Endangered Species Report: Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
by Taryn Todd

Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) by Kenneth W. Fink/Root Resources Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006 http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=2302

General Information:

Chrysocyon brachyurus, the Maned Wolf, “is the largest member of the dog family in South America”(Maned Wolf). It is sometimes known as the “stilt-legged fox” or “fox on stilts” because if looks like a big fox with long legs (Maned Wolf). It is estimated that there are fewer than 2300 wolfs living in the wild (Maned Wolf). The main threat to the maned wolf is habitat destruction (Maned Wolf Facts). They can be found in parts of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina, and normally live in open places, such as grasslands, savannahs, and scrublands (Maned Wolf). When the wolves have pups, they build a den, above ground, which is usually in rock crevices (Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)). In its habitat, the maned wolf plays many roles, the first of which is its relationship with the plants it eats. When the wolf eats the plants, it carries the seeds around and drops them in its feces, thus spreading the seeds of those plants. Their feces are also important to the leaf-cutting ants, which sometimes use it as fertilizer for their fungus gardens(Study Shows Complex Relationship Among Wolf, Fruit, Ants) (Maned Wolf Wikipidia). The maned wolf is nocturnal, and tends to stay under forest covering until sunset.

Physical Description:

The maned wolf looks like a mix between a wolf and fox, and has long legs and big ears. It stands about 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 50 lbs (Maned Wolf). Its fur is a golden-red color, with black legs, muzzle and mane (MANED WOLF).

Other:

The maned wolf has specially adapted long legs, which helps it see better in the long grasses of its habitat (MANED WOLF). The long legs also give it the ability to get above the tall grasses to hear, thus increasing its chance of hearing its prey. They big ears also help to hear well (Maned Wolf Facts). Captive maned wolfs live anywhere from 12 to 15 years (MANED WOLF).

Breeding Habits:

Maned wolves are monogamous, which means they have one partner for life (MANED WOLF). The will live in the same territory, but are only interactive in the breeding season (MANED WOLF). In the wild, the maned wolf’s breeding season begins in April (Maned Wolf). The mother has a gestation period of 62 to 66 days and will usually give birth to in August or September to 1 to 6 pups (Maned Wolf) (Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)). Both the father and the mother help raise the young (MANED WOLF). The pups become sexually mature at one year, but don’t start breeding until their second year(Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)).

Feeding Behavior:

The maned wolf is an omnivore (Maned Wolf). It eats fruits and vegetables, which makes up 50% of its diet, and a variety of small rodents, mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, and bird’s eggs (Maned Wolf Facts). It is also know to eat chickens (MANED WOLF). One of the most common plants in its diet is the tomato-like fruit of the Solanum lycocarpum, which are known as “wolf apples” (MANED WOFL) (Maned Wolf Wikipedia). The maned wolf is nocturnal and hunts all its food during the night (MANED WOLF). It rarely preys on livestock, but will occasionally eat newborn lambs and pigs (Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)). The wolf has no natural enemies, though ranchers sometimes kill them for eating chickens, and they are sometimes hunted for their body parts which are believed to have magical properties (Maned Wolf Facts). They’re main threat with humans is domestic dogs, which will attack and are known to carry certain diseases that can be fatal to the wolves ( Maned Wolf Wikipedia).

Conservation Efforts:

The maned wolf has become endangered due to loss of habitat loss (Maned Wolf). Hunting has become the second greatest reason, closely followed by disease (Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)). There are less then 2300 wolves living in the world today (Maned Wolf). The fact that there are so few has put them on the endangered list (Maned Wolf). The species was officially declared endangered by the Argentine Wildlife Board (Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)). They are now legally protected in Brazil (Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)). Today, there are a number of special programs being run to help increase the population. The Species Survival Program currently has 85 maned wolves in captivity, many of which are bring bred in zoos (Maned Wolf). For 30 years the National Zoo has been working on the inter-zoo Maned Wolf Survival Plan (Maned Wolf Facts). This program helps to breed them, protect their habitat, study their behaviors in the wild, and educate people about them (Maned Wolf Facts). Beccaceci Pers. Comm., a survey of the status of maned wolves in Argentina, is assessing the abundance and distribution of the wolves (Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)). The University of Belo Horizonte and Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit have put together a co-operative research project in which they will study the maned wolf in Minais Gerais (Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)).

Summary:

I decided to study the maned wolf because I love wolves and thought it would be cool to help them. In my studies I have learned that maned wolves are not true wolves, and are not closely related to any other species. Its closest relatives are dogs and wolves, though it is commonly mistaken for a fox (Encyclopedia Britannica). I also learned that in Brazil they are hunted for their body parts (Maned Wolf Facts). The eyes were thought to be good luck charms and the teeth, if worn on a necklace, were supposed to prevent future dental problems (MANED WOLF).

Sources:

"Maned wolf." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.  27 Mar.  2006 

“Two Species, One Design” International Wildlife; Sep/Oct96, Vol. 26 Issue 5, p28, 6p, 6c

“Study Shows Complex Relationship Among Wolf, Fruit, Ants.” International Wildlife; Sep/Oct94, Vol. 24 Issue 5, p28, 1/3p, 1bw

Little Rock Zoo “MANED WOLF” http://www.littlerockzoo.com/animals/wolf.htm

Suzana and Claudio Padua “Maned Wolf” 2000 http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/manedWlf.html

Smithsonian National Zoological Park “Maned Wolf Facts” http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/Facts/manedwolffacts.cfm

Wikipedia “Maned Wolf” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysocyon

World Conservation Union 1998, 2001 “Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)” http://www.canids.org/SPPACCTS/manedwlf.htm