Three wolf species you may not know much about

For as long as humans have lived on Earth, wolves have existed alongside us, from the tundra of North America to the islands of Japan. Here are just a few of the world’s remarkable wolf species.

Arctic Wolves

Arctic wolves are a sub-species of gray wolf that lives in the frozen northern tundra. Their beautiful white coats enable them to blend into their snowy surroundings as they hunt for arctic hares, lemmings and even caribou and bulky muskoxen.

In some ways, Arctic wolves are lucky to live in such a distant part of the globe. Their isolation makes them one of the only grey wolf sub-species to not be threatened by widespread hunting. However, increased mining and oil drilling may put their food supply at risk.

Ethiopian Wolves

The rare and mysterious Ethiopian wolf lives in Ethiopia’s highlands. Fewer than 500 of them survive in the wild, making them one of the most endangered wolf species in the world.

These wolves have some of the most unusual diets of wolf species including, of all things, nectar! The highlands of Ethiopia contain large flowers, which the wolves have learned to lick for the sweet liquids inside.

But the flowers have the last laugh. When the wolves steal nectar, their noses become caked in pollen, which then gets transferred between flowers. This unusual relationship makes wolves the world’s biggest carnivorous pollinators.

Japanese Wolves

Japanese folklore is full of stories about wolves. The Japanese wolf, known for its tiny ears, lived for thousands of years in Japan. Although they were technically a sub-species of gray wolf, the Japanese wolves diverged from their larger cousins and soon became genetically distinct.

Tragically, the Japanese wolves are no more. The entire species was wiped out by the early 1900s after a systematic extermination campaign. Now, they remain only in story and myth.

The tragic tale of the Japanese wolf should remind us that we can’t take any species for granted. And once a species is wiped out, there’s no way to turn back the clock.