GREYWOLF
DESCRIPTION: A large canid, the Grey Wolf
superficially looks like a slim Alsatian with a big head, long limbs, large feet,
a slightly curved tail and shorter ears. It has a long muzzle. Its pelage varies
greatly with tones of red and grey fur intermingled with black, especially on
the dorsal crest, forehead and tip of the tail. The undersides are buff or
creamish in colour. Despite being one of the largest canids of the Indian
Subcontinent, the Indian Grey Wolf is smaller than the subspecies found in
Europe and America. The peninsular subspecies has lesser underfur and has
whiter lower limbs than other subspecies. The ‘V’ on the back is of a darker
colour. In summer pelage, the coat is much redder and shorter as the longer
black and grey fur is shed. Winter pelage is thicker. In contrast, the Tibetan Wolf
has much more underfur and is heavier set. It has a longer muzzle, a
longer crest of black hair on its back,
and in certain cases is completely black in colour.
BEHAVIOUR: Wolf packs communicate by howling
and using gestures involving the ears, tail, and facial muscles. These indicate
hierarchical disputes and play.
DISTRIBUTION: C.l. chanco is distributed
from the eastern parts of the Kashmir Valley to the Changthang in Ladakh, Jammu
& Kashmir; a small population is known from Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. C.l.
pallipes is distributed in a patchy fashion through peninsular India in
appropriate habitat. It is mainly found in the states of Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh and West Bengal. The species is absent in the Western Ghats as well as
the Himalayan foothills and Terai and probably in north–east India.
HABITAT: C.l. chanco inhabits cold deserts of the trans-Himalayas while C.l. pallipes frequents dry open country, scrubland and semi-arid grasslands in the peninsula. It has a wide tolerance level of habitat with different precipitation as is evidenced by its presence in habitats with 300 mm precipitation in the Rann and in parts of Rajasthan, to those with 1,500 mm precipitation in Odisha.
Size: 100–130 cm
IUCN Status: Least Concern
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