Florida black wolf


The Florida black wolf, also known as the Florida wolf and the black wolf, is an extinct subspecies of Canis lupus that lived in Florida. This subspecies became extinct in 1908 due to crowding out of its habitat and hunting.

Species controversy

This wolf is recognized as a subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World.
At one time this canid was proposed by some authors as a subspecies of the red wolf - the red wolf once lived primarily in Texas - and that a variation in the red wolf's coloring led to the creation of the Florida black wolf. A red-colored species, known as the Florida red wolf, once resided in Florida as well, though it also became extinct in 1921. It was believed by one author that both species, instead of being subspecies of the red wolf, were actually a type of coyote, which led to the change in the trinomial name to Canis niger niger.