The Red Wolf

Today’s blog will be on the 10th most endangered animal on Earth, the Red Wolf. Known by its reddish-brown color on it’s back, it’s historical range was much of the east coast of North America, and much of the Gulf Of Mexico.

It’s natural predators are grey wolfs and sometimes a coyote. Being considered a top predator, it was only when humans started hunting it that it became in danger. As it would turn out, humans hunted the Red Wolf to extinction in 1970, mainly due to habitat loss.

But, luckily, the government was able to gather up around 20 or so wolves to preserve  and breed in captivity, and they were re-introduced into a protected area in 1987, and now they number around the 100 mark. It’s scientific name is Canis Lupus Rufus, it’s class Mammalia, it’s order is Carnivora, it’s Family is Canidae, and it’s Genus is Canis. It’s top speed is a solid 46 miles per hour, and the life expectancy for a Red Wolf is 10 to 12 years.

 

By the time a Red Wolf is two, he or she can mate, and does so in the months of January and February. After being pregnant for around 60 days, a female will give birth to a liter of 2 to 10 cubs, whom start out blind, and get sight as they mature. Red Wolves grow to be 37 to 47 inches in length, and about 40 to 90 pounds and are nocturnal, meaning active at night.

The Red Wolf is a highly territorial animal, protecting his territory with his pack, usually consisting of a Alpha male and female, and their offspring of 2-10. When hunting, Red Wolves usually go for smaller animals, mostly ground-dwelling. But when they go for larger prey, like deer, they go for the confuse and corner technique. Hopefully, the red wolves will recover, but their future remains dubious.

 

Sources;

• https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Mammals/Red-Wolf.aspx
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf
• http://www.defenders.org/red-wolf/basic-facts
• http://a-z-animals.com/animals/red-wolf/

First blog post

The world is an inter-connected place, not just as in the network of phones or of networks of money, but as a network of plates and prey. The food chain encompasses the entire planet, even we are on it, but recently man has been monkeying around with that chain, breaking one link, adding in different ones. In this matter, some animals have become extinct by over hunting and invasive species, and others have been introduced into new ecosystems, overpopulating without their respective hunters and killing of native species.

 

I’ve created this blog for the purposes of alerting you of how the global ecosystem is doing and (let’s be honest) for the advanced social studies credit. Per each blog post, I’ll name a species, it’s location, what’s up with it, and rules regarding it, and some fun facts. Here’s an example; The Humboldt Penguin is a average height penguin from of the coasts of Peru and Chile. These animals are classified as vulnerable to being endangered, but is currently not under any conservation laws. They are named after a cold water current that runs nearby their habitat, which is named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt.

Now here’s a condensed version of today’s animal.

 

Easily the most famous of the critically endangered animals, the Black Rhinoceros was a dying species. Black Rhinos have been hunted and, later, poached because of their horns. Hence, authorities have been attempting to stop the poaching of Black Rhinos by shutting down the horn trade and making them endangered species, making them illegal to hunt. The Rhino as poor eyesight, and relies mostly on sound and smell, which leaves it highly vulnerable to quiet attacks from downwind. None the less, the conservation efforts that have been made are, in spite of poaching, allowing the Black Rhino to rebound. Hopefully, the Black Rhinoceros will again number in the hundreds of thousands like before human intervention.

Blog post title

This is an additional placeholder post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post.

Blog post title

This is an additional placeholder post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post.