Stats

Lifespan

6-15 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Crepuscular

Social

Pack

Biome

Coastal wetland

Range

North America

Movement

Running

Breeding

Live birth

Defense

Speed

Status

Endangered

About

This slender canid roams the dense forests and coastal prairies of the eastern states. It communicates with a unique, high-pitched howl that can travel over three miles in open terrain.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   newborn pup

   A blind newborn pup nurses and sleeps, completely dependent on its mother.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A weaned pup wrestles with littermates, learns its place in the pack, and starts eating meat.
3. 3.
   adolescent

   An adolescent canid reaches near-adult size with long legs and a thinner coat, learning to hunt cooperatively.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown and hunting alongside the pack.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Carnivora

Family

Canidae

Genus

Canis

Species

Canis rufus