Kingdom Animalia Order Carnivora Genus Canis Higher classification Gray wolf | Phylum Chordata Family Canidae Scientific name Canis lupus manningi Rank Subspecies | |
Similar Greenland wolf, Labrador wolf, Vancouver Island wolf, Canis, Gray wolf | ||
The Baffin Island wolf (Canis lupus manningi), also known as the Baffin Island tundra wolf, is a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupus, which resides exclusively on Baffin Island and several nearby islands. It was not formally recognized as a subspecies until 1943, when it was given its taxonomic classification by Anderson.
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Description
The Baffin Island wolf is described as being light colored, sometimes white, and unusually small, as compared to other wolf subspecies. It is proposed to be the smallest of all Arctic wolf types.
History
Early records and evidence suggest that the wolves in western Greenland migrated there from Baffin Island and are, thus, descendants of the Baffin Island wolf subspecies.
In 1966, a study was conducted on the Baffin Island wolf, of which a preliminary assessment had been made the year before in 1965 at Wordie Bay, by the University of Toronto. It was helped by students from the university as well.