Iberian Wolf (1 Viewer)

jpoyner · Mar 29, 2005

Just wondered if anyone has much experience of Iberian Wolf, found in Spain and Portugal. I snapped this photo of an animal which appeared out of a deserted area of cork oak woodland near Lisbon. There is actually a wolf rehabilitaion reserve not a million miles away. As they are supposed to be smaller and lighter built than eastern european wolves I began to wonder. Or is it just a wild dog. Any thoughts?

John

Andrew Rowlands · Mar 29, 2005

Proportions look pretty good for a wolf to me John! Shame the feet aren't showing.

Andy.

Henry B · Mar 29, 2005

Looks like a GSD.

jpoyner · Mar 29, 2005

I couldn't upload this one before as it was too big. Much better shot. I wondered about the possibility of it being a hybrid perhaps, as it certainly does seem to have wolf characteristics. I'm not convinced it's 100% Wolf but certainly was not tame despite the photo. It snarled and ran when aware of us as we opened the vehicle window. With the rehabilitaion centre being not that far away I guess this is a possibility. It's a smart looking beast whatever.

J

Andrew Rowlands · Mar 29, 2005

Smart beast for sure, John but looking more dog on this latest pic. Legs seem too short (I thought the front legs looked 'long-boned' in the first shot) and the feet too small - much closer to a slightly underfed (or fit

) GSD-type.

Any photo's of Iberian Wolf on the 'net?

BarbaraM · Mar 29, 2005

Andrew Rowlands said:
Smart beast for sure, John but looking more dog on this latest pic. Legs seem too short (I thought the front legs looked 'long-boned' in the first shot) and the feet too small - much closer to a slightly underfed (or fit ) GSD-type.

Any photo's of Iberian Wolf on the 'net?

Here's a website. Barbara

http://www.il-st-acad-sci.org/mammals/dog003.html

jpoyner · Mar 29, 2005

Thanks. Facial features look good but agree that legs probably too short and feet small. The location though still makes me wonder at it being offspring of an escapee with feral/wild dog. Have no idea to what extent this happens in the wild, if at all but see no reason why not if no other mate was available.

John

PS

Though after a quick google search seems that Wolves will quite readily inter-breed with both coyotes and domestic dogs when no mate is available, and they produce fertile offspring.

Joern Lehmhus · Mar 30, 2005

Nordic dogs are very popular in Spain and they have a tendency to stray and hunt on their own.
With the animal on the photo I don´t see why this isn´t a husky or a malamute or a hybrid dog with one of those races...not a hybrid with wolf, I think...
it looks not like an iberian wolf, it is much too light coloured on the legs compared with photos of Iberian wolf I have seen.
Wolves are extremly shy on the Iberian peninsula and I doubt you would see a wolf during the day in the area you describe.

jurek · Mar 30, 2005

I second Joern in pointing that the animal is very light, unlike dark brown-grey wolf. I would contact naturalist from the area and ask them about the local wolves and their habits.

Ignacio · Mar 30, 2005

Definitely NOT a wolf...

Hello,

living in Spain I have some experience with Canis lupus signatus (the Iberian subspecies of Wolf) and I can tell you with certainty that this animal is a nordic dog, a Siberian Husky, a popular breed in the area as someone said.

You can even see the blue eye in the 2nd photo, a common feature in the breed.

Best regards from Madrid,

Ignacio.

jpoyner · Mar 30, 2005

Thanks for the feedback.......no I was not convinced by it being 100% Wolf either, but was interested in the possibility of a hybrid perhaps should a single animal have wandered from the nearby sanctuary. I'll go along with the Husky theory from the eyes too.

Thanks

John.

robshreeve · Mar 30, 2005

I think Ignacio is spot on with husky the pads on the feet and the curve from
forhead past the eye to the tip of the snout say husky to me I have chows
so I tend to look at shapes of the heads and snouts there are subtle diferences
good looking animal john good to see

barcelonanick · Apr 11, 2005

Article on Iberian Wolf

I thought people might be interested in my article on the Iberian
Wolf. It deals with most aspects of the wolf in Spain - the reasons
for the historical fall and its current recovery in Spanish wolf
populations (up to 2500), regionals differences in diets of Spanish
wolf packs, threats, the wolf in popular Spanish culture and folk
story, and loads more besides

http://www.iberianature.com/material/wolf.html

Part of a iberianature.com: A guide to the environment, geography,
climate, wildlife, natural history and landscape of Spain
BarcelonaNick

PS The article is part of my web on Spanish nature and environment
Off wolf watching for a week in Zamora in May

Allen S. Moore · Jun 14, 2005

barcelonanick said:
I thought people might be interested in my article on the Iberian
Wolf. It deals with most aspects of the wolf in Spain - the reasons
for the historical fall and its current recovery in Spanish wolf
populations (up to 2500), regionals differences in diets of Spanish
wolf packs, threats, the wolf in popular Spanish culture and folk
story, and loads more besides

http://www.iberianature.com/material/wolf.html

Part of a iberianature.com: A guide to the environment, geography,
climate, wildlife, natural history and landscape of Spain
BarcelonaNick

From Allen:
There is a mighty piece of music called Fandangu los Llobos (in the Asturian language) which contains some wolves howling or what ever the verb is. This is on a CD by Hevia, an Asturian gaita player. The CD is called Al otro lado (Al otru llau).

Jos Stratford · Jun 14, 2005

Allen S. Moore said:
barcelonanick said:

It deals with most aspects of the wolf in Spain - the reasons for the historical fall and its current recovery in Spanish wolf populations (up to 2500).

Click to expand...

This latter piece of news is very good to hear, especially given the demise of Brown Bear in the Pyrenees. Incidently, approx 600 Wolves also present up here in Lithuania.

barcelonanick · Jun 14, 2005

Jos Stratford said:
This latter piece of news is very good to hear, especially given the demise of Brown Bear in the Pyrenees. Incidently, approx 600 Wolves also present up here in Lithuania.

Yes the bear is certainly on the verge. Just 15-17 bears survive in the French and Spanish Pyrenees, though there is a timid reintroduction programme in place. Far healthier, though not 'out of the woods' yet is the Cantabrian population of bears. Over the last 14 years, the population of bears here has risen from 60 - 80 individuals to 105 - 130.

If you are interested I also keep an updated summary of news on Spanish bears here:

http://www.iberianature.com/material/spainbearnews.htm

And the iberian lynx here:
http://www.iberianature.com/material/iberianlynxnews.htm

Allen S. Moore · Jun 14, 2005

barcelonanick said:
Yes the bear is certainly on the verge. Just 15-17 bears survive in the French and Spanish Pyrenees, though there is a timid reintroduction programme in place. Far healthier, though not 'out of the woods' yet is the Cantabrian population of bears. Over the last 14 years, the population of bears here has risen from 60 - 80 individuals to 105 - 130.

If you are interested I also keep an updated summary of news on Spanish bears here:

http://www.iberianature.com/material/spainbearnews.htm

And the iberian lynx here:
http://www.iberianature.com/material/iberianlynxnews.htm

From Allen:
I read in your site about the 40,000 year old fossil of the azure-winged magpie found at Gibraltar, a species discussed elsewhere in the forum.

barcelonanick · Jun 15, 2005

Yes, this finally laid to rest the somewhat romantic idea that Portuguese sailors had brought the bird back from Asia during the 15th century. I seem to remember that DNA has since also shown the Iberian and Asain azure-winged magpies to be seperate species. they have a very interesting though not unique longuitidinal geographical distribution, reulsting from their isolation during the Quartnary Ice Ages. Other species with a similar separation are the Spanish and Asian (is that the right name?) Imperial Eagle, and also the Iberian and Eurasian Lynx - though in this case when the ices retreated the Eurasian lynx expanded back as far as the Pyrenees.

I can't spell for toffee
Cheers
Nick

Allen S. Moore · Jun 16, 2005

Pyrenees

barcelonanick said:
Yes, this finally laid to rest the somewhat romantic idea that Portuguese sailors had brought the bird back from Asia during the 15th century. I seem to remember that DNA has since also shown the Iberian and Asain azure-winged magpies to be seperate species. they have a very interesting though not unique longuitidinal geographical distribution, reulsting from their isolation during the Quartnary Ice Ages. Other species with a similar separation are the Spanish and Asian (is that the right name?) Imperial Eagle, and also the Iberian and Eurasian Lynx - though in this case when the ices retreated the Eurasian lynx expanded back as far as the Pyrenees.

I can't spell for toffee
Cheers
Nick

Ah, the Pyrenees. I'm off there on 1st August, to Ribes de Freser. Are Lammergeiers seen in the mountains up above there?
Allen

barcelonanick · Jun 16, 2005

Allen S. Moore said:
Ah, the Pyrenees. I'm off there on 1st August, to Ribes de Freser. Are Lammergeiers seen in the mountains up above there?
Allen

Yes if you're lucky. There are some 80 pairs, 70% of which are in the Aragonese Pyrenees. I seem to remember the Sierra de Guara in the Aragonese Pre-Pyrenees is the best spot.

More here; http://www.iberianature.com/material/lammergeyer.html

Iberian Wolf (1 Viewer)

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Active member

Active member

Well-known member

Eastern Exile

Active member

Well-known member

Active member

Well-known member

Active member

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread