Lobo is a Spanish word that means "wolf". In English, it is often used to refer to the gray wolf, which is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. The Mexican gray wolf is a distinctive subspecies of gray wolf that was once top dogs of the American Southwest. Following the Mexican gray wolf listing as an endangered species in 1976, the United States and Mexico collaborated to capture all lobos remaining in the wild. This extreme measure prevented the lobos’ extinction. Five wild Mexican wolves (four males and one pregnant female) were captured alive in Mexico from 1977 to 1980 and used to start a captive breeding program. Some interesting facts about the Mexican gray wolf include:
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They are about the size of German shepherds and Labrador retrievers, and they weigh between 50 and 85 pounds each. They are the smallest subspecies of gray wolf in North America—about half the size of North American gray wolves.
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They are very social animals. They communicate through howling, body language, and scent marking. A lobo pack is like an extended family, led by an alpha pair. Each spring, the alpha female gives birth to a litter of pups, and the whole pack helps raise and feed them. Adults are very tolerant of growing pups and feed the young wolves by chewing and regurgitating their kills.
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They tend to roam, largely due to their natural need to carve out distinctive territories separate from those of other wolf packs. They once ranged from central Mexico to the southwestern United States, but now they are only found in a small area in the wild.
