Caspian wolf
| Caspian wolf | ||||||||||||
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( Canis lupus campestris ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Canis lupus campestris | ||||||||||||
| Dwigubski , 1804 |
The Caspian wolf , Caucasian wolf or steppe wolf ( Canis lupus campestris ) is a subspecies of the wolf ( Canis lupus ), which belongs to the family of dogs (Canidae). It is similar to the Eurasian wolf ( Canis lupus lupus ).
General
The Caspian wolf is smaller and lighter than the Eurasian wolf. There is a sexual dimorphism between males and females : males are usually larger and heavier than female wolves. In contrast to wolf-like domestic dogs , wolves are longer-legged and have a straight back line, while in dogs it often slopes down towards the tail. The wolf's tail is bushy and straight. Wolves tend to have smaller ears that are also densely hairy on the inside.
Caspian wolves become sexually mature at around two years of age. The gestation period lasts about nine weeks. A litter usually consists of two to six puppies that are raised by the entire pack. After one to three years, the young animals leave their pack, settle near their old pack or migrate away.
As large carnivores, Caspian wolves primarily prey on ungulates such as roe deer , red deer and wild boar , although seals are also among their prey. Primarily older, sick or young animals that are easier to overpower are captured. Due to the fact that farm animals also fall prey to the Caspian wolf, it is heavily hunted as a pest, so the population is declining.
distribution
The Caspian Wolf lives mainly in the Middle East , in the Caucasus , between the Caspian and the Black Sea . It lives in steppes as well as in mountainous landscapes or near water. Its hunting areas extend from Romania and Hungary in the west, Afghanistan and Iran in the south to the Ural Mountains and Kazakhstan in the north and east.
In some regions he lives in close proximity to people, so that farm animals repeatedly fall victim to him. In a few regions, the Caspian Wolf is also kept as a guard dog.
Synonyms
Recognized synonyms for the Caspian wolf are argunensis Dybowski , 1922, bactrianus Laptev , 1929, cubanenesis Ognev , 1923 and desertorum Bogdanov , 1882.
Genetic studies on wolves from the Caucasus region ( C. l. Cubanensis ) in 2014 showed that the alleged subspecies is not a valid subspecies of the wolf due to minor genetic deviations. Nevertheless, Caucasian wolves ( C. l. Cubanensis ) and steppe wolves ( C. l. Campestris ) are still listed as different subspecies.
Trivia
- The novel Der Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse takes its name from the subspecies of the wolf.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ IFAW : Profile Wolf , accessed on February 3, 2018.
- ↑ Steppenwolf Zoo Animal List
- ↑ a b Mammals of the Soviet Union Vol.II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears), VG Heptner and NP Naumov editors, Science Publishers, Inc. USA. 1998. ISBN 1-886106-81-9
- ↑ BBC : Kazakhstan: Villagers use 'guard wolves' for protection , December 17, 2014, accessed February 3, 2018 (English).
- ↑ Canis lupus campestris , Mammal Species of the World, Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd Edition), ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0 .
- ↑ Gene Flow between Wolf and Shepherd Dog Populations in Georgia (Caucasus) , by Natia Kopaliani, Maia Shakarashvili, Zurab Gurielidze, Tamar Qurkhuli and David Tarkhnishvili, published on March 12, 2014 in Journal of Heredity
- ^ Subspecies and occurrences , Association CHWOLF.