Arizona's WildLife

The Mexican gray wolf, or El Lobo, is a critically endangered subspecies of gray wolf that has been reintroduced to parts of Arizona and New Mexico. The smallest gray wolf subspecies, adults are typically smaller and more slender than northern gray wolves, with a coat that ranges from gray to brown with reddish accents. Mexican gray wolves are highly social, living in family packs led by an alpha pair, and they rely on cooperative hunting to pursue deer, elk, and smaller mammals. Once extirpated from the wild, careful reintroduction programs have helped establish small populations in the mountainous regions and forested canyons of eastern Arizona. These wolves are primarily nocturnal and elusive, making sightings rare, but their presence plays a vital role in restoring ecological balance by regulating prey populations and maintaining healthy ecosystems. Revered in both ecological and cultural contexts, El Lobo is a symbol of resilience and conservation in the American Southwest.