Mexican Wolf Habitat

Wolves, which are the largest animal in the dog family, used to roam across the United States and Mexico. Due to man's encroachment into their habitat, they are now mainly found in the northern states and Canada. The gray wolf, the most common type in the U.S., has survived because of its adaptability. Many other types of wolves, including the Mexican wolf, have become endangered or extinct due to overhunting and habitat loss.

  1. Mexican Wolf

    • The Mexican wolf, also called a lobo, is the smallest type of gray wolf, averaging about the size of a German shepherd, or roughly 50 to 85 lbs. They tend to have a blended coat of black, white and gray fur. Like all wolves, they have very good hearing and sense of smell and enjoy pack life. Lobo packs tend to be small, usually just two or three related generations.

    Original Habitat

    • The Mexican wolf's original habitat spread across southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas, and northern and central Mexico. However, as human settlers started to populate these areas in the 1900s, the number of Mexican wolves began to dwindle. Deemed an annoyance by farmers---because the wolves would eat livestock---the Mexican wolf was nearly extinct by the 1950s. This process was aided by government policies targeting and promoting the killing of wolves.

    Today's Habitat

    • By the 1970s the Mexican wolf was nowhere to be found in the southwest, and was only occasionally sighted in Mexico. This massive decline was noted and in 1973 the Mexican wolf was added to the Endangered Species List. In 1976 there were government-led efforts to capture all the remaining wild Mexican wolves to prevent them from extinction. Rehabilitation efforts (such as captivity and breeding) led to the reintroduction of 11 Mexican wolves into an area called the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area, located in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. There is a second Mexican wolf recovery area called the White Sands Range, located in New Mexico.

    Physical Habitat

    • Arizona and New Mexico, as well as areas of northern Mexico, are dominated by desert and rocky mountain regions. On average, this area is very hot in the summer, with limited amounts of rainfall.

    Ongoing Challenges

    • The current habitat of the Mexican wolf is very small, consisting almost entirely of protected areas designed for rehabilitation. Outside these areas, the wolves face the daunting task of surviving in areas dominated by humans eager to protect livestock. As of 2008, it was determined that there were only 50 Mexican wolves living in the wild.