The Florida Red Wolf

The Florida Red Wolf was a subspecies of the Canis_rufus which is believed by some to be a direct descendent of Canis edwardii the first North American canine clearly identifiable as a wolf. The Florida Red Wolf which was identified as the red wolf subspecies Canis rufus floridus in 1912 by zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller was also known as the Cottontail Red Wolf and the Black Wolf. They were usually found either in pairs or small family groups rather than in packs.

HABITAT
The Florida Red Wolf is known to have inhabited areas of Maine and Ohio down to Florida and Alabama.

CHARACTERISTICS
The Florida Red Wolf weighed from 44 to 88 pounds and measured 26 to 31 inches high at the shoulder. Many of these wolves found in Georgia and Tennesee were black which is where they got the name Black Wolf.

STATUS
The Canis lupus floridanus has been extinct since 1921.