Florida Black Wolf
Encyclopedia
The Florida Black Wolf (Canis lupus floridanus), also known as the Florida Wolf and the Black Wolf, was a subspecies of the gray wolf
, Canis lupus, though this has been contested in recent years, that lived in Florida
. This subspecies became extinct in 1908 due to crowding out of its habitat and hunting.
, which primarily lived in Texas, and that a variation in its coloring led to the creation of the Florida Black wolf. A red colored species, known as the Florida Red wolf, once resided in Florida as well, though also became extinct in 1921. It was believed that both species, instead of being a subspecies of the red wolf, were actually a type of coyote
, which led to the change in the trinomial name to Canis niger niger. However, this change was invalidated by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature in 1957, as it was states that the Florida Black Wolf, along with the Red Wolf
and Gregory's Wolf
were actually not related to any known species, or the relation cannot be proven.
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
, Canis lupus, though this has been contested in recent years, that lived in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. This subspecies became extinct in 1908 due to crowding out of its habitat and hunting.
Species controversy
It was once thought of as a subspecies of the red wolfRed Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
, which primarily lived in Texas, and that a variation in its coloring led to the creation of the Florida Black wolf. A red colored species, known as the Florida Red wolf, once resided in Florida as well, though also became extinct in 1921. It was believed that both species, instead of being a subspecies of the red wolf, were actually a type of coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, which led to the change in the trinomial name to Canis niger niger. However, this change was invalidated by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature in 1957, as it was states that the Florida Black Wolf, along with the Red Wolf
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
and Gregory's Wolf
Gregory's Wolf
Gregory's Wolf , also known as Gregor's Red Wolf, the Mississippi Valley Wolf,, and sometimes as the Texas Red Wolf, is a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupus, that roams the regions in and around the lower Mississippi River basin...
were actually not related to any known species, or the relation cannot be proven.