Everything about The Himalayan Wolf totally explained
The
Himalayan Wolf, originally thought to belong to
Tibetan wolf (
Canis lupus chanco), which is a subspecies of the
Gray wolf, may represent a distinct canid species,
Canis himalayensis. It is native to a small region in northern
India (
Jammu and
Kashmir and then
Himachal Pradesh) and eastern
Nepal in the
Himalayas. DNA research suggested that this wolf may represent (together with the
Indian Wolf) an ancient isolated line of wolves in India. The Himalayan wolf only has a small population of 350 animals, and 21 specimens live in zoos throughout India [
Inventoryof animals in Indian Zoos 2000-2001, New Delhi, India 2002, 314.].
History
Historically, scientists have named at the very least 32 different subspecies of the gray wolf. These differences among subspecies were based primarily on differences in morphology. The Himalayan wolf was usually believed to be a part of the
Canis lupus chanco subspecies. New evidence based on the
mitochondrial DNA shows that the Himalayan wolf could be a new subspecies and perhaps even a distinct species. It is believed the Himalayan wolf separated from the
Gray wolf approximately 800,000 years ago. If in fact it's a new species, new questions arise as to why it wasn't able to perpetuate across the globe in the same matter as its relative the Gray wolf.
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Habitat
The habitat of the Himalayan Wolf is confined to small pockets of
India,
Kashmir, and into
China and
Mongolia. It is believed that when this species first evolved, they were surrounded by glaciers and other physical areas that didn't promote expansion and perpetuation. Much of their habitat is shared by another newly discovered species, the
Indian Wolf. It is unknown as to why these two forms don't interbreed in spite of the overlap in habitat.
Evolution
Up until recently it was believed that all wolves and dogs were part of the wolf-dog clade meaning that all domesticated dogs are derived from wolves. When the Himalayan lineage was studied, it was found that the wolf shared no genetic markers with gray wolves or dogs. This indicates that the Himalayan wolf played no role in the domestication of dogs. When the divergence of the Himalayan wolf occurred 800,000 years ago, the habitat of modern day Nepal was going through major geologic and climate upheaval. The Himalayan region, also home to the
Indian Wolf and
the
Gray Wolf, is the only geographical location in the entire world were these three species of wolves exist, thereby
supporting the theory that the Indian region is the most likely place of modern wolf evolution.
Outlook
The future of the Himalayan wolf is uncertain at best. Up until recently, it wasn't known that the Himalayan wolf differs genetically from other wolves. Recent studies have estimated the population to be only 350 individuals. These wolves are viewed as a menace to local farmers and ranchers and in turn are killed because they're unprotected. Therefore, it's imperative that these animals become protected because they represent the oldest extant lineage of any species of wolf on the planet. The species is estimated to be 800,000 years old which is twice as old as the North American Gray wolf at 400,000 years old.
Captive breeding and saving
18 Himalayan wolves are being bred in captivity. They were captured in the wild, as one of the threatened species was found with the
snow leopard and are now being preserved in the Trans-Himalayan region of India, the
Darjeeling Zoo in Shiwalik Hills on the lower range of the
Himalaya in
West Bengal, and in the Kufri Zoo with
Kufri Himalayan National Park located in
Himachal Pradesh province.
(External Link) . In 2004, larger groups of Himalyan wolves were spotted in the
Spiti valley.
(External Link). The total population evaluates for 21 individuals in four of the Zoological Parks of India.
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