Indian Wolf
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| Canis lupus pallipes (Reginald Innes Pocock, 1941) |
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 Present distribution of Indian wolf in light blu
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The Indian Wolf ( Canis lupus pallipes), also known as the Indian Gray Wolf or the Peninsular Gray Wolf, is the small subspecies of the Grey Wolf. It is a semi-desert-adapted wolf that ranges from the eastern Indian subcontinent to the Arabian Peninsula. In the middle Pennisula India exist distinct species of wolf - Canis indica.
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[edit] Taxonomy
A current proposal suggests that the Indian Wolf has not cross-bred with any other wolf subspecies for nearly 400,000 years, which could possibly make them a separate species altogether. British naturalist B. H. Hodgson was actually the first to describe an Indian Wolf as a separate species, Canis laniger, in 1847, but the wolf he was describing was indeed separate from today's modern Indian Wolf (he was instead describing the former Himalayan Wolf).[1]
Another British naturalist, W. T. Blanford, working for the Geological Survey of India, described the modern Indian Wolf as a separate species called Canis pallipes in 1888. He distinguished Canis pallipes from Canis laniger by its smaller size, much shorter and thinner winter coat, and smaller skull and teeth. Furthermore, he identified Hodgson's Himalayan Wolf as nothing more than a subspecies of Gray Wolf (i.e., C. l. laniger, as opposed to C. laniger).[1]
The mess was sorted out in 1941 when British taxonomist R. I. Pocock classified both as separate subspecies of the Gray Wolf – C.l. pallipes and C.l. laniger, respectively. Today, the Himalayan Wolf originally identified by Hodgson in 1847 (C.l. laniger) has been stripped of its subspecies title and lumped with the Eurasian Wolf (C.l. lupus), whereas the Indian Wolf {C.l. pallipes) has maintained its subspecies status, though this could, as previously mentioned, change as more genetic data is interpreted.[1]
Lately research mtDNA Indian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) from only India confirm that this is new species of wolf and call now Indian Wolf (Canis indica), various from other wolves in other part of world. Now, with Himalayan Wolf (Canis himalayaensis) scientists created two new species of wolf on the ground mtDNA. Probably Indian wolf beginning from migrate to India about 400 thousand years ago, during pleistocene and separated from ancestor of casual wolf in India. But other Indian wolves not from India but from Arabian pennislula and Pakistan included to Grey Wolf and should call Southern-east Asian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes).
[edit] Appearance and adaptations
The Indian Wolf has a very short, dense coat that is typically reddish, tawny, or buff coloured. It reaches 60-95 centimetres in height, and typically weighs 18-27 kilograms, making it among the smallest of all Gray Wolf subspecies. Breeding generally occurs in October, after the rains – early compared to other wolf subspecies.
The Indian Wolf is adapted for life in the semi-arid and hot areas that they typically inhabit. Its relatively small size allows it to survive on the smaller ungulates, rabbits, hares, and rodents that roam its territory. The Indian Wolf is a prime example of the Gray Wolf's adaptability as a species, given that its cousins can be found in areas starkly contrasted to the scrubland, grassland, and semi-arid pastoral environments that the Indian Wolf thrives in.
[edit] Distribution
The Indian Wolf is mainly distributed across the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. A study released in 2004 estimates that there are around 2000-3000 Indian Wolves.[2]
The Indian Wolf, because it preys on livestock, has long been hunted, though it is protected as an endangered species in India under schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.[3] The Jai Samand Sanctuary, Rajasthan, is believed to be the only place in which the animal is breeding in captivity.
Israel seems to be the last hope for the Indian Wolf's survival in the Middle East because it is the only country in the region where they enjoy legal protection. There are between 150-250 wolves all over northern and central Israel. The biggest dangers to the wolves in Israel are the local dogs that interbreed with them, essentially contaminating the genetic purity of the subspecies.
[edit] Trivia
- In Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, the hero Mowgli is raised by a pack of Indian Wolves, and is one of the most popular of feral children in fiction.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Hiding in Plain Sight. Retrieved on August 19, 2006.
- ^ Yadvendradev V. Jhala. Conservation of Indian Wolf. Retrieved on August 19, 2006.
- ^ Wolf Corner. Sub Species of the Wolf. Retrieved on August 19, 2006.
