Red Wolf

Canis rufus

CRCritically Endangered

Photo: Curtis Carley · Public domainCanis rufus runningPhoto: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0Wild red wolf walking across open marsh grassland with forest treeline behindPhoto: Curtis Carley · Public domainCanis rufus FWS croppedPhoto: Tim Ross · Public domain07-03-23RedWolfAlbanyGAChehaw

The red wolf is a critically endangered wild dog dependent on one reintroduced population. It occurs across the southeastern United States. Its habits explain more than a map point: It hunts rabbits, rodents, and deer and lives in family groups. The records shown here document encounters and survey effort, not population size. Together, they show where this mammal has been found and why healthy habitat matters for its future.

US Range

Explore by state

Red Wolf across 5 states

Occurrence records, conservation status, and the places it turns up, state by state. Open a state for detail, or visit its full page.

TexasNativeCommon455 records
State rankPresumed Extirpated
Notable placesBig Bend National Park · Lockhart State Park · San Antonio Missions National Historical Park · Big Thicket National Preserve
Countiesrecorded in 12
Historical records in Texas peak in November–May.
Full Texas page →All Texas mammals →
North CarolinaNativeCommon151 records
State rankCritically Imperiled
Notable placesGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · Nantahala National Forest · Pisgah National Forest · Pettigrew State Park
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in North Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in March, with a smaller rise in October and December.
Full North Carolina page →All North Carolina mammals →
FloridaNativeRare111 records
State rankPresumed Extirpated
Notable placesWithlacoochee State Forest · Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge · Bell Ridge Longleaf Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area · Torreya State Park
Countiesrecorded in 12
Historical records in Florida peak in November–December, with a smaller rise in February and April.
Full Florida page →All Florida mammals →
IllinoisNativeOccasional72 records
State rankPresumed Extirpated
Notable placesGoose Lake Prairie State Natural Area · Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Countiesrecorded in 12
Historical records in Illinois peak in March–April.
Full Illinois page →All Illinois mammals →
GeorgiaNativeOccasional37 records
State rankPresumed Extirpated
Notable placesChattahoochee National Forest · Fort Yargo State Park · Crooked River State Park · Dixon Memorial Wildlife Management Area
Countiesrecorded in 12
Historical records in Georgia peak in February, with a smaller rise in April.
Full Georgia page →All Georgia mammals →

IUCN Red List status

CR – Critically Endangered

Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Elevation

From 200 georeferenced records, the Red Wolf is recorded from sea levelsea level to 1,332 m4,370 ft, with half of sightings below 80 m262 ft.

1,200–1,350 m3,937–4,429 ft

1,050–1,200 m3,445–3,937 ft

900–1,050 m2,953–3,445 ft

750–900 m2,461–2,953 ft

600–750 m1,969–2,461 ft

450–600 m1,476–1,969 ft

300–450 m984–1,476 ft

150–300 m492–984 ft

0–150 m0–492 ft

Each band shows the share of georeferenced sightings that fall within it. Records cluster where people live and hike, so low, populated elevations are over-represented. Read this as observation density, not true abundance.

Field encounter

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

Most active: Texas.

Where: TexasTX

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

Trophic relationshipsFood web What a Red Wolf eats, and what eats it.

Eaten by

Few natural predators as an adult

This speciesRed Wolf

White-tailed DeerOdocoileus virginianusmammalsbirdsCommon RaccoonProcyon lotor European RabbitOryctolagus cuniculusrodentsWild BoarSus scrofa MuskratOndatra zibethicus

Eats8

A sample of documented feeding relationships, filtered to species that also occur in the US. Diet and predators vary by region and season, and this is not a complete list, many animals eat, and are eaten by, more than what has been formally recorded here.

Commonly confused with

Animals people sometimes mistake for the red wolf, and how to tell them apart.

Photo:nature80020Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Coyote

Canis latrans

How to tell apart Coyote is smaller still, with a slimmer frame, a narrower pointed muzzle, and a tail carried low while moving; red wolf is bigger bodied with longer legs and larger ears.

View species page Compare side by side

Photo:Robbie HannawackeriNaturalist (CC0)

Gray Wolf

Canis lupus

How to tell apart Gray wolf is bulkier with a broader head, thicker neck, and coat colors from gray to black; red wolf is smaller and more slender with longer legs and a reddish tawny coat.

View species page Compare side by side

Life in its habitat

It hunts rabbits, rodents, and deer and lives in family groups. It’s tied to places supplying food and shelter. That connection explains much of its range.

Red wolf resting behind a rock ledge in a wooded enclosure, tawny coat with black saddle marking — Red wolves favor brushy, wooded cover where they can den and move between hunting grounds unseen. Photo: Becca, CC BY 4.0 (iNaturalist).

What records reveal

Historical and modern records represent different eras, not a current estimate. Survey effort varies, and accessible places receive more attention. A gap can’t prove absence.

Red wolf standing alert on a sandy trail beside a mossy boulder — Most confirmed sightings come from the small managed recovery population in eastern North Carolina. Photo: Taylor DiTarando, CC BY 4.0 (iNaturalist).

Looking ahead

Coyotes, vehicles, gunshots, and limited habitat constrain recovery. Conservation works best when it protects connected habitat and reduces avoidable deaths. Surveys can reveal change without confusing records with animal numbers.

Sources

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
PhyloPicCC0 / CC-BY per itemthe to-scale silhouettesAndrew A. Farke (human silhouette, CC-BY 3.0)
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI)CC0 · public domainthe food web