Rio and Paulo: littermates, born December 1, 2010 at the Alexandria Zoological Park in Louisiana. They arrived at the Zoo on October 3, 2012. Paulo has a longer tail.
This wolf has a long golden-red haircoat with the longest hairs along the nape of the neck. They have long, dark legs, which may have been an adaptation for travel through muddy swamps while hunting. The hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs.
Longevity
Maned wolves have a typical lifespan of 12-13 years in zoos. Their lifespan in the wild is not known, but is likely to be shorter than in zoos.
Behavior
This wolf inhabits large home ranges and lives a solitary lifestyle except for a mother and pups. When hunting, the maned wolf will tap the ground with its front feet to flush out prey and pounce on it for a meal. They will dig with their teeth versus digging with their paws when hunting and locating food.
Reproduction
Maned wolves are monogamous. Breeding pairs only come together during the breeding season and they do share and defend the same territories. Gestation is about 55-65 days and litter sizes average 1-3 pups. At birth, the pups weigh around 13 ounces (368g).
Conservation Status
On the 2012 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the maned wolf is listed as Near Threatened.
To learn more about the conservation efforts at the Philadelphia Zoo, click here.