North America's Rarest Canine is Staging a Comeback
- Mar 20
- 2 min read
One of the most endangered canines in the world, may just have a chance of a resurgence in the woods of North Carolina. Less than 100 years ago, Red Wolves ranged throughout the Southeastern United States. But by 2020, there were less than 10 remaining in the wild.
Although predators are often the first species targeted in human-wildlife conflicts, their population decline frequently leads to catastrophic changes to ecosystems.
This, among other factors, has created an outpouring of support for Red Wolf reintroduction.
Today, there are still only about 30 wild Red Wolves, all of which are located in and around the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. But wolves born in captivity have now begun to acclimate and join their wild counterparts.
Carnivore reintroduction is both complicated and controversial, but if resources are able to continue to both educate the public and support reintroduction efforts, hopefully Red Wolves can return to their former territory once again.
The Jaguarundi
(Herpailurus yagouaroundi)
Central and South America are filled with mysterious species of cats. Jaguars and pumas are some of the largest in the world, while the Kodkod and Andean Cat are smaller than most house cats.
In between these, is the jaguarundi. Despite their name, they aren't closely related to jaguars, but rather, are distant relatives of the puma lineage. You would never guess by looking at one, as their long bodies, short heads, and dark color makes them look more like an otter or weasel that most other cats.
Although the northern part of their range, encompassing northern Mexico to as far as Texas has declined sharply, their population is stable across most of Central and South America. In fact, although they are quite shy, you still have a decent chance of crossing paths with one in many areas, as they are one of the very few diurnal species of cats in the entire world.
