This lanky orange animal resembles a fox/wolf hybrid — but is actually from a genus entirely of its own.
Chrysocyon brachyurus is a fascinating and unusual creature that roams the open grasslands and prairies throughout mideastern South America. The maned wolf is the largest canid on the continent, standing at about a meter in height and weighing around fifty pounds.
It is the only species of the genus Chrysocyon and boasts the attributes of both foxes and wolves — although it is related to neither. The maned wolf has the golden-red coat of a red fox, a black mane and legs, long muzzle, and wide, pointed ears. Their legs are exceptionally lengthy, attributing to their presumed evolutionarily-developed ability to see easily above large tufts of grass within their natural habitat.
These animals prefer to live alone and do not hunt in packs like other large canids. Social interaction is predominantly limited to monogamous pairs that inhabit small shared territories averaging between 25 and 50 square kilometers in size.
Maned wolves are omnivorous and prey on small mammals, reptiles, birds, and a large percentage of plant matter including sugarcane, tubers, and fruit. The unusual tomato-like lobeira fruit is an important staple of their diets, regarded for its suggested protection against kidney worms.
Many Brazilian locals believe that some body parts of the maned wolf — including their eyes, skin, and tail — have qualities applicable for medicinal purposes as well as spiritual protection. These beliefs have led to moderate hunting of the animals which is one of the reasons for the species’ population decline.
Habitat loss, however, is the primary threat to these fascinating animals and they are currently listed as near-threatened on the IUCN red list.
Watch the video below to hear the seldom heard wolf-bark of the extraordinary maned wolf:
