Personal Information
There are three Mexican gray wolf brothers living at the Seneca Park Zoo: Chico, Diego and Durango. They were born in April 2007 at the California Wolf Center in Julian, California and came to the Zoo in May of 2011. Mexican wolves can weigh between 50 and 85 lbs, a little more than half the size of its Northern cousin, the North American gray wolf.
How do you tell our three brothers apart?
Chico: The thinnest and lightest-colored of the group.
Diego: He has the darkest coloring, is the most dominant of the group (but not fierce) and displays the most confidence.
Durango: He is the bulkiest and definitely the most curious.
Status in the Wild
Mexican wolves are the most endangered of the subspecies. They once numbered in the thousands throughout southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas and Northern Mexico. Due to the intensity of human settlement in the 1900s, wolves came into conflict with livestock operations and other human activities. Today, there are now less than 50 of these animals in the wild. Populations are slowly being built up through captive breeding and reintroduction planning.
Diet
Mexican wolves eat elk, deer and small mammals.
Habitat
Mexican wolves live in the mountain forests and grasslands in remote areas of Arizona and New Mexico.