LoboWeek Social Media Content

LoboWeek Talking Points

• The Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) or “lobo” is the most genetically distinct lineage of gray wolves in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the most endangered mammals in North America.
• From prehistoric to fairly recent times, the Mexican wolf, or lobo, ranged from central and northern Mexico to western Texas, southern New Mexico, and central Arizona.
• Adult Mexican wolves typically weigh 65-85 pounds, average 4.5-5.5 feet from nose to tail, and stand 28-32 inches at the shoulder.
• Like all wolves, the Mexican gray wolf is a social creature with an intricate system of communication and social structure.
• The Mexican gray wolf was listed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species in May 1976, and was considered extinct in the wild up until their reintroduction in 1998 into Arizona and New Mexico.
• The Mexican gray wolf is not only the most genetically distinct of North American gray wolves, but its ancestors were also likely the first gray wolves to cross the Bering Land Bridge into North America during the Pleistocene era!
• There are currently 186 Mexican gray wolves known to remain in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico, and there is a separate population of 45 wolves living in northern Mexico.