Subspecies of Canis lupus

File:The Wolves of North America (1944) C. lupus subspecies skulls.jpg

Skulls of various wolf subspecies from North America

File:Original distribution of gray wolf (canis lupus) subspecies-en.png

Present and historical range of wild subspecies of C. lupus. This map uses the more broadly defined North American subspecies of Nowak (1995),<ref name=nowak1995/><ref name=chambers2012/> but see also the map under the section titled North America.

There are 38 subspecies of Canis lupus listed in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World (2005, 3rd edition). These subspecies were named over the past 250 years, and since their naming, a number of them have gone extinct. The nominate subspecies is the Eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus).

Taxonomy

In 1758, the Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus published in his Systema Naturae the binomial nomenclature – or the two-word naming – of species. Canis is the Latin word meaning "dog",<ref>Template:OEtymD</ref> and under this genus he listed the dog-like carnivores including domestic dogs, wolves, and jackals. He classified the domestic dog as Canis familiaris, and on the next page he classified the wolf as Canis lupus.<ref name=linnaeus1758>Template:Cite book</ref> Linnaeus considered the dog to be a separate species from the wolf because of its head, body, and cauda recurvata – its upturning tail – which is not found in any other canid.<ref name=Clutton-Brock1995/>

In 1999, a study of mitochondrial DNA indicated that the domestic dog may have originated from multiple wolf populations, with the dingo and New Guinea singing dog "breeds" having developed at a time when human populations were more isolated from each other.<ref name=wayne1999/> In the third edition of Mammal Species of the World published in 2005, the mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft listed under the wolf Canis lupus some 36 wild subspecies, and proposed two additional subspecies: familiaris Linnaeus, 1758 and dingo Meyer, 1793. Wozencraft included hallstromi – the New Guinea singing dog – as a taxonomic synonym for the dingo. Wozencraft referred to the mDNA study as one of the guides in forming his decision, and listed the 38 subspecies under the biological common name of "wolf", with the nominate subspecies being the Eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus) based on the type specimen that Linnaeus studied in Sweden.<ref name=wozencraft2005/> However, the classification of several of these canines as either species or subspecies has recentlyTemplate:When been challenged.

List of extant subspecies

Living subspecies recognized by MSW3 Template:As of<ref name=wozencraft2005/> and divided into Old World and New World:<ref name=fan2016/>

Eurasia and Australasia

Sokolov and Rossolimo (1985) recognised nine Old World subspecies of wolf. These were C. l. lupus, C. l. albus, C. l. pallipes, C. l. cubanenesis, C. l. campestris, C. l. chanco, C. l. desertorum, C. l. hattai, and C. l. hodophilax.<ref name=nowak1995/> In his 1995 statistical analysis of skull morphometrics, mammalogist Robert Nowak recognized the first four of those subspecies, synonymized campestris, chanco and desertorum with C. l. lupus, but did not examine the two Japanese subspecies. In addition, he recognized C. l. communis as a subspecies distinct from C. l. lupus.<ref name=nowak1995/> In 2003, Nowak also recognized the distinctiveness of [[Arabian wolf|C. l. Template:Not a typo]], C. l. hattai, C. l. italicus, and C. l. hodophilax.<ref name="m246">Template:Harvnb</ref> In 2005, MSW3 included C. l. filchneri.<ref name=wozencraft2005/> In 2003, two forms were distinguished in southern China and Inner Mongolia as being separate from C. l. chanco and C. l. filchneri and have yet to be named.<ref name=smith2008/><ref name=wang2003/>

