The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost locally extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of a red fox but it is neither a fox nor a wolf. It is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon (from Greek [], "golden dog"). The maned wolf's young pups appear to have darker fur than the bronze, grown ones.
It is the largest canine in South America, weighing and up to at the withers. Its slender legs and dense reddish coat give it a distinctive appearance. The maned wolf is a crepuscular and omnivorous animal adapted to the open environments of the South American savanna, with an important role in the seed dispersal of fruits, especially the wolf apple (Solanum lycocarpum). The maned wolf is a solitary animal. It communicates primarily by scent marking, but also gives a loud call known as "roar-barking".
This mammal lives in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in the Cerrado of south, central-west, and southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, northern Argentina, and Bolivia east and north of the Andes, and far southeastern Peru (Pampas del Heath only). It is very rare in Uruguay, possibly being displaced completely through loss of habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as near threatened, while it is considered a vulnerable species by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. In 2011, a female maned wolf, run over by a truck, underwent stem cell treatment at the in the first recorded case of the use of stem cells to heal injuries in a wild animal.
Etymology The term maned wolf is an allusion to the mane of the nape. It is known locally as (meaning "large fox") in the Guarani language, or in the Toba Qom language, in Portuguese, and , , , or in Spanish. The term lobo, "wolf", originates from the Latin . Guará and aguará originated from Tupi-Guarani agoa'rá, "by the fuzz". It also is called borochi in Bolivia.Ferreira, A. B. H. (1986). Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa 2ª ed. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira
Taxonomy Although the maned wolf displays many fox-like characteristics, it is not closely related to foxes. It lacks the almond-shaped pupils found distinctively in foxes. The maned wolf's evolutionary relationship to the other members of the canid family makes it a unique animal.
Electrophoretic studies did not link Chrysocyon with any of the other living canids studied. One conclusion of this study is that the maned wolf is the only species among the large South American canids that survived the late Pleistocene extinction. Fossils of the maned wolf from the Holocene and the late Pleistocene have been excavated from the Brazilian Highlands.
A 2003 study on the brain anatomy of several canids placed the maned wolf together with the Falkland Islands wolf and with pseudo-foxes of the genus Pseudalopex. One study based on DNA evidence showed that the extinct genus Dusicyon, comprising the Falkland Islands wolf and its mainland relative, was the most closely related species to the maned wolf in historical times, and that about seven million years ago it shared a common ancestor with that genus. A 2015 study reported genetic signatures in maned wolves that are indicative of population expansion followed by contraction that took place during Pleistocene interglaciations about 24,000 years before present.
The maned wolf is not closely related to canids found outside South America. It is not a fox, wolf, coyote, or jackal, but a distinct canid; though, based only on morphological similarities, it previously had been placed in the Canis and Vulpes genera. Its closest living relative is the bush dog (genus Speothos), and it has a more distant relationship to other South American canines (the short-eared dog, the crab-eating fox, and the South American foxes).
Description
The species was described in 1815 by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger, initially as Canis brachyurus. Lorenz Oken classified it as Vulpes cancosa, and only in 1839 did Charles Hamilton Smith describe the genus Chrysocyon. Other authors later considered it as a member of the Canis genus. Fossils of Chrysocyon dated from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs were collected in one of Peter Wilheim Lund expeditions to Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais (Brazil). The specimen is kept in the South American Collection of the Zoologisk Museum in Denmark. Since no other record exists of fossils in other areas, the species is suggested to have evolved in this geographic region.
The maned wolf bears minor similarities to the red fox, although it belongs to a different genus and is considerably larger and differently built. The average adult weighs and stands up to tall at the shoulder, and has a head-body length of , with the tail adding another . Its ears are large and long .
The maned wolf is the tallest of the wild canids; its long legs are probably an adaptation to the tall grasslands of its native habitat. Fur of the maned wolf may be reddish-brown to golden orange on the sides with long, black legs and a distinctive black mane. The coat is marked further with a whitish tuft at the tip of the tail and a white "bib" beneath the throat. The mane is erectile and typically is used to enlarge the wolf's profile when threatened or when displaying aggression. Melanistic maned wolves do exist, but are rare. The first photograph of a black adult maned wolf was taken by a camera trap in northern Minas Gerais in Brazil in 2013.
The skull can be identified by its reduced carnassials, small upper incisors, and long canine teeth. Like other canids, it has 42 teeth with the dental formula . The maned wolf's rhinarium extends to the upper lip, similar to the bush dog, but its vibrissae are longer. The skull also features a prominent sagittal crest.
The maned wolf's footprints are similar to those of the dog, but have disproportionately small plantar pads when compared to the well-opened digit marks.Leite Pitman, M.R.P., Gomes de Oliveira, T., Paula, R. C., and Indrusiak, C. (eds.) (2002). Manual de identificação, prevenção e controle de predação por carnívoros. Associação Pró-carnívoros/IBAMA. Brasília, Brasil.Borges, Paulo André Lima and Tomas, Walfrido Moraes (2008)Guia de Rastros e outros vestígios de mamíferos do Pantanal. Embrapa Pantanal. The dog has pads up to three times larger than the maned wolf's footprint. These pillows have a triangular shape. The front footprints are long and wide, and those of the hind feet are long and wide. One feature that differentiates the maned wolf's footprint from those of other South American canids is the proximal union of the third and fourth digits.
The maned wolf also is known for the distinctive cannabis-like odor of its territory markings, which has earned it the nickname "skunk wolf".
Genetics Genetically, the maned wolf has 37 pairs of autosomes within diploid genes, with a karyotype similar to that of other canids. It has 76 chromosomes, so cannot interbreed with other canids. Evidence suggests that 15,000 years ago, the species suffered a reduction in its genetic diversity, called the bottleneck effect. However, its diversity is still greater than that of other canids.
Ecology and behavior Hunting and territoriality The maned wolf is a twilight animal, but its activity pattern is more related to the relative humidity and temperature, similar to that observed with the bush dog (Speothos venaticus). Peak activity occurs between 8 and 10 am, and 8 and 10 pm. On cold or cloudy days, they can be active all day. The species is likely to use open fields for foraging and more closed areas, such as riparian forests, to rest, especially on warmer days.
Unlike most large canids (such as the gray wolf, the African hunting dog, or the dhole), the maned wolf is a solitary animal and does not form packs. It typically hunts alone, usually between sundown and midnight, rotating its large ears to listen for prey animals in the grass. It taps the ground with a front foot to flush out the prey and pounce to catch it. It kills prey by biting on the neck or back, and shaking the prey violently if necessary.
Monogamous pairs may defend a shared territory around , although outside of mating, the individuals may meet only rarely. The territory is crisscrossed by paths that they create as they patrol at night. Several adults may congregate in the presence of a plentiful food source, for example, a fire-cleared patch of grassland that would leave small vertebrate prey exposed while foraging.
Both female and male maned wolves use their urine to communicate, e.g. to mark their hunting paths or the places where they have buried hunted prey. The urine has a very distinctive odor, which some people liken to hops or cannabis. The responsible substance very likely is a pyrazine, which also occurs in both plants. At the Rotterdam Zoo, this smell once set the police on a hunt for cannabis smokers. The preferred habitat of the maned wolf includes grasslands, scrub prairies, and forests.
Reproduction and life cycle
Their mating season ranges from November to April. Gestation lasts 60 to 65 days, and a litter may have from two to six black-furred pups, each weighing roughly . Pups are fully grown when one year old. During that first year, the pups rely on their parents for food.
Data on the maned wolf's estrus and reproductive cycle mainly come from captive animals, particularly about breeding endocrinology. Hormonal changes of maned wolves in the wild follow the same variation pattern of those in captivity. Females ovulate spontaneously, but some authors suggest that the presence of a male is important for estrus induction.
Captive animals in the Northern Hemisphere breed between October and February and in the Southern Hemisphere between August and October. This indicates that photoperiod plays an important role in maned wolf reproduction, mainly due to the production of semen. Generally, one estrus occurs per year. The amount of sperm produced by the maned wolf is lower compared to those of other canids.
Copulation occurs during the four-day estrus period, and lasts up to 15 minutes. Courtship is similar to that of other canids, characterized by frequent approaches and anogenital investigation.
Gestation lasts 60 to 65 days and a litter may have from two to six pups. One litter of seven has been recorded. Birthing has been observed in May in the Canastra Mountains, but data from captive animals suggest that births are concentrated between June and September. The maned wolf reproduces with difficulty in the wild, with a high rate of infant mortality. Females can go up to two years without breeding. Breeding in captivity is even more difficult, especially in temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Pups are born weighing between . They begin their lives with black fur, becoming red after 10 weeks. The eyes open at about 9 days of age. They are nursed up to 4 months. Afterwards, they are fed by their parents by regurgitation, starting on the third week of age and lasting up to 10 months. Three-month-old pups begin to accompany their mother while she forages. Males and females both engage in parental care, but it is primarily done by the females. Data on male parental care have been collected from captive animals, and little is known whether this occurs frequently in the wild. Maned wolves reach sexual maturity at one year of age, when they leave their birth territory.
The maned wolf's longevity in the wild is unknown, but estimates in captivity are between 12 and 15 years. A report was made of an individual at the São Paulo Zoo that lived to be 22 years old.
Diet