildlife website

Reproduced with permission - US Fish and Wildlife