What are the natural predators of wolves? A look at the wolf's main rivals in nature
The wolf's natural enemy is humans, and because of human hunting and killing, the number of wild wolves has dropped sharply today, and quite a few wolf subspecies have even gone extinct. Below are several wolves that have already gone extinct due to human hunting.
Extinct wolf subspecies
1. Newfoundland White Wolf
The Newfoundland White Wolf, also known as the North American White Wolf, is a wolf type with a large body and a long head, entirely white all over, with only the head and feet a pale ivory color. In 1911, they became the first subspecies among the many gray wolf subspecies of North America to go extinct.
2. Antarctic Wolf
The Antarctic Wolf generally refers to the Falkland Islands Wolf, also called the Falkland Islands Dog, Antarctic Wolf, Falkland Wolf, Falkland Dog, Falkland Fox, or Island Wolf. Its appearance is very similar to a dog, and its coat color changes with temperature; in summer the coat color darkens, some becoming pale yellow and others red; in winter the coat color lightens, some even turning white. It became extinct in 1876 (on West Falkland), and it is also the only known canid in history to have gone extinct.
3. Florida Black Wolf
The Florida Black Wolf has very short fur, mostly red, so they are also called red wolves. But among them there is also one whose fur is black, and this is the Florida Black Wolf. Unlike the wolves of the Northern Hemisphere, it rarely forms packs, and just like the Japanese wolf of the past, the male wolf and the female wolf raise the pups together. This wolf species went extinct in 1917.
4. Japanese Wolf
The Japanese Wolf likes to live in groups, generally from several to 20 per group. They are good at running and jumping, and mainly hunt deer, hares and various other herbivores in groups, and sometimes also go into streams to catch some fish or eat the carrion of some dead animals. They went extinct in 1905.
In addition, the Texas Red Wolf, Kenai Peninsula Wolf, Hokkaido Wolf, Cascade Mountains Wolf, Southern Rocky Mountain Wolf and Texas Gray Wolf also gradually went extinct due to human hunting.