Iowa mammals

Gray Wolf in Iowa

Canis lupus

Native to Iowa SX Presumed Extirpated in Iowa

Not listed as nonindigenous in Iowa by USGS NAS; native to its Iowa range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Silver-gray wolf walking along a gravel bank in AlaskaCream-colored gray wolf walking through dry grass with its mouth openBlack-phase gray wolf standing in a meadow at duskGray wolf resting in open grasslandGray wolf standing in snow and facing the camera
Photo: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0Silver-gray wolf walking along a gravel bank in AlaskaPhoto: Alejandro Santillana · CC0A pale, cream-phase wolf on the move in Yellowstone. Coat color spans cream to coal black.Photo: Piotr Lukasik · CC BY 4.0A black-phase wolf in a Yellowstone meadow at last light.Photo: mefisher · CC0A wolf beds down in open grassland, tail tucked alongside.Photo: Norma Malinowski · CC BY 4.0A gray wolf in winter coat. From the front, the wide head and short rounded ears are unmistakable.

Gray Wolf in Iowa, by the numbers

Presumed Extirpated in Iowa 39th most recorded of 74 mammals logged in Iowa

17 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

17 total records count every Iowa occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 16; the monthly chart covers the 13 records with a full observation date.

When the gray wolf was recorded in Iowa

Most historical records fall in April.

13 Iowa occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Iowa records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February2
March0
April5
May2
June1
July0
August0
September0
October1
November0
December0

Monthly gray wolf occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Iowa, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Historical records in Iowa peak in April.

Occurrence map

Where Gray Wolf has been recorded in Iowa

16 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

16 Iowa records mapped

Where it's recorded in Iowa

CountyRecords
Johnson County 7
Pottawattamie County 2
Washington County 2
Hardin County 1
Jackson County 1
Audubon County 1
Warren County 1
Monona County 1
Other localities 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 Iowa counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Iowa’s dated gray wolf series contains only seven records in the 2000–2026 window. Two fall in January and two in February, with single entries in May, June, and September; this is a record of reported occurrences, not the abundance of wolves in Iowa.

NatureServe classifies the species SX (Presumed Extirpated) in the state. The Upper Mississippi River and DeSoto national wildlife refuges and local prairie pothole wetlands are the places named by the overlay, but five occupied months and seven total entries cannot establish residency or a complete range.

Gray Wolf in other states

View all states →

Silver-gray wolf walking along a gravel bank in Alaska
Full species profile Gray Wolf Canis lupus Size 1.1–1.6 m3.4–5.2 ft Weight 23–80 kg50.7–176.4 lb Lifespan Up to 20.6 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Iowa in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap