The Florida black wolf (Canis rufus floridanus),[2][3] also known as the Florida wolf and the black wolf,[4] is an extinct subspecies of red wolf[2] that was endemic to Florida.

Florida black wolf
A Florida black wolf as drawn by James Audubon in Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species:
Subspecies:
C. r. floridanus
Trinomial name
Canis rufus floridanus
Miller, 1912[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Canis floridanus (Miller, 1912)[1]
  • Canis lupus floridanus

Species controversy

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This wolf is recognized as a subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World (2005).[2]

Currently, this canid is widely considered to be a subspecies of the red wolf Canis rufus[5] and that a variation in the red wolf's coloring led to the creation of the Florida black wolf.[6] It was believed by one author that instead of being a subspecies of the red wolf, it was actually a type of coyote.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Miller, Gerrit S. Jr. (May 4, 1912). "THE NAMES OF TWO SOUTH AMERICAN WOLVES". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 25: 95.
  2. ^ a b c d Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 575–577. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JgAMbNSt8ikC&pg=PA576
  3. ^ "Canis rufus floridanus | Miller, 1912". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Wrobel, Murray (November 18, 2006). Elsevier's Dictionary of Mammals: In Latin, English, German, French and Italian. Elsevier. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-444518774.
  5. ^ Eriksen, John (October 20, 2017). Brevard County, Florida: A Short History to 1955. ASIN B076H69FDW.
  6. ^ Denny, Lois (August 2004). Alsatian Shepalute's: A New Breed For A New Millennium. AuthorHouse. p. 42. ISBN 978-1418439224.
  7. ^ Lehr, Jay H.; Lehr, Janet K. (August 17, 2000). Standard Handbook of Environmental Science, Health, and Technology. McGraw-Hill. p. 6. ISBN 978-0070383098.