South Carolina mammals

Gray Wolf in South Carolina

Canis lupus

Native to South Carolina

Not listed as nonindigenous in South Carolina by USGS NAS; treated as native to its mapped South Carolina range.

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

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.

Cream-colored gray wolf walking through dry grass with its mouth open — 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 South Carolina, by the numbers

Occasional in South Carolina 41st most recorded of 108 mammals logged in South Carolina

22 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

Field encounter

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

Most active: South Carolina, in February to March.

Where: South CarolinaSC
When: February to March

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

When to be most aware of the Gray Wolf in South Carolina

Most sightings fall in February to March.

22 South Carolina 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 South Carolina records (table)

Month	Records
January	2
February	6
March	4
April	1
May	2
June	2
July	0
August	0
September	0
October	1
November	1
December	3

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

Seasonality

Year-round in South Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in February–March.

Occurrence map

Where Gray Wolf has been recorded in South Carolina

22 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

22 South Carolina records mapped

Where gray wolf encounters are recorded

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Sumter National Forest	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 South Carolina

County	Records
Lee County	3
Newberry County	3
Spartanburg County	2
Charleston County	2
Chesterfield County	2
Laurens County	1
Colleton County	1
Marlboro County	1
Union County	1
Calhoun County	1
Anderson County	1
McCormick County	1
3 other counties	3

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

South Carolina has 22 gray wolf records for 2000–2026, all from GBIF. February contributes six and March four, while July through September have no dated entries. Those records show what reached an occurrence database, not how many wolves are present in the state.

Congaree National Park, Santee National Wildlife Refuge, and ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge are the overlay’s three search leads. The winter-and-early-spring concentration is too small and uneven to establish a statewide season or confirm resident animals at those sites.

Gray Wolf in other states

View all states →

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 South Carolina 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"