Eurasian and Australasian subspecies of Canis lupus

Subspecies	Image	Authority	Description	Range	Taxonomic synonyms
C. l. albus Tundra wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. albus mod.jpg	Kerr, 1792<ref>{{#if:726809	wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon	url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726809	title = Canis lupus albus Kerr, 1792	publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}	Template:Citation error }}</ref>	A large, light-furred subspecies.<ref name="heptner1998albus">Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N., P. (1998) Mammals of the Soviet Union Vol. II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears), Science Publishers, Inc., USA, pp. 182-184, Template:ISBN</ref>	Northern tundra and forest zones in the European and Asian parts of Russia and Kamchatka. Outside Russia, its range includes the extreme north of Scandinavia.<ref name="heptner1998albus"/>	dybowskii Domaniewski, 1926, kamtschaticus Dybowski, 1922, turuchanensis Ognev, 1923<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref>
C. l. arabs Arabian wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate IV) C. l. arabs mod.jpg	Pocock, 1934<ref>{{#if:726811	wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon	url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726811	title = Canis lupus arabs Pocock, 1934	publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}	Template:Citation error }}</ref>	A small, "desert-adapted" subspecies that is around 66 cm tall and weighs, on average, about 18 kg.<ref name="Lopez">Template:Cite book</ref> Its fur coat varies from short in the summer to long in the winter, possibly because of solar radiation.<ref name="Paquet">Template:Cite book</ref>	Southern Palestine, southern Israel, southern and western Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (Sinai Peninsula).
C. l. campestris Steppe wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. campestris mod.jpg	Dwigubski, 1804	An average-sized subspecies with short, coarse and sparse fur.<ref name="heptner1998campestris">Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N., P. (1998) Mammals of the Soviet Union Vol. II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears), Science Publishers, Inc., USA, pp. 188-89, Template:ISBN</ref>	Northern Ukraine, southern Kazakhstan, the Caucasus and the Trans-Caucasus<ref name="heptner1998campestris"/>	bactrianus Laptev, 1929, cubanenesis Ognev, 1923, desertorum Bogdanov, 1882<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref>
C. l. chanco Himalayan wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III).jpg	Matschie, 1907<ref name="matschie1907" />	Long sharp face, elevated brows, broad head, large pointed ears, thick woolly pelage and very full brush of medial length. Above, dull earthy-brown; below, with the entire face and limbs yellowish-white.<ref name="hodgson1847" />	The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau predominating above 4,000 metres in elevation<ref name="Werhahn2020" />	laniger Hodgson, 1847
C. l. chanco Mongolian wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. chanco mod.jpg	Gray, 1863<ref name=gray1863/>	The fur is fulvous, on the back longer, rigid, with intermixed black and gray hairs; the throat, chest, belly, and inside of the legs pure white; head pale gray-brown; forehead grizzled with short black and gray hairs.<ref name=gray1863/>	Mongolia,<ref name=mivart1890/> northern and central China,<ref name=smith2008/><ref name=wang2003/> Korea,<ref name=abe1923/> and the Ussuri River region of Russia<ref name=heptner1998/>	coreanus Abe, 1923, dorogostaiskii Skalon, 1936, karanorensis Matschie, 1907, niger Sclater, 1874, tschiliensis Matschie, 1907
C. l. dingo Dingo and New Guinea singing dog	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate XXXVII).jpg	Meyer, 1793	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fur color is mostly sandy- to reddish-brown, but can include tan patterns and can also be occasionally light brown, black or white.<ref name="impact">Template:Cite book</ref>	Australia and New Guinea	antarticus Kerr, 1792 [suppressed ICZN O451:1957], australasiae Desmarest, 1820, australiae Gray, 1826, dingoides Matschie, 1915, macdonnellensis Matschie, 1915, novaehollandiae Voigt, 1831, papuensis Ramsay, 1879, tenggerana Kohlbrugge, 1896, hallstromi Troughton, 1957, harappensis Prashad, 1936<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> Sometimes included within Canis familiaris when the domestic dog is recognised as a species.<ref name = "ASMdog">Template:BioRef</ref>
C. l. familiaris Domestic dog but refer Synonyms	File:Yakutian laika (white background).jpg	Linnaeus, 1758	The domestic dog is a divergent subspecies of the gray wolf and was derived from an extinct population of Late Pleistocene wolves.<ref name=fan2016/><ref name=freedman2014/><ref name=thalmann2013/> Through selective pressure and selective breeding, the domestic dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal.<ref name="spady">Template:Cite journal</ref>	Worldwide in association with humans	Increasingly proposed as the species Canis familiaris but debated<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="ASMdog"/> Template:Smalldiv
C. l. italicus Italian wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. italicus mod.jpg	Altobello, 1921	The pelt is generally of a grey-fulvous colour, which reddens in summer. The belly and cheeks are more lightly coloured, and dark bands are present on the back and tail tip, and occasionally along the fore limbs.	Native to the Italian Peninsula; recently expanded into Switzerland and southeastern France.	lupus Linnaeus, 1758
C. l. lupus Eurasian wolf (nominate subspecies)	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I).jpg	Linnaeus, 1758<ref>{{#if:180598	wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon	url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180598	title = Canis lupus lupus Linnaeus, 1758	publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}	Template:Citation error }}</ref>	Generally a large subspecies with rusty ocherous or light gray fur.<ref name="heptner1998lupus">Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N., P. (1998) Mammals of the Soviet Union Vol. II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears), Science Publishers, Inc., USA, pp. 184-87, Template:ISBN</ref>	Has the largest range among wolf subspecies and is the most common subspecies in Europe and Asia, ranging through Western Europe, Scandinavia, the Caucasus, Russia, China, and Mongolia. Its habitat overlaps with the Indian wolf in some regions of Turkey.	altaicus Noack, 1911, argunensis Dybowski, 1922, canus Sélys Longchamps, 1839, communis Dwigubski, 1804, deitanus Cabrera, 1907, desertorum Bogdanov, 1882, flavus Kerr, 1792, fulvus Sélys Longchamps, 1839, kurjak Bolkay, 1925, lycaon Trouessart, 1910, major Ogérien, 1863, minor Ogerien, 1863, niger Hermann, 1804, orientalis Wagner, 1841, orientalis Dybowski, 1922<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref>
C. l. pallipes Indian wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate IV).jpg	Sykes, 1831	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fur color ranges from grayish-red to reddish-white with black tips. The dark V-shaped stripe over the shoulders is much more pronounced than in northern wolves. The underparts and legs are more or less white.<ref name="canid">A monograph of the canidae by St. George Mivart, F.R.S, published by Alere Flammam. 1890</ref>	India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, northern Israel, and northern Palestine<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. signatus Iberian wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. ibericus mod.jpg	Cabrera, 1907	A subspecies with slighter frame than C. l. lupus, white marks on the upper lips, dark marks on the tail, and a pair of dark marks on its front legs.	Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, which includes northwestern Spain and northern Portugal	lupus Linnaeus, 1758

