| Tibetan Wolf Mongolian: Монголын чоно Chinese: 中國狼 |
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| Tibetan wolf in Tennoji Zoo, Osaka, Japan | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | C. lupus |
| Subspecies: | C. l. chanco |
| Trinomial name | |
| Canis lupus chanco Gray, 1863 |
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| Synonyms | |
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The Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco), also known as the woolly wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to Central Asia from Turkestan, Tien Shan throughout Tibet to Mongolia, northern China, Shensi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and the western Himalayas in Kashmir from Chitral to Lahul.[2] They also occur in the Korean peninsula.[3] In Tibet, it is known as the chángú, while near the Niti pass from Kumaon, it is known as the chankodi.[4]
The Tibetan wolf is thought by some scientists to be the most likely ancestor of the domestic dog, on account of its small size and mandible morphology, noting that the uppermost part of the lower jaw is turned back on both the Tibetan wolf and the dog, though not so in other grey wolf subspecies.[5]
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The colour of the pelt varies seasonally: on the winter coat, the back and tail are variegated by black and white or buff countour hairs, which are most defined on the back, where they form a black and white saddle running from the shoulders to the loins. The wool beneath the contour hair is of a brightish buff to clear grey colour, while the belly and outer side of the legs are buff or whitish. Occasionally, a dark stripe of varying intensity may be present on the forelegs. The ears are drabby grey or rich ocherous. The crown and muzzle are closely tinted with black speckles, which extend below the eye on to the upper cheeks and ears, isolating a white spot. The chin is varies from blackish to almost white. The contour hairs of the winter fur measure 100–120 mm on the shoulders, 70–80 mm on the back and 40–60 mm on the flanks.[2] It is a smallish subspecies which rarely exceeds 45 kg.[6] Physically, the Tibetan wolf resembles the Eurasian wolf, but has shorter legs and has short, pale, fulvous hairs on the ears, flanks and the outside of the legs.[7] The skull is virtually identical to that of the Eurasian wolf, though its nose is longer and more slender.[8] It is larger than the Indian wolf, and lacks a black tail tip.[4] Black wolves in Tibet are known locally as chanko nagpo, and are considered bolder and more aggressive than the pale coloured variety.[9]
Tibetan wolves do not form large packs, and typically travel in pairs or threes. They feed largely on hares throughout the year, marmots in summer, and large numbers of goa and sheep in winter, when deep snow impedes the latter's mobility. They rarely succeed in catching bharal, due to the rougher ground they inhabit.[2] Large numbers of wolves have been reported to reduce leopard populations in Tibet,[10] but they can be a serious problem for livestock owners. A study on livestock predation showed the wolf was the most prominent predator, accounting for 60% of the total livestock losses, followed by the snow leopard (38%) and lynx (2%). Goats were the most frequent victims (32%), followed by sheep (30%), yaks (15%), and horses (13%). Wolves killed horses significantly more and goats less than would be expected from their relative abundance.[11] Humans are occasionally targeted: Col. Stockley reported that wolves killed several children in Ladakh and Lahoul,[2] while in Japanese Korea in 1928, wolves claimed more human victims than tigers, leopards, bears and boars combined.[12]