Great Plains Wolf

This is the next piece for my wolves of North America project. This is Canis lupus nubilus, the Great Plains wolf. I couldn't resist the temptation to portray him in Lakota-ish garb. I say Lakota-ish, because I don't want to imply that looking up google images for inspiration resulted in flawless authenticity.

The Latin word nubilus means "cloudy gray," and refers to the common coloration of this subspecies, a light