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Species authority page

Eastern wolf

Canis lycaon · Predators

Eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) can be identified as follows: A medium-sized wolf of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region; appearance overlaps gray wolf and coyote, and visual identification may be inconclusive. This biological profile does not establish whether hunting or trapping is legal.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the eastern wolf map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Eastern wolf standing in snow at a forest edge
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 1263434500)
Scientific name
Canis lycaon
Family
Canidae
Range context
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence forest region of Canada
Biology

How to identify it

A medium-sized wolf of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region; appearance overlaps gray wolf and coyote, and visual identification may be inconclusive. [1]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Eastern wolf from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Forested landscapes of central Ontario and neighbouring Québec; taxonomy and hybrid ancestry are treated differently by authorities. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Lives in family packs; winter pack size in Algonquin Park has been recorded at 9-14. [2][3]

Territories average roughly 190-200 km². [2][3]

Preys on white-tailed deer, beaver and moose; some Algonquin wolves travel up to 42 km to follow deer to winter concentration areas. [2][3]

Dens are usually in conifer-dominated forest near permanent water, in diggable soil such as sand. [2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence forest region of Canada

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. Environment and Climate Change Canada · reviewed 2026-09-20

    Environment and Climate Change Canada

  2. BIOLOGICALEastern Wolf

    Government of Ontario · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Government of Ontario

  3. Environment and Climate Change Canada / COSEWIC · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Environment and Climate Change Canada / COSEWIC