North America

File:North American gray wolf subspecies distribution according to Goldman (1944) & MSW3 (2005).png

North American wolf subspecies distribution according to Goldman (1944) and Hall (1981). Hall split off C. l. griseoalbus from Goldman's C. l. occidentalis. These subspecies are included in MSW3 2005.

For North America, in 1944 the zoologist Edward Goldman recognized as many as 23 subspecies based on morphology.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1959, E. Raymond Hall proposed that there had been 24 subspecies of lupus in North America.<ref>The Mammals of North America, E. Raymond Hall & Keith R. Kelson, Ronald Press New York, 1959</ref> In 1970, L. David Mech proposed that there was "probably far too many subspecific designations...in use", as most did not exhibit enough points of differentiation to be classified as separate subspecies.<ref>Mech, L. David. 1970. The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis</ref> The 24 subspecies were accepted by many authorities in 1981 and these were based on morphological or geographical differences, or a unique history.<ref>The Mammals of North America, E. Raymond Hall, Wiley New York, 1981</ref> In 1995, the American mammalogist Robert M. Nowak analyzed data on the skull morphology of wolf specimens from around the world. For North America, he proposed that there were only five subspecies of the wolf. These include a large-toothed Arctic wolf named C. l. arctos, a large wolf from Alaska and western Canada named C. l. occidentalis, a small wolf from southeastern Canada named C. l. lycaon, a small wolf from the southwestern U.S. named C. l. baileyi and a moderate-sized wolf that was originally found from Texas to Hudson Bay and from Oregon to Newfoundland named C. l. nubilus.<ref name=mech2003/><ref name=nowak1995/>

The taxonomic classification of Canis lupus in Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition, 2005) listed 27 subspecies of North American wolf,<ref name=wozencraft2005/> corresponding to the 24 Canis lupus subspecies and the three Canis rufus subspecies of Hall (1981).<ref name=nowak1995/> The table below shows the extant subspecies, with the extinct ones listed in the following section.

North American subspecies of Canis lupus

Subspecies	Image	Authority	Description	Range	Taxonomic synonyms
C. l. arctos Arctic wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. arctos mod.jpg	Pocock, 1935<ref>{{#if:726812	wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon	url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726812	title = Canis lupus arctos Pocock, 1935	publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}	Template:Citation error }}</ref>	A medium-sized, almost completely white subspecies.<ref name="goldman1944arctos">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 430-31</ref>	Melville Island (the Northwest Territories and Nunavut), Ellesmere Island	The current (2025) classification of the more broadly defined C. l. arctos of Nowak (1995) synonymizes C. l. orion and C. l. bernardi.<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. baileyi Mexican wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate IV) C. l. baileyi mod.jpg	Nelson and Goldman, 1929<ref>{{#if:726813	wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon	url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726813	title = Canis lupus baileyi Nelson and Goldman, 1929	publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}	Template:Citation error }}</ref>	The smallest of the North American subspecies, with dark fur.<ref name="goldman1944baileyi">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 469-71</ref>	Southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona as well as northern Mexico; once ranged into western Texas
C. l. columbianus British Columbian wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. columbianus mod.jpg	Goldman, 1941	Smaller-sized; unique diet of fish and smaller-sized deer in temperate rainforest; similar to crassodon.	Coastal British Columbia and coastal Yukon	Currently (2023) synonymized under C. l. crassodon.
C. l. crassodon Vancouver Island wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. crassodon mod.jpg	Hall, 1932	A medium-sized subspecies with grayish fur; similar to columbianus.<ref name="goldman1944crassodon">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 459-60</ref>	Vancouver Island, British Columbia	Currently (2023) C. l. crassodon synonymizes C. l. ligoni and C. l. columbianus.
C. l. familiaris Domestic dog but refer Synonyms	File:Yakutian laika (white background).jpg			worldwide	The domestic dog is a divergent subspecies of the gray wolf and was derived from an extinct population of Late Pleistocene wolves.<ref name=fan2016/><ref name=freedman2014/><ref name=thalmann2013/> Through selective pressure and selective breeding, the domestic dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal.<ref name="spady"/> Template:Smalldiv Increasingly proposed as the species Canis familiaris but debated<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="ASMdog"/>
C. l. hudsonicus Hudson Bay wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. hudsonicus mod.jpg	Goldman, 1941	A light-colored subspecies similar to occidentalis, but smaller.<ref name="goldman1944hudsonicus">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 427-29</ref>	Northern Manitoba and the Northwest Territories	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. irremotus Northern Rocky Mountain wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. irremotus mod.jpg	Goldman, 1937<ref name="Goldman"/><ref>{{#if:726829	wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon	url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726829	title = Canis lupus irremotus Goldman, 1937	publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}	Template:Citation error }}</ref>	A medium-sized to large subspecies with pale fur.<ref name="goldman1944irremotus">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 445-49</ref>	The northern Rocky Mountains	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. occidentalis<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. labradorius Labrador wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate V) C. l. labradorius.jpg	Goldman, 1937<ref name="Goldman"/>	A medium-sized, light-colored subspecies.<ref name="goldman1944labradorius">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 434-35</ref>	Labrador and northern Quebec; confirmed presence on Newfoundland<ref name=tele1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. ligoni Alexander Archipelago wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. ligoni mod.jpg	Goldman, 1937<ref name="Goldman"/>	A medium-sized, dark-colored subspecies.<ref name="goldman1944ligoni">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 453-55</ref>	The Alexander Archipelago, Alaska	Currently (2023) synonymized under C. l. crassodon.
C. l. lycaon Eastern wolf but refer Synonyms	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate V).png	Schreber, 1775	Two forms are known – a small, reddish-brown colored form called the Algonquin wolf; and a slightly larger, more grayish-brown form called the Great Lakes wolf, which is an admixture of the Algonquin wolf and other gray wolves.<ref name="goldman1944lycaon">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 437-41</ref>	The Algonquin form occupies central Ontario and southwestern Quebec, particularly in and nearby protected areas, such as Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, and possibly extreme northeastern U.S. and western New Brunswick. The Great Lakes form occupies northern Ontario, Wisconsin and Minnesota, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and southern Manitoba. Overlaps of the two forms occur, with intermixing in the southern portions of northern Ontario.	canadensis de Blainville, 1843, ungavensis Comeau, 1940<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> The Algonquin form is currently (2025) recognized as the species Canis lycaon<ref name=wilson2000/> by the American Society of Mammalogists, but its taxonomy is still debated.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. mackenzii Mackenzie River wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. mackenzii mod.jpg	Anderson, 1943	A subspecies with variable fur and intermediate in size between occidentalis and manningi.<ref name="goldman1944mackenzii">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 474-76</ref>	The southern Northwest Territories	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. occidentalis<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. manningi Baffin Island wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate IV) C. l. manningi mod.jpg	Anderson, 1943	The smallest subspecies of the Arctic, with buffy-white fur.<ref name="goldman1944manningi">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 476-77</ref>	Baffin Island	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. occidentalis Northwestern wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. occidentalis mod.jpg	Richardson, 1829	A very large, usually light-colored subspecies, and the biggest subspecies.<ref name="goldman1944occidentalis">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 424-27</ref>	Alaska, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the northwestern United States	ater Richardson, 1829, sticte Richardson, 1829<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> The C. l. occidentalis of Nowak (1995) synonymizes alces, columbianus, griseoalbus, mackenzii, pambasileus and tundrarum, which is the currently (2025) recognized classification.<ref name=nowak1995/>
C. l. orion Greenland wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. orion mod.jpg	Pocock, 1935		Greenland and the Queen Elizabeth Islands<ref>Nowak, R.M. 1983. A perspective on the taxonomy of wolves in North America. In: Carbyn, L.N., ed. Wolves in Canada and Alaska. Canadian Wildlife Service, Report Series 45:lO-19.</ref>	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. arctos<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. pambasileus Alaskan Interior wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. pambasileus mod.jpg	Miller, 1912	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	The Alaskan Interior and Yukon, save for the tundra region of the Arctic Coast<ref name=mech1981pambasileus>Mech, L. David (1981), The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species, University of Minnesota Press, pp. 352-353, Template:ISBN</ref>	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. occidentalis<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
C. l. nubilus Great Plains wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. nubilus mod.jpg	Say, 1823	A medium-sized, light-colored subspecies.<ref name="goldman1944nubilus">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 441-45</ref>	Throughout the Great Plains from southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan southward to northern Texas<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	variabilis Wied-Neuwied, 1841.<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> Previously thought extinct in 1926, the Great Plains wolf's descendants were found in the northeastern region of the United States and have become federally protected since 1974.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As of 2025 the classification of the more broadly defined C. l. nubilus of Nowak (1995) synonymizes beothucus, fuscus, hudsonicus, irremotus, labridorius, manningi, mogollonensis, monstrabilis and youngi, in which case the subspecies is extant in Canada (see infobox map).<ref name=nowak1995/>
C. l. rufus Red wolf but refer Synonyms	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate V) C. l. rufus mod.png	Audubon and Bachman, 1851	Has a brownish or cinnamon pelt, with gray and black shading on the back and tail. Generally intermediate in size between other North American wolf subspecies and the coyote. Like other wolves, it has almond-shaped eyes, a broad muzzle and a wide nose pad though, like the coyote, its ears are proportionately larger. It has a deeper profile, a longer and broader head than the coyote, and has a less prominent ruff than other wolves.<ref name=canis>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Historically distributed throughout the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States, from southernmost New York south to Florida and west to Texas. Modern range is eastern North Carolina.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Smalldiv
C. l. tundrarum Alaskan tundra wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. tundrarum mod.jpg	Miller, 1912	A large, white-colored subspecies closely resembling pambasileus, though lighter in color.<ref name=mech1981tundrarum>Mech, L. David (1981), The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species, University of Minnesota Press, p. 353, Template:ISBN</ref>	The Barren Grounds of the Arctic Coast region from near Point Barrow eastward toward Hudson Bay and probably northwards to the Arctic Archipelago<ref name=miller1912>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. occidentalis<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

