What exactly is an Indian wolf?

Indian wolves (Canis lupus pallipes) live in grasslands and are adapted to arid habitats -short hair, small body size. Out of all worldwide wolves, they probably live in the highest human and dog densities landscapes. We think there are only 2,000-3,000 Indian wolves left in India and an unknown, but declining number, in Pakistan.

 

An Indian wolf from the Central Indian grasslands. Photographer: Mihir Godbole, The Grasslands Trust

Indian wolves are special -- they are the oldest wolf lineage in the world. This means they branched off from other extant wolf populations earliest, over 100,000 years ago. Their neighbor, the Himalayan (also called Tibetan) wolf, is also an ancient lineage. All other wolves fall into a broader Holarctic lineage.

 

The three major lineages of gray wolves in the world

Our genetic research has shown this special wolf is only found in India and parts of Pakistan. Wolves that live in Iran to Turkey are actually more closely related to wolves in Europe and North America than they are to Indian wolves.

 

The estimated distribution of the Indian wolf lineage

Finally, Indian wolves face so many threats to their existence. In Pakistan, there may be only a handful of wolf packs left. In India, almost the whole population is found outside of protected areas. Conserving these last remaining Indian wolves in Pakistan means saving such a special and endemic wolf, found no where else but the Indian subcontinent.