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The Habitat of the Ethiopian Wolves

The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), one of the most endangered canids in the world, occupies the top predator niche within a very limited range of mountainous grasslands in its namesake country. The species once ranged across all Ethiopian provinces, but habitat loss, disease and hybridization eliminated most populations. Brightly colored and smaller than gray wolves, this species resembles a fox in coloration and a coyote in stature.

Range
- Limited to the African country of Ethiopia, near the Horn of Africa, Canis simensis claims a native range only above 3,000 meters, although early 20th-century reports also cite individuals around elevations of 2,500 meters. Per the International Union of Concerned Scientists, (IUCN), the seven Ethiopian mountain ranges currently retaining populations include the Simien Mountains, North and South Wollo Highlands, Mount Guna, the Arsi Mountains, the Menz region and the Bale Mountains. More than half of the remaining population lives in the Bale range.
Ecosystem
- Adapted for life on mountains above the treeline, the wolves prefer areas with significant shortgrass cover. This ecosystem requires conditions not typical of mountain ranges: deep and poorly drained soils. The deep soils hold water throughout the year, so even during times of drought the grass still grows because of the stored subsurface water. High mountain elevations typically see any soil material washed into the valleys below, but small pockets of flat terrain allow the creation of this ecosystem. The wolves also roam areas with shallow soil and scrubbier terrain, which better typifies most areas between a mountain's treeline and snowline.
Prey
- Molerats and hares, along with other rodents, make up the overwhelming majority of an Ethiopian wolf's diet. These creatures rely on grassland for food and cover, foraging continuously for food and excavating burrows and dens in the deep soils. Canis simensis possesses an elongated snout to pursue its prey into these areas. Although the wolves live in packs, they hunt alone due to their prey's small size.
Future Survival
- With a total population estimated around 500 as of 2011 and trending downward, the outlook for this highly specialized canid remains doubtful as farmers continue encroaching on the grassland habitat favored by the species. With the farmers come domesticated dogs, which spread rabies and distemper through the wild populations. Hybridization with these same dogs represents another threat by diminishing, diluting and corrupting the remaining wolves' gene pool.

Nature