Has anyone ever seen a Gray Wolf in Texas?

[erikm1981]

My wife swears she saw one last week,,but she wouldn't know the differnece between a wolf and dog..I keep telling her it was a coyote,dog, anything but a wolf.

[Cuz]

There are most definitely Red Wolves in Texas.

No, there are not! Sorry buddy...

[xman59]

the only wolf i have seen certainly looked like a grey and it was less than 1 mile outside lumberton city limits about 6 years ago

[TxAg]

There may be another possibility here. If I am remembering correctly (which is debatable since my memory is not as sharp as it used to be) there is some debate that the Red Wolf is actually a cross between the Grey Wolf and the Coyote.

If that's the case, the Red Wolf is a hybrid and the hybridization is a spectrum between the two. In other words, some specimens are more Grey Wolf and some are more Coyote (just as in dog breeds).

The picture may be an individual Red Wolf that is simply more slanted toward the Grey Wolf species. It's probably more likely though that it's either an escaped "farm" raised Grey Wolf or it's photo shopped.

I'd like to see the photo too.

From wiki:

The origins of the Red Wolf line are 1–2 Ma, branching from a wolf-coyote ancestor, which itself appeared about 4.9 Ma.[6][7] The Red Wolf shared this ancestor with the Gray Wolf, the Eastern Wolf, and the Coyote. Between 150 000–300 000 years ago, the North American branch evolved into the Red Wolf, Eastern Wolf and the Coyote.[8] A wolf-like branch migrated to Eurasia and evolved into the Gray Wolf, which later migrated to North America.[7] Recent research has created debate over the taxonomy of the red wolf, specifically whether it should be a species or a subspecies within the Grey Wolf;

[fletcherfor2]

No, there are not! Sorry buddy...

Gee...the biology studies I have read say there are. I wonder whose sources are wrong?

[TreeCrab]

No, there are not! Sorry buddy...

Sorry if I'm missing the sarcasm.... But, how do you know?

[fletcherfor2]

From wiki:

The origins of the Red Wolf line are 1–2 Ma, branching from a wolf-coyote ancestor, which itself appeared about 4.9 Ma.[6][7] The Red Wolf shared this ancestor with the Gray Wolf, the Eastern Wolf, and the Coyote. Between 150 000–300 000 years ago, the North American branch evolved into the Red Wolf, Eastern Wolf and the Coyote.[8] A wolf-like branch migrated to Eurasia and evolved into the Gray Wolf, which later migrated to North America.[7] Recent research has created debate over the taxonomy of the red wolf, specifically whether it should be a species or a subspecies within the Grey Wolf;

Thank you for finding this. I find Wikipedia useful many times also. It is not, however, the ultimate scientific authority. Like I said earlier, there is debate and other opinion on the subject.

[Cuz]

If there are Red Wolves CURRENTLY LIVING IN THE WILD IN TEXAS then prove it. Kill one, show us a trail cam pic (not shopped), show us a current LDP, etc...
I guess you think there are Black Panthers cruise'n around too?

[Cuz]

Sorry if I'm missing the sarcasm.... But, how do you know?

How do you know there are?

[Limbwalker]

I've seen gray wolves, black panthers, chupacabra's and jackelopes too...

Honest!

[snappertapper]

If there are Red Wolves CURRENTLY LIVING IN THE WILD IN TEXAS then prove it. Kill one, show us a trail cam pic (not shopped), show us a current LDP, etc...
I guess you think there are Black Panthers cruise'n around too?

this...

[AtTheWall]

My Grandpa, Dad and I spotted a lone gray wolf in Robertson County back in 1967. We had a heavily timbered property we hunted, well before the lake went in and development. Farmers there planted peanuts and the timber in the region was classic Texas hardwoods. There was a small pack of them that lived along the river bottom and periodically we would hear them howl, spotted their tracks working through a sandy loam ravine that fed down to this river bottom. The river was dammed and development took over. I think the lack of heavy cattle operations there with mostly farming gave these animals a last stand before that pack finally died off. Wolves howl way differently than a coyote...deeper without the frequent yelping. I've heard them along the Washington State - Canada border hunting up there in the late 90s. The same dog song sound.

I remember that sighting very well. We were cutting hickory and took a long lunch break. I spotted it roughly 80 yards out in the timber, it stopped and stared long enough for all of us to get an excellent visual. Way larger than a coyote and slightly bigger than a German Shepherd, it simply turned and ran off. It still had it's winter coat.....we were cutting in the late winter after deer season.

[fletcherfor2]

If there are Red Wolves CURRENTLY LIVING IN THE WILD IN TEXAS then prove it. Kill one, show us a trail cam pic (not shopped), show us a current LDP, etc...
I guess you think there are Black Panthers cruise'n around too?

You are more than welcome to think whatever you want to Cuz. I am merely reporting on a thread (that asks the question) what I have read from the biological community in conjunction with the Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists.

I don't have any idea why you choose to project that to mean that I also believe there are black panthers, pink elephants or any thing else and why I should have to prove it to you. Do your own research.

Or I guess you can just continue to jump all over me or anyone else that has read something published in a scientific journal that disagrees with your opinions.

[TxAg]

Thank you for finding this. I find Wikipedia useful many times also. It is not, however, the ultimate scientific authority. Like I said earlier, there is debate and other opinion on the subject.

I hear ya. I wasn't trying to be a butt.

[snappertapper]

You are more than welcome to think whatever you want to Cuz. I am merely reporting on a thread (that asks the question) what I have read from the biological community in conjunction with the Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists.

would like to see the literature behind this.