No. 62 Maned Wolf
Chrysocyon brachyurus
Found across South America in grassland, savannah and cerrado habitat.
Despite its name, the maned wolf is an ancient off-branch of the dog family distinct from other canids.
Its extremely long legs are an adaptation to make travelling through tall grass tussocks easier.
Maned wolves are omnivorous, using their long ears to detect small mammals. A large proportion of their diet is the fruit of the lobeira, or wolf-apple. This member of the solanaceae is a small shrub with a fruit like a tomato with denser flesh.
Maned wolves also have a preference for rancher’s chickens which frequently leads to wolves being shot in retaliation. Local conservation efforts are underway, however, to help build and fund wolf-proof chicken coops to help people and wolves co-exist more easily.