List of extinct subspecies

Fossil subspecies of Canis lupus

Subspecies	Image	Authority	Description	Range	Taxonomic synonyms
† C. l. maximus		Boudadi-Maligne, 2012<ref name=Boudadi2012>Template:Cite journal</ref>	The largest subspecies of all known extinct and extant wolves from Western Europe. The wolf's long bones are 10% longer than those of extant European wolves, 12% larger than those of C. l. santenaisiensis and 20% longer than those of C. l. lunellensis.<ref name=Boudadi2012/> The teeth are robust, the posterior denticules on the lower premolars p2, p3, p4 and upper P2 and P3 are highly developed, and the diameter of the lower carnassial (m1) were larger than any known European wolf.<ref name=Boudadi2012/>	Jaurens Cave, southern France
† C. l. spelaeus Cave wolf	File:Prehistorische dierenresten uit Noord-Brabant (1998) fig. 19 colorized.png	Goldfuss, 1823<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	Its bone proportions are close to those of the Canadian Arctic-boreal mountain-adapted timber wolf and a little larger than those of the modern European wolf.<ref>Template:Cite book ebook - eTemplate:ISBN</ref>	Across Europe	brevis Kuzmina, 1994<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† Unnamed Late Pleistocene Italian subspecies		Berte, Pandolfi, 2014<ref name=berte2014>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Known from fragmentary remains, it was a large subspecies comparable in size and shape to C. l. maximus.<ref name=berte2014/>	Avetrana (Italy)

Subspecies recognized by MSW3 Template:As of which have gone extinct over the past 150 years:<ref name=wozencraft2005/>

