Gray Wolf Sightings Reported in Missouri Despite Said Extinction

Photo byRobert LarssononUnsplash

INDEPENDENCE, MO - Though gray wolves (Canis lupus) are considered extirpated in Missouri, sightings of these elusive animals continue to occur.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, gray wolves are often mistaken for coyotes due to their similar appearance, but they are larger, with males weighing between 60 and 120 pounds.

Distinguishing features include a broader nose pad, larger heel pad on the front foot, coarser fur, longer legs, and larger ears in proportion to the head.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, in recent years, some hunters in Missouri have occasionally shot federally endangered gray wolves that have wandered into the state from populations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan, often mistaking them for unusually large coyotes.

These accidental shootings highlight the challenges in correctly identifying these animals due to their resemblance to coyotes and domestic dogs.

Despite the extirpation, these wandering wolves remind us of Missouri’s past, when both gray and red wolves roamed the region.

The red wolf, one of the world’s most endangered canids, once lived in southern and eastern Missouri but was declared extinct in the wild in 1980, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

While gray wolves no longer have established populations in Missouri, these sporadic sightings suggest that the state remains a part of their historical range, keeping the legend of the gray wolf alive in the region.