The specimen is kept in the South American Collection of the Zoologisk Museum in Denmark. Fossils of Chrysocyon dated from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs were collected in one of Peter Wilheim Lund expeditions to Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais (Brazil). Other authors later considered it as a member of the Canis genus. Lorenz Oken classified it as Vulpes cancosa, and only in 1839 did Charles Hamilton Smith describe the genus Chrysocyon. The species was described in 1815 by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger, initially as Canis brachyurus. Lycalopex sechurae ( Sechuran fox or Peruvian desert fox)ĭescription Video of captive maned wolf at Singapore Zoo Lycalopex culpaeus ( culpeo or Andean fox) Lycalopex griseus ( South American gray fox or chilla) † Dusicyon australis ( Falkland Islands wolf) CerdocyoninaĬhrysocyon brachyurus (maned wolf) : Fig. Its closest living relative is the bush dog (genus Speothos), and it has a more distant relationship to other South American canines (the short-eared dog, the crab-eating fox, and the zorros or Lycalopex). It is not a fox, wolf, coyote or jackal, but a distinct canid though, based only on morphological similarities, it previously had been placed in the Canis and Vulpes genera. The maned wolf is not closely related to canids found outside South America. A 2015 study reported genetic signatures in maned wolves that are indicative of population expansion followed by contraction that took place during Pleistocene interglaciations about 24,000 years before present. One study based on DNA evidence showed that the extinct genus Dusicyon, comprising the Falkland Islands wolf and its mainland relative, was the most closely related species to the maned wolf in historical times, and that about seven million years ago it shared a common ancestor with that genus. Ī 2003 study on the brain anatomy of several canids placed the maned wolf together with the Falkland Islands wolf and with pseudo-foxes of the genus Pseudalopex. Fossils of the maned wolf from the Holocene and the late Pleistocene have been excavated from the Brazilian Highlands. One conclusion of this study is that the maned wolf is the only species among the large South American canids that survived the late Pleistocene extinction. The maned wolf's evolutionary relationship to the other members of the canid family makes it a unique animal.Įlectrophoretic studies did not link Chrysocyon with any of the other living canids studied. It lacks the elliptical pupils found distinctively in foxes. Taxonomy Īlthough the maned wolf displays many fox-like characteristics, it is not closely related to foxes. Guará and aguará originated from tupi-guarani agoa'rá, "by the fuzz". The term lobo, "wolf", originates from the Latin lupus. It is known locally as aguara guasu (meaning "large fox") in the Guarani language, or kalak in the Toba Qom language, lobo de crín, lobo de los esteros, or lobo colorado in Spanish, and lobo-guará in Portuguese. The term maned wolf is an allusion to the mane of the nape. In 2011, a female maned wolf, run over by a truck, underwent stem cell treatment at the Zoo Brasília, this being the first recorded case of the use of stem cells to heal injuries in a wild animal. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as near threatened, while it is considered a vulnerable species by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. It is very rare in Uruguay, possibly being displaced completely through loss of habitat. This mammal lives in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in the Cerrado of south, central-west, and southeastern Brazil Paraguay northern Argentina and Bolivia east and north of the Andes, and far southeastern Peru (Pampas del Heath only). It communicates primarily by scent marking, but also gives a loud call known as "roar-barking". The maned wolf is a crepuscular and omnivorous animal adapted to the open environments of the South American savanna, with an important role in the seed dispersal of fruits, especially the wolf apple ( Solanum lycocarpum). Its long, thin legs and dense reddish coat give it a distinct appearance. It is the largest canine in South America, weighing 20–30 kg (44–66 lb) and up to 110 cm (43 in) at the withers. It is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon (meaning "golden dog"). Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a wolf. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. The maned wolf ( Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a large canine of South America.
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