Extinct subspecies of Canis lupus

Subspecies	Image	Authority	Description	Range	Taxonomic synonyms
† C. l. alces Kenai Peninsula wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. alces mod.png	Goldman, 1941<ref>{{#if:726810	wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon	url = https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726810	title = Canis lupus alces Goldman, 1941	publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}	Template:Citation error }}</ref>	One of the largest North American subspecies, similar to pambasileus. Its fur color is silver-gray or brindle-black.<ref name="goldman1944alces">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 422-24</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	The Kenai Peninsula, Alaska	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. occidentalis<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† C. l. beothucus Newfoundland wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. beothocus mod.jpg	G. M. Allen and Barbour, 1937	A medium-sized, white-furred subspecies.<ref name="goldman1944beothucus">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 435-36</ref> Its former range is slowly being claimed by its relative, the Labrador wolf (C. l. labradorius).	Newfoundland	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† C. l. bernardi Banks Island wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. bernardi mod.jpg	Anderson, 1943	A large, slender subspecies with a narrow muzzle and large carnassials.<ref name="goldman1944bernardi">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 472-74</ref>	Limited to Banks and Victoria Islands in the Canadian Arctic	banksianus Anderson, 1943<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. arctos<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† C. l. floridanus Florida black wolf but refer Synonyms	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate V) C. l. floridanus.jpg	Miller, 1912	A jet-black subspecies that is described as having been extremely similar to the red wolf in both size and weight.<ref>"The Wolf", Alsatian Shepalute's: A New Breed for a New Millennium by Lois Denny, AuthorHouse, 2004, Pg. 42</ref> This subspecies became extinct in 1908.<ref>Klinkenberg, Jeff, "For saving the Florida panther, it's desperation time", St. Petersburg Times, February 11, 1990</ref>	Florida	Currently (2025) recognized as a subspecies of Canis rufus<ref name=chambers2012/> as Canis rufus floridanus, but debated
† C. l. fuscus Cascade Mountains wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate IV) C. l. fuscus mod.jpg	Richardson, 1839	A cinnamon-colored subspecies similar to columbianus and irremotus, but darker in color.<ref name="goldman1944fuscus">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 455-8</ref>	The Cascade Range	gigas Townsend, 1850<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† C. l. gregoryi Mississippi Valley wolf but refer Synonyms		Goldman, 1937<ref name="Goldman"/>	A medium-sized subspecies, though slender and tawny; its coat contained a mixture of various colors, including black, white, gray and cinnamon.<ref name="Goldman">Template:Cite journal</ref>	In and around the lower Mississippi River basin	Currently (2025) recognized as a subspecies of Canis rufus<ref name=chambers2012/> as Canis rufus gregoryi, but debated
† C. l. griseoalbus Manitoba wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. griseoalbus-occidentalis mod.jpg	Baird, 1858		Northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba	knightii Anderson, 1945<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. occidentalis<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† C. l. hattai Hokkaido wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate I) C. l. hattai.jpg	Kishida, 1931	Similar in size, and related to, the wolves of North America.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Hokkaido, Sakhalin,<ref>Nowak, R.M. 1995. Another look at wolf taxonomy. Pages 375-397 in L.H. Carbyn, S.H. Fritts, D.R. Seip, editors. Ecology and Conservation of Wolves in a Changing World. Canadian Circumpolar Institute, Edmonton, Canada.[1] (refer to page 396)</ref><ref name=walker2008/> the Kamchatkan Peninsula, and Iturup and Kunashir Islands just to the east of Hokkaido in the Kuril Archipelago<ref name=walker2008>Template:Cite book</ref>	rex Pocock, 1935<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref>
† C. l. hodophilax Japanese wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate V) C. l. hodophilax mod.jpg	Temminck, 1839	Smaller in size compared to other subspecies, except for the Arabian wolf (C. l. arabs).<ref name=walker2008/>	Japanese islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū (but not Hokkaido)<ref>Shigehara N, Hongo H (2000) Dog and wolf remains of the earliest Jomon period at Torihama site in Fukui Prefecture. Torihama-Kaizuka-Kennkyu 2: 23–40 (in Japanese)</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	japonicus Nehring, 1885<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref>
† C. l. mogollonensis Mogollon Mountains wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. mogollonensis mod.jpg	Goldman, 1937<ref name="Goldman"/>	A small, dark-colored subspecies, intermediate in size between youngi and baileyi.<ref name="goldman1944mogollonensis">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 463-66</ref>	Arizona and New Mexico	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† C. l. monstrabilis Texas wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. monstrabilis mod.jpg	Goldman, 1937<ref name="Goldman"/>	Similar in size and color to mogollonensis and possibly the same subspecies.<ref name="goldman1944monstrabilis">Young, Stanley P.; Goldman, Edward A. (1944). The Wolves of North America, Part II. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 466-68</ref>	Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico	niger Bartram, 1791<ref>Template:MSW3 Wozencraft</ref> Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
† C. l. youngi Southern Rocky Mountain wolf	File:Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. youngi mod.jpg	Goldman, 1937<ref name="Goldman"/>	A medium-sized, light-colored subspecies closely resembling nubilus, though larger, with more blackish-buff hairs on the back.<ref name=glover>Glover, A. (1942), Extinct and vanishing mammals of the western hemisphere, with the marine species of all the oceans, American Committee for International Wild Life Protection, pp. 227-229.</ref>	Southeastern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Nevada, Utah, western and central Colorado, northwestern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico	Currently (2025) synonymized under C. l. nubilus<ref name=nowak1995/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Subspecies discovered since the publishing of MSW3 in 2005 which have gone extinct over the past 150 years:

