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Maned Wolf

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iManed Wolf

Conservation status

Image:Status iucn3.1 NT.svg
Near Threatened (NT)

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Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Genus:	Chrysocyon
Species:	C. brachyurus

Binomial name

Chrysocyon brachyurus
(Illiger, 1815)

The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America, resembling a dog with reddish fur. It is called lobo-guará ("Guará Wolf") in Portuguese, aguara guazú ("Big Fox") in Guarani, and zorro rojizo ("Reddish Fox") in Spanish.

The distribution includes southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia east of the Andes. It is an endangered species, and its range once included Uruguay and northern Argentina, although IUCN lists it as "lower risk". It is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon.

1 Description
2 Habits
3 Taxonomy
4 See also
5 References
6 External link

[edit] Description

The Maned Wolf has often been described as "a Red Fox on stilts" due to its similar coloration, though it is a far larger animal and is not related to the genus Vulpes. The adult animal stands almost 1 m (3 ft) tall at the shoulder, and weighs 20 to 25 kg. (50 to 55 lb). Its fur is reddish brown to golden orange on the sides, with long, black legs and a distinctive black mane. The coat is further marked with a whitish tuft at the tip of the tail and a white "bib" beneath the throat. The mane is erectile, and is typically used to enlarge the wolf's profile when threatened or when displaying aggression.

[edit] Habits

[edit] Social structure

Unlike other large canids (Wolves, African Hunting Dogs, Dholes) the Maned Wolf does not form packs. Monogamous pairs may defend a shared territory, though the wolves themselves may seldom meet, outside of mating. Several adults may congregate in the presence of a plentiful food source; a fire-cleared patch of grassland, for example, which would leave small vertebrate prey exposed to foraging wolves. Gestation lasts 67 days, and a litter may have up to 6 pups.

They use their urine to communicate. It has a very distinctive smell, which some people liken to just opened beer, or cannabis. The responsible substance is very likely a pyrazine, which occurs in both cannabis and hop (which is used in beer). In Rotterdam Zoo, the police even once searched for cannabis smokers because of this<ref>Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2006-09-02, p3</ref>.

[edit] Diet

Whereas other large canids hunt cooperatively to capture ungulate prey, maned wolves specialize in small prey. At night Maned Wolves search for rodents, hares and birds. Fruits are a large fraction of their diet. Most interestingly of all, a large portion of the diet, over 50%, according to some studies, is made of fruits and plant matter, especially Loberia fruit, also known as Wolf Apples, the tomato-like fruit of Solanum lycocarpum. Captive maned wolves were traditionally fed meat-heavy diets and developed kidney stones. Zoo diets now feature fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and dog chow.

[edit] Relations with other species

Maned wolves participate in symbiotic relationships with the plants that they feed on, as they carry the seeds of various plants, and often defecate on the nests of the leaf-cutting ant. The ants then use the dung to fertilize their fungus gardens. The wolf is particularly susceptible to renal nematode infections, a potentially fatal parasite. The maned wolf is not a true, common prey species for any other predator, though it may be attacked or killed by feral domestic dogs. The puma is a potential competitor. (O. Courtenay, 1994; [1]).

[edit] Relations with man

The Maned Wolf has been hunted down as a potential chicken thief; it was once also considered a cattle and sheep killer, though this is now known to be false. In Brazil, the animal was historically hunted down for some body parts, notably the eyes, that were believed to be good luck charms. However, as they are now classified as endagered by the Brazillian government, they are afforded protection from poachers. Wolves are also endangered by habitat loss (though they benefit to a degree from the conversion of forest into grassland) and by being run over by cars. Domestic dogs are the greatest threat, by harming the wolves directly and by carrying diseases. The Maned Wolf is shy and flees when alarmed, and poses little direct threat to man. Maned wolves are well represented in captivity and have been bred successfully at a number of zoos.

[edit] Taxonomy

The Maned Wolf is not closely related to any other canid. It is apparently a survivor from the Pleistocene fauna of large South American mammals; its closest relatives seem to be the dogs and wolves (genus Canis). Previously, some authorities placed it with the various South American foxes, others with the Bush Dog.

Note: 19th century references to this animal may refer to it as a Canis jubatus, "jubatus" being a Latin for "maned".

[edit] See also

Red Wolf (Canis rufus), a distinct species
Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus), another South American canid species.

[edit] References

Sillero-Zubiri & Hoffmann (2004). Chrysocyon brachyurus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is near threatened.