Prairie wolves invade every state of the United States, except for Hawaii

Each year, about 400,000 coyote wolves are killed, but they are still growing and are now present in 49/50 states of the United States, even moving toward South America.

When he began studying wolves in North America, Stan Gehrt, a biologist at Ohio State University, thought that they could only exist in forests or parks, but he soon found himself. underestimated this animal.

"They went beyond what we thought were their limits. Now we see them everywhere, every neighborhood, every city or downtown. The only place we don't meet them. they are airports, because they were killed there, " said Gehrt.

Coyote is continuing to thrive and thrive, even in places where humans are crowded.(Photo: Guardian).

Distributed throughout the United States

Native to two-thirds of the United States to the west, prairie wolves began expanding their activity in the early 20th century. The habitat of this species has increased by 40% since the decade. in the 1950s, twice the rate of any other predator in North America. They are present in every US state except Hawaii.

Because gray wolves - the natural enemies of prairie wolves - are nearly extinct, while the demand for belts made from their skins has decreased, and the plentiful food source in the suburbs, prairie wolves North America is multiplying stronger than ever. Millions of years of evolution also have helped the species adapt to environmental change.

"They have an amazing balance between being brave enough to hunt, attack or kill a prey, while still being shy enough to avoid being killed by the stronger," Gehrt said. specified.

From New York City to Florida or Hollywood, no city or weather is too harsh for wolves. Recently, they were discovered in Panama, the first time in history appeared in South America.

When will they stop here? That is the question many urban biologists are interested in. Up to now, grass wolves have overcome most of the traditional obstacles, even epidemics.

Mr. Roland Kays, a zoologist at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, has spent years studying the growth and spread of continental wolves."They barely level off in most areas, " Kays said.

When a person encounters a prairie wolf while walking a dog in San Francisco, scientists are urging people to learn to live peacefully with this animal.(Photo: Guardian).

Although known to be highly adaptable animals, prairie wolves also have two rigid behaviors: they are very faithful - a pair of males will live together until one of the animals dies; and they need to live in a fixed territory.

This territorialism, according to Gehrt, could be a factor that helps limit their spread. Normally, when the lips are no longer suitable, it is thought that the number of wolves will not increase anymore. But in Chicago, these animals have crept into every corner, even in the busy downtown district. If a young wolf cannot find a new territory, its parents will cede part of the territory for their child to settle down.

Going to South America

Territorial instincts also make killing wolves to control numbers ineffective. When one wolf is killed, another will take over that territory. In addition, the scientists found that when the number of wolves killed increased, the young wolves entered reproductive age faster, and the female wolves produced more children in a litter.

Disease is also another factor that limits the reproduction of wildlife, but Gehrt found that with the exception of a number of minor illnesses, the cause of death of most wolves in Chicago came from a car accident. Even city wolves are in better health than their counterparts in the countryside.

For some animals with specialized menus, a shortage of food can also limit the population increase. But coyotes, like humans, are omnivores. They can eat both fruits and vegetables, abundant food sources in the suburbs. However, most urban wolves still hunt a lot of wild prey, especially rabbits and squirrels, rather than scavenging or finding human food.

Like it or not, prairie wolves were thriving in the Anthropocene era - when humans dominated, in contrast to most other animals."This is a really interesting evolution story happening right before our eyes , " said Kays.

A wolf died after ingesting cyanide baits installed by the US Department of Environment's Wildlife Service (EPA).The US government kills about 80,000 wild wolves each year.(Photo: Center for Biological Diversity).

As a matter of fact, the coyotes, after conquering the entire American continent, tend to head south. The first wolves were discovered in Panama in 2013, after deforestation provided a favorable habitat for them.

The Darien Gap Swamp is now the last hurdle of wolves in the North America on its way to the continent of South America. Once they pass, Kays says, "they are likely to have complete control of non-continental forests, such as agricultural lands in Colombia, Venezuela or Brazil."

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