Extinct subspecies of Canis lupus

Subspecies	Image	Authority	Description	Range	Taxonomic synonyms
† C. l. cristaldii Sicilian wolf	File:Canis lupus cristaldii subsp. nov.png	Angelici and Rossi, 2018<ref>Angelici, F. M. & Rossi, L., A new subspecies of grey wolf (Carnivora, Canidae), recently extinct, from Sicily, Italy, Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona, 42, 2018 Botanica Zoologia: 03-15</ref>	A slender, short-legged subspecies with light, tawny-colored fur. The dark bands present on the forelimbs of the mainland Italian wolf were absent or poorly defined in the Sicilian wolf.	Sicily

Disputed subspecies

Global

In 2019, a workshop hosted by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group considered the New Guinea singing dog and the dingo to be feral dogs (Canis familiaris).<ref name=Alvares2019>Template:Cite report</ref> In 2020, a literature review of canid domestication stated that modern dogs were not descended from the same Canis lineage as modern wolves, and proposed that dogs may be descended from a Pleistocene wolf closer in size to a village dog.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2021, the American Society of Mammalogists also considered dingos a feral dog (Canis familiaris) population.<ref name="ASMdog"/>

Eurasia

File:Vertebrati del Molise e dell'Abruzzo (1925) C. l. lupus & C. l. italicus.jpg

Giuseppe Altobello's 1925 comparative illustration of the skulls and dentition of C. l. lupus (a) and C. l. italicus (b). The distinct status of the latter is currently unrecognized by MSW3.

Italian wolf

Template:Further The Italian wolf (or Apennine wolf) was first recognised as a distinct subspecies (Canis lupus italicus) in 1921 by zoologist Giuseppe Altobello.<ref name="altobello1921">Template:In lang Altobello, G. (1921), Fauna dell'Abruzzo e del Molise. Mammiferi. IV. I Carnivori (Carnivora) Template:Webarchive, Colitti e Figlio, Campobasso, pp. 38-45</ref> Altobello's classification was later rejected by several authors, including Reginald Innes Pocock, who synonymised C. l. italicus with C. l. lupus.<ref name="nowak2002">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2002, the noted paleontologist R.M. Nowak reaffirmed the morphological distinctiveness of the Italian wolf and recommended the recognition of Canis lupus italicus.<ref name="nowak2002"/> A number of DNA studies have found the Italian wolf to be genetically distinct.<ref name="wayne1992">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="randi2000">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2004, the genetic distinction of the Italian wolf subspecies was supported by analysis which consistently assigned all the wolf genotypes of a sample in Italy to a single group. This population also showed a unique mitochondrial DNA control-region haplotype, the absence of private alleles and lower heterozygosity at microsatellite loci, as compared to other wolf populations.<ref>V. LUCCHINI, A. GALOV and E. RANDI Evidence of genetic distinction and long-term population decline in wolves (Canis lupus) in the Italian Apennines. Molecular Ecology (2004) 13, 523–536. abstract online</ref> In 2010, a genetic analysis indicated that a single wolf haplotype (w22) unique to the Apennine Peninsula and one of the two haplotypes (w24, w25), unique to the Iberian Peninsula, belonged to the same haplogroup as the prehistoric wolves of Europe. Another haplotype (w10) was found to be common to the Iberian peninsula and the Balkans. These three populations with geographic isolation exhibited a near lack of gene flow and spatially correspond to three glacial refugia.<ref name=pilot2010/>

The taxonomic reference Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition, 2005) does not recognize Canis lupus italicus; however, NCBI/Genbank publishes research papers under that name.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Iberian wolf

Template:Further The Iberian wolf was first recognised as a distinct subspecies (Canis lupus signatus) in 1907 by zoologist Ángel Cabrera. The wolves of the Iberian peninsula have morphologically distinct features from other Eurasian wolves and each are considered by their researchers to represent their own subspecies.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The taxonomic reference Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition, 2005) does not recognize Canis lupus signatus; however, NCBI/Genbank does list it.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Himalayan wolf

