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Wolf or Fox?
Neither. Though termed a wolf, this animal resembles a large red fox and is placed in a genus of its own. True wolves are strict carnivores but the maned wolf is omnivorous. This means that they eat a variety of foods including fruits and vegetables, insects, rodents, birds and bird eggs, grasses, and have been recorded eating small deer. Most prey is stalked and pounced on like a fox.
Maned wolves do not howl but emit loud roaring barks to signal other wolves. These barks are most commonly heard during the breeding season. Submissive whining and "puffing" noises to pups are other vocalizations. Females emit a loud call signifying submission to males.
The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. It has long bushy red fur with a black muzzle and black stockings and feet. The tail is partly white. The dark mane on the back of the neck and top of the shoulders can be raised during stressful encounters and is the source of the common name, maned wolf.
Although considered endangered by the Argentine and Brazilian governments, little is known about the social life of the wild maned wolves. Mostly solitary, males and females form mated pairs and share territory but are associated closely only during the breeding and pupping season. After a 63-day gestation, the female gives birth to one to six pups in a shallow "den" in the grass. We have learned from animals in captivity that males play an important role in raising young along with the female.
Next-door neighbor
In an effort to provide a more natural habitat in captivity, Fossil Rim houses a breeding pair of maned wolves with a capybara, the world’s largest rodent. Capybara, a semi-aquatic animal, inhabits some of the same habitat as maned wolves in the wild. Aside from a bit of good-natured chasing of the capybara by some wolf pups, these two species have proven to be totally compatible.
These species can be viewed on the Behind the Scenes tours only.
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