The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a large South American canine featured in the Grasslands Animal Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description
General[]
Population In Wild: 17,000
Found in the wood, grass and scrubland of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the maned wolf (or Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a species of canid named for the dark, thick mane running down the centre of its neck to its shoulder blades. It has long, thin limbs and an overall lanky appearance. The maned wolf is covered in red, shaggy fur on its body, and short, black fur on its legs. Male and female maned wolves are similar in size and appearance, standing 73cm to 95cm tall at the shoulder. They are 95cm to 115cm long, with the tail adding another 30cm to 40cm, and weigh between 20kg and 29kg.
The maned wolf is categorised as Near Threatened due to habitat destruction, persecution from farmers, sport hunting and live capture. It is thought to have gone extinct in most, if not all, of its historic ranges in Uruguay. Suitable environments in their native range is often turned into agricultural land, and increasing urbanisation means they are often killed on roads or catch diseases from domestic dogs. While it is a protected species across much of its range, the enforcement of this protection remains lacking. Conservation efforts revolve around raising awareness about vaccination rates in domestic dogs and road safety, as well as conducting research into maned wolf endocrinology in hopes of improving reproductive success.
Social[]
In the wild, maned wolves live in mated pairs on large territories. Despite being a mated pair, the wolves remain distant from each other and mostly live independently.
Reproduction[]
Little is known about the mating and reproduction of maned wolves and most of the information about their reproductive behaviour stems from observation of captive individuals. A mated pair of an adult male and female lives in a territory of up to 30km², but it is unknown how they court to establish a bond. It is likely that young wolves without a mate track each other via scent. Female maned wolves are induced ovulators, meaning they only release eggs when males are nearby. Maned wolves usually breed once a year, at which time the female will be fertile for up to 10 days and mate with her partner several times.
After a pregnancy of 63 to 67 days, she gives birth to 1 to 6 cubs, but usually 2 or 3. The mother is mostly responsible for caring for the offspring. While the male may occasionally help feed the cubs, the pair mostly remains distant from each other. The female spends the first 4 weeks after birth nursing the cubs and only leaves their den for short periods to feed herself. After this period, she begins feeding regurgitated food to the cubs and starts weaning them. At 8 to 10 weeks old, cubs start eating solid food and accompanying their mother on foraging trips.
Maned wolves reach sexual maturity at 1 year old, which is when they leave their mother, but are unlikely to reproduce until at least 2 years old. In captivity, breeding maned wolves appears to be more successful than in the wild, and captive males seem to be more involved in raising their offspring than their wild counterparts.
Animal Care[]
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Dry Kibble · Small Vertebrates · Fruit and Vegetables | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- The maned wolf has particularly long legs, which are an adaptation for hunting in long grass.
- Maned wolves have particularly strong smelling urine that is used for marking their territory.
- Despite its name, the maned wolf is not a true wolf. It is the only member of the genus 'Chrysocyon', which translates to 'golden dog' from Greek.
- Maned wolf cubs are black at birth and their fur gradually changes to red as they age.
- Maned wolves are omnivores, and in the wild up to 90% of their diet are made up of the ‘wolf apples’, the fruit of a tree native to the Cerrado.
Gallery
