Maned wolves have the most incredibly long legs, a characteristic that helps them see above the tall grasses of central South America. They hunt mainly at night and during dusk and dawn hours, while the days are spent dozing in areas of thick bush cover. Unlike other wolves that live in packs, maned wolves are solitary. Mated pairs share a home range but remain fairly independent of each other at all times except during the breeding season.
Scientific name: Chrysocyon brachyurus
Rank: Species
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Indiscriminate eater
Maned wolves like to eat fruit but will take birds if they get a chance.
Maned wolves like to eat fruit but will take birds if they get a chance.
Maned wolves at night
Night-vision cameras give insight to the secret night life of the maned wolf.
Night-vision cameras give insight to the secret night life of the maned wolf.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Maned wolf can be found in a number of locations including: South America. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Maned wolf distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Near Threatened
Population trend: Unknown
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America, resembling a large fox with reddish fur.
This mammal is found in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in south, central-west and south-eastern Brazil (Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Goiás, São Paulo, Federal District and recently Rio Grande do Sul), Paraguay, northern Argentina, Bolivia east and north of the Andes, and far south-eastern Peru (Pampas del Heath only). It is very rare in Uruguay, being possibly extirpated.IUCN lists it as near threatened, while it is considered vulnerable by the Brazilian government (IBAMA). It is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon. It is locally known as aguará guazú (meaning "large fox" in the Guarani language), lobo de crin, lobo de los esteros or lobo colorado, and as lobo-guará in Brazil. It is also called borochi in Bolivia.
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