The Himalayan wolf is distinguished by its mitochondrial DNA, which is basal to all other wolves. The taxonomic name of this wolf is disputed, with the species Canis himalayensis being proposed based on two limited DNA studies.<ref name=agga2007/><ref name=sharma2004/><ref name=shrotriya2012/> In 2017, a study of mitochondrial DNA, X-chromosome (maternal lineage) markers and Y-chromosome (male lineage) markers found that the Himalayan wolf was genetically basal to the Holarctic grey wolf and has an association with the African golden wolf.<ref name=werhahn2017/>

In 2019, a workshop hosted by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group noted that the Himalayan wolf's distribution included the Himalayan range and the Tibetan Plateau. The group recommends that this wolf lineage be known as the "Himalayan wolf" and classified as Canis lupus chanco until a genetic analysis of the holotypes is available.<ref name=Alvares2019/> In 2020, further research on the Himalayan wolf found that it warranted species-level recognition under the Unified Species Concept, the Differential Fitness Species Concept, and the Biological Species Concept. It was identified as an Evolutionary Significant Unit that warranted assignment onto the IUCN Red List for its protection.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Indian plains wolf

Template:Further The Indian plains wolf is a proposed clade within the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) that is distinguished by its mitochondrial DNA, which is basal to all other wolves except for the Himalayan wolf. The taxonomic status of this wolf clade is disputed, with the separate species Canis indica being proposed based on two limited DNA studies.<ref name=agga2007/><ref name=sharma2004/> The proposal has not been endorsed because it relied on a limited number of museum and zoo samples that may not have been representative of the wild population, and a call for further fieldwork has been made.<ref name=shrotriya2012/>

The taxonomic reference Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition, 2005) does not recognize Canis indica; however, NCBI/Genbank lists it as a new subspecies, Canis lupus indica.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Southern Chinese wolf

In 2017, a comprehensive study found that the gray wolf was present across all of mainland China, both in the past and today. It exists in southern China, which refutes claims made by some researchers in the Western world that the wolf had never existed in southern China.<ref name=wang2017/><ref name=larson2017/> This wolf has not been taxonomically classified.<ref name=smith2008/><ref name=wang2003/>

In 2019, a genomic study on the wolves of China included museum specimens of wolves from southern China that were collected between 1963 and 1988. The wolves in the study formed three clades: northern Asian wolves that included those from northern China and eastern Russia, Himalayan wolves from the Tibetan Plateau, and a unique population from southern China. One specimen from Zhejiang Province in eastern China shared gene flow with the wolves from southern China; however, its genome was 12–14 percent admixed with a canid that may be the dhole or an unknown canid that predates the genetic divergence of the dhole. The wolf population from southern China is believed to still exist in that region.<ref name=Wang2019/>

North America

Coastal wolves

A study of the three coastal wolves indicates a close phylogenetic relationship across regions that are geographically and ecologically contiguous, and the study proposed that Canis lupus ligoni (the Alexander Archipelago wolf), Canis lupus columbianus (the British Columbian wolf), and Canis lupus crassodon (the Vancouver Coastal Sea wolf) should be recognized as a single subspecies of Canis lupus, synonymized as Canis lupus crassodon.<ref name=weckworth2011/> They share the same habitat and prey species, and form one study's six identified North American ecotypes – a genetically and ecologically distinct population separated from other populations by their different types of habitat.<ref name=schweitzer2016a/><ref name=schweitzer2016b/>

Eastern wolf

Template:Further The eastern wolf has two proposals over its origin. One is that the eastern wolf is a distinct species (C. lycaon) that evolved in North America, as opposed to the gray wolf that evolved in the Old World, and is related to the red wolf. The other is that it is derived from admixture between gray wolves, which inhabited the Great Lakes area and coyotes, forming a hybrid that was classified as a distinct species by mistake.<ref name=wayne2016/>

The taxonomic reference Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition, 2005) does not recognize Canis lycaon; however, NCBI/Genbank does list it.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, the American Society of Mammalogists also considered Canis lycaon a valid species.<ref>Template:BioRef</ref>

Red wolf

Template:Further The red wolf is an enigmatic taxon, of which there are two proposals over its origin. One is that the red wolf is a distinct species (C. rufus) that has undergone human-influenced admixture with coyotes. The other is that it was never a distinct species but was derived from past admixture between coyotes and gray wolves, due to the gray wolf population being eliminated by humans.<ref name=wayne2016>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The taxonomic reference Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition, 2005) does not recognize Canis rufus; however, NCBI/Genbank does list it.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, the American Society of Mammalogists also considered Canis rufus a valid species.<ref>Template:BioRef</ref>

See also

• List of gray wolf populations by country
• Wolf distribution
• Cave wolf
• Pleistocene wolf

External links

• Canis lupus on the ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System)