The Maned wolf is named for the black hair that grows on its shoulders and its wolf-like size. However, it is not a true wolf. Instead, it more closely resembles a red fox on stilts. Its long legs are designed for walking in tall grasses and do not make the Maned wolf run any faster. In fact, it is not s swift runner at all.
Food
The Maned wolf eats a wide variety of food, depending on availability. Its diet includes small rodents, armadillos, birds, fish, insects and reptiles. Fruits make up about half of its diet. To capture prey, the Maned wolf slowly stalks it and then pounces on it much like a fox.
Habitat
The Maned wolf lives in South America and prefers grasslands and scrub forests.
Social Structure
The social structure of the Maned wolf is not certain, but studies suggest that the wolves live in monogamous pairs in non-overlapping territories of about 11 square miles. The male and female seem to have little contact outside of mating season.
Birth & Offspring
The Maned wolf starts having pups at two years of age. They generally have between 2 and 5 pups per year after a gestation period of about 65 days. The father’s role in raising the offspring in the wild is uncertain, but in captivity, the father feeds the young by regurgitation.
Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
