Maned Wolf
From Freepedia
| Maned Wolf Conservation status: Lower risk | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815) |
The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America. It is almost 1 m tall at the shoulder, and weighs 20–25 kg. Its fur is reddish brown on the sides, black on the back and legs, with whitish tufts at the tip of the tail and a white "bib" beneath the throat. The distinctive dark mane is erectile, and is typically used to enlarge the wolf's profile when threatened or when displaying aggression. The distribution includes southern Brazil (where it is called lobo-guará or aguara guazu) and Paraguay, and Bolivia east of the Andes (In Spanish it is called zorro rojizo). It is an endangered species, and its range once included Uruguay and northern Argentina, although IUCN lists it as "lower risk". It is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon.
Unlike other large canids (Wolves, African Hunting Dogs, Dholes) the Maned Wolf does not go in packs and does not hunt for large animals. It is a shy animal and rarely attacks man. A couple shares a territory, but only in breeding season do they really care for each other; gestation lasts 67 days, and a litter may have up to 6 pups.
At night Maned Wolves search for rodents, hares and birds. Fruits are a large fraction of their diet. In fact, they must regularly eat fruit from the wild tomato-like plant Solanum lycocarpum (Wolf Apple, Wolf Fruit, or Lobeira ), otherwise they die of renal nematode infections. In turn the Maned Wolf is a major seed disperser for the plant, a symbiotic relationship that also involves certain leaf-cutting ant species (O. Courtenay, 1994; [1]).
According to new examinations the Maned Wolf is not closely related to any other canid. It is apparently a survivor from the Pleistocene fauna of large South American mammals.
Note: 19th century illustrations of and references to this animal may refer to it as a Canis jubatus, jubatus being a Latin referral to its mane. Modern taxonomy of the maned wolf is Chrysocyon brachyurus.
See also
- Red Wolf (Canis rufus), a distinct species
- Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus), another South American canid species.
