Wolf (Canis lupus)

[TheNormalGuy]

(06-06-2021, 01:22 AM)LoveAnimals Wrote: I wonder if anyone has mentioned the Kenai Peninsula Wolf here?

I find this subspecies of wolves extremely interesting, sadly it is extinct due to humans.

This might have been the largest subspecies of Canis lupus to ever exist truly.
Compare its skull to a general grey wolf skull

*This image is copyright of its original author

This site describes it as a very large carnivore who had an alleged shoulder height of 90–115 cm (seems exaggerated, a wolf as tall as a tiger?) and a weight between 67–90 kg.

https://wolf-stuff.com/blogs/wolf-facts/...nsula-wolf

This would make the wolf was big as cougars and leopards on average/max weight

*This image is copyright of its original author

WHAT ?

Wolves occurs currently in the Kenai Peninsula for your information.

Did you happen to read Wolves of the Kenai Peninsula (1984) by Rolf. O. Peterson, James D. Woolington and Theodore N. Bailey ?

I compiled over 100 weights from individuals wolves of that location from 1976 to 1995.

The average adult male is [from what i compiled] barely under 100 lbs (99,04 lbs or 44,94 kg) [n = 41] while the average adult female is [from what i compiled] just above 77 lbs (77,17 lbs or 35,01 kg) [n = 50].

The Heaviest Weight of adult males and females i compiled of this location, which is Unit 7 & 15 of Alaska is :

98 lbs (44,5 kg) for the female
121 lbs (54,9 kg) for the male

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About the subspecies, i do not know much about Alces.

Mech did suggests to simplify and take into consideration that there is only 5 main types of wolves in North America :

- Arctic Wolf
- Alexander Archipelago
- Northwestern Wolf
- Mexican Wolf
- Eastern Wolf (Now debated, debated on if it should be a species of it's own or remain a sub-species)

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Edit : The Skull on Wikipedia Appears Large but the wolf wouldn't be much bigger than any of the biggest wolves types. In the late 1800's and early 1900's claims of very very large wolves and other animals were thrown there and there.

If anything, that skull is the skull of very large wolf specimen of the subspecie which is likely an wolf that would be in the range of 55 - 70 kg.

Which is the size of larger wolves of populations of Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia or Yellowstone.

Wolves in the Kanuti Wildlife Refuge (Unit 24B) in Alaska had an average for five males (yearling or older, but likely all adults males) [Adults were considered as >12 months for that study of Wilk (1990), so i can't know for sure].

But yeah, the average of  these 5 males was 117.2 lbs or 53,14 kg. They fed on Moose for a living.

Although not impossible to have a greater size , the Kenai Peninsula Wolf as the "Subspecies" is known as [for me and many, it would be included in the alaskan subspecie] was and is very unlikely to be much, if any, bigger than other populations of wolves.

Here is Wilk (1990) publication : CAPTURE OF GRAY WOLVES IN THE KANUTI REFUGE : INITIATION OF FIVE-YEAR STUDY Reply