CANIS LUPUS LABRADORIUS
The Labrador wolf (Canis lupus labradorius) is a subspecies of the grey wolf (Canis lupus). This canid is one of the least studied because it is very fearful. It was described in 1937 by the biologist Edward Alphonso Goldman.
- Common name: Labrador Wolf
- Scientific name: Canis Lupus Labradorius
- Specie: Gray wolf
- Type: Mammals
- Diet: Carnivore
- Average size: 4,4 to 6,2 feet
- Average Weight: 66 lbs
LABRADOR WOLF DESCRIPTION
The Labrador wolf is a medium-sized wolf with a coat ranging from white to dark grey. It is very similar to the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) of southwestern Quebec and the Great Lakes region but larger. Generally, it weighs about 66 lbs, approaching the average weight of most wolf species.🐺
LABRADOR WOLF HABITAT
Canis lupus labradorius lives in Labrador and Northern Quebec, at the opposite end of the Quebec-Ontario border where you can meet his Canadian cousin, the Eastern wolf.
LABRADOR WOLF DIET
The Labrador wolf is a subspecies generally found in Labrador, from which it takes its name, and in northern Quebec. Its diet consists mainly of caribou, moose, muskoxen, hares, beavers, fish as well as several species of rodents.🐁
LABRADOR WOLF CONSERVATION STATUS
Over-hunting in the early 1900s greatly reduced wolf populations in the Labrador wilderness until the 1950s. During this period, the caribou population began to increase, allowing predator populations to increase as well. However, the growing number of Labrador wolves was not large enough to compensate for the continued increase of caribou in the region, causing a reconsideration of the predation control hypothesis.
From the late 2000s to early 2010, there were several confirmed and unconfirmed sightings of Labrador wolves on the island of Newfoundland from which the Newfoundland wolf had been hunted to extinction.
In March 2012, a hunter killed a dog on the Bonavista Peninsula thinking he had killed a coyote. Genetic tests on the animal's body proved that it was in fact a Labrador wolf.🧬 In July 2012, a video showed a dog-like animal that appeared to have all the characteristics of a wolf.
On August 23, 2012, the Newfoundland and Labrador Departments of Environment and Conservation released the results of genetic testing of a large canine animal trapped on the Green Bay Peninsula in 2009, confirming that this animal was also a Labrador wolf.
To date, it is very complicated to assess the Labrador wolf population, however, there is no doubt that few specimens remain and therefore places this subspecies as "endangered".⚠️
