Mexican Gray Wolf

Peggy Larson

Gray wolves once ranged from Mexico to the Arctic. Scarcity of natural prey led the wolves to attach domestic livestock, which, in turn, resulted to the virtual extermination by the 1950's. The Mexican gray wolf is the smallest subspecies of gray wolf.

Today, with protection under the Endangered Species Act and increased awareness of the wolf's role in ecosystems, the gray wolf is making a come back in some areas. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and similar institutions under took captive breeding of Mexican gray wolves which are being release in eastern Arizona.

Adult wolves are typically 4.5 feet long, 32 inches tall, and weight 60 - 80 pounds. Packs have a complex social hierarchy and include three to eight wolves. Only the alpha pair mate, producing litters of four to eight pups.