There is another type of wolf found in the United States called the Red Wolf. The red wolf's coat ranges from cinnamon red, gray to black. It is smaller than the gray wolf, larger than a coyote, and weighs 40 to 80 pounds. They roam in smaller packs than gray wolves. Most times the red wolf pack consists of an adult pair and their young offspring.

At one point in time the Red Wolf lived in the south east corner of the United States and was spread out as far north as Pennsylvania and as west as central Texas. They prefer to eat white-tailed deer and raccoon, but will eat any available small animal.

Three problems threaten the future of red wolves - the loss of habitat, the hunting of wolves, and red wolves mating with coyotes. The expansion of agriculture, logging and human settlement cleared the forest home of red wolves. Between the years of 1900 - 1920 red wolves were hunted because they preyed on cattle. As the population of red wolves declined, coyotes expanded into its territory.

Today the red wolf population is at 300 captive animals in zoos and captive breeding facilities. Red wolves have been reintroduced at the lligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/redWolf.html).