Mississippi mammals

Gray Wolf in Mississippi

Canis lupus

Native to Mississippi

Not listed as nonindigenous in Mississippi by USGS NAS; treated as native to its mapped Mississippi 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 Mississippi, by the numbers

Occasional in Mississippi 39th most recorded of 74 mammals logged in Mississippi

26 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

Field encounter

Where and when you're most likely to encounter a Gray Wolf

Most active: Mississippi, in January.

Where
MississippiMS
When
January

Observe from a distance and give it room. Never approach, corner, or feed one.

When to be most aware of the Gray Wolf in Mississippi

Most sightings fall in January.

26 Mississippi 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 Mississippi records (table)
MonthRecords
January5
February2
March5
April2
May1
June0
July5
August0
September2
October2
November0
December2

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Mississippi, with recorded sightings peaking in January, with a smaller rise in March and July.

Occurrence map

Where Gray Wolf has been recorded in Mississippi

26 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

26 Mississippi records mapped

Where gray wolf encounters are recorded

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Bienville National Forest 1
Gulf Islands National Seashore 1

Protected places with the most gray wolf records, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, where encounters are most often recorded, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total. Keep your distance and never approach one.

Where it's recorded in Mississippi

CountyRecords
Simpson County 5
Smith County 4
Jackson County 3
Harrison County 2
Calhoun County 2
Lawrence County 1
Tate County 1
Jones County 1
Marshall County 1
Yazoo County 1
Stone County 1
Scott County 1
3 other counties 3

The complete county distribution, spread across 15 Mississippi counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Mississippi’s 2000–2026 overlay contains 26 gray wolf records, all from GBIF. January, March, and July each have five dated entries, while June, August, and November have none. The database record captures submitted occurrences rather than resident-wolf abundance.

Delta National Forest and Yazoo and Noxubee national wildlife refuges are the three search areas listed here. A three-way monthly peak and several empty months describe this small dataset, but do not prove a seasonal pattern or an established population at any named place.

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 Mississippi 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
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"