What Part of the World Do Wolves Live?

North America

• North America is home to several species of wolf. The gray wolf is native to the United States and Canada. It used to be widespread across the lower 48 states but was hunted so much it almost became extinct. Now small populations have survived and more gray wolves have been introduced. Another species is the red wolf. It became extinct in the wild. However, it has been reintroduced to North Carolina. One of the smallest subspecies is the Mexican wolf. It only inhabits Arizona and New Mexico. The Arctic wolf can be found in the Canadian Arctic, while the Eastern wolf inhabits Ontario and Quebec. The Great Plains wolf and MacKenzie valley wolf can also be found in Alaska and Canada.

Europe

• Few gray wolves survive in Europe, and those that do are found in Eastern Europe bordering on Asia. The Italian wolf is a subspecies found in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. It was recognized as a subspecies in 1999. The tundra wolf is another subspecies found in northern Europe. The Russian wolf is a large subspecies found in central Russia. It is legally hunted despite its population declining.

Africa and Middle East

• Africa has several wolves found in certain areas. The Ethiopian wolf is a red-colored animal found in the Afro-alpine region of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Another rare species is the Egyptian wolf. It is only spotted in far northern Africa. It is usually tinged gray or brown, although it is rarely spotted. The gray wolf inhabits parts of the Middle East. A critically endangered wolf is the Arabian wolf. It lives in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen and is considered a nuisance animal.

South America

• Native to South America is the maned wolf. The wolf looks like a large dog with red-colored fur. It lives in Paraguay, southern Brazil, northern Argentina and eastern Bolivia. The wolf is an omnivore, feeding on small mammals, fruit and vegetation.

Asia

• The gray wolf also lives in Eurasia along with the Eurasian wolf, a subspecies of gray wolf. It lives mostly in central Asia, as well as Europe and Scandinavia. The tundra wolf is found in northern Asia and the boreal regions of Russia. Another type is the Indian wolf, a small subspecies native to Indian, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Extinct Species

• There were many more types of wolf that lived in the world that are now extinct. Extinct species to North America were the Kenai Peninsula wolf, Texas Gray wolf, southern Rocky Mountain wolf and dire wolf. The Hokkaido and Honshu wolves were native to Japanese islands.