Arabian wolf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arabian wolf |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | |
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C. l. arabs
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| Canis lupus arabs Pocock, 1934
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| Arabian wolf range | |
The Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs) is a special type of gray wolf. It lives on the Arabian Peninsula. This wolf is the smallest kind of wolf. It is also very good at living in the desert. Arabian wolves usually live in small groups. They eat many different things, like dead animals, trash, and small to medium-sized prey.
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About the Arabian Wolf
The Arabian wolf was named Canis lupus arabs in 1934. This was done by a British zoologist named Reginald Innes Pocock. He noticed that this wolf had a smaller skull and was smaller overall. Before this, some thought it might be the same as the Indian wolf.
Wolf Family Trees
Scientists studied the genes of different Canis animals in 2018. They found that Arabian wolves have genes from other types of wolves and jackals. This shows that different wolf groups have mixed over time. For example, some African golden wolves have genes from Middle Eastern gray wolves and dogs. This mixing happened because animals could cross land bridges between Africa and Asia.
What They Look Like
The Arabian wolf is quite small for a wolf. It stands about 25 to 26 inches (64 to 66 cm) tall at the shoulder. An adult wolf usually weighs around 45 pounds (20 kg).
Being smaller helps these wolves live in hot, dry places. This is a common pattern in nature. Animals in warmer areas are often smaller than those in colder areas.
Their ears are larger compared to their body size. This helps them cool down. The large ears let out extra body heat.
Arabian wolves do not live in big packs. They often hunt in pairs. Sometimes they hunt in small groups of three or four animals.
They have a short, thin coat of fur. It is usually a grayish-beige color. Like other canines, Arabian wolves do not sweat. They cool down by panting quickly. This makes water evaporate from their lungs.
Sometimes, the pads of their third and fourth toes are joined together. This can help tell their tracks apart from a dog's.
The Arabian wolf is different from the Indian wolf. It has a smaller skull, is smaller in size, and has thinner fur.
Arabian wolves usually live for about 6 years.
What They Eat
Arabian wolves mostly eat meat. But they also eat other things. In some areas, they eat a lot of human trash and leftover food. They also hunt small animals like hares and rodents. They eat small hoofed animals, cats, and sweet fruits. They will also eat animals killed on roads and other dead animals. They can eat almost any small animal they find. This includes fish, snails, and even baby baboons.
Because Arabian wolves can hunt farm animals like goats, local people sometimes try to stop them. Bedouins and farmers may use different ways to protect their livestock.
Where They Live and How They Are Protected
The Arabian wolf used to live all over the Arabian Peninsula. Now, they are only found in small areas. These areas include southern Israel, parts of Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
They are rare in many places because people have hunted them. In Oman, the number of wolves has grown. This is because hunting them is now against the law. They might even start living in more places naturally.
In Israel, there are about 100 to 150 Arabian wolves. They live in the Negev and the Arava deserts. The United Arab Emirates and Egypt have programs to breed wolves in zoos. The wolf is protected in Oman and Israel. But in other places, their future is not certain. In Saudi Arabia, the wolf is protected in some areas. They still live in places where there are not many people.
See also
In Spanish: Lobo árabe para niños
