Eastern Timber Wolf
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[Photo] Eastern Timber Wolf in the zoo of Stadt Haag, Austria. Date 2007-03-28. Author Christian Jansky (User:Tschaensky http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tschaensky)

The Eastern Timber Wolf (Canis lupus lycaon) is an endangered subspecies of the Gray Wolf and is native to North America. "Timber wolf" used to refer to any North American wolf that lived within forested areas, but this designation has more recently been reserved for this specific subspecies of the grey wolf with the help of contemporary genetic findings. Eastern Timber Wolves should not be mistaken for the Eastern Canadian Wolf, Canis lycaon. Originally thought to be the same animal, new genetic testing and data has revealed that wolves occupying the Algonquin Park region in Canada are actually a separate species more closely related to the Red Wolf. There is still a great deal of turmoil in the scientific community as this change is being undertaken.

Physical Attributes
The Eastern Timber Wolf is one of the larger subspecies of grey wolves, especially in length, which generally varies from 150 to 180 centimetres (58.5-70 inches), including the tail. Larger individuals can have tails up to 50 cm (19.5 inches) in length, and can approach 200 cm (78 inches) in length overall. Typical height ranges from 65 to 85 centimetres (25-33 inches) at the shoulder. While eastern timber wolves can achieve weights of up to 45 kilograms (100 lb), the average male weighs around 35 kilograms (77 lb), while females weigh about 30 kilograms(66 lb).

Timber Wolves typically have silver or gray-brown coats with a lighter tan or cream undercoat. During winter months fur colorations tend to become darker.

Diet
Natural prey for Eastern Timber Wolves include deer, hares, mice, muskrat, and beaver. Prey changes seasonally for wolves. Their favourite prey are beavers in summer, and White-tailed Deer and caribou in the winter months.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Timber_Wolf

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