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A Mexican gray wolf trotting through dry grass.
Photo: Jim Clark, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Mexican Gray Wolf

Canis lupus baileyi

The smallest gray wolf, nicknamed "el lobo," which was wiped out in the U.S. by the 1970s and is now making a small comeback in the Southwest.

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About the Mexican Gray Wolf

Mexican gray wolves are the smallest gray wolves, about half the size of other North American gray wolves. They stand 26 to 32 inches at the shoulder and weigh 60 to 80 pounds. They live in mountain woodlands, grasslands and scrublands and hunt together to catch elk, deer, javelinas, rabbits and smaller animals. Packs are usually a breeding pair and their young.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Canis lupus baileyi[1]
Size
26 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder; 4.5 to 5.5 feet from nose to tail tip.[1]
Weight
60 to 80 pounds. Males are slightly larger.[1]
Lifespan
Up to 15 years in human care.[1]
Diet
Carnivore. Elk, deer, javelinas, rabbits, ground squirrels and mice.[1]
Habitat
Mountain woodlands, grasslands and scrublands.[1]
Where it lives
Once the southwestern U.S. to central Mexico. Now mainly Apache National Forest in Arizona.[1]
Group life
Packs, usually a breeding pair and their young.[1]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts about 63 days. Litters of 4 to 7 pups.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, gray wolf as a species, assessed 2025). About 150 Mexican gray wolves live in the wild.[1][2]

Fun facts

  • Mexican gray wolves are often called "el lobo," Spanish for "the wolf."[1]
  • Only 11 were released into the wild in 1998; now there are nearly 150.[1]
  • Despite the name, their coats mix gray, rust, brown, black and cream.[1]

Vocabulary

pack
A family group of wolves that live and hunt together.
subspecies
A group within a species that lives in a certain area and looks a little different from other groups.
javelina
A pig-like animal, also called a collared peccary.
reintroduce
To return a species to a place where it used to live.
pup
A baby wolf or dog.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Mexican gray wolf.” https://www.sfzoo.org/mexican-gray-wolf/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Canis lupus (Grey Wolf).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3746/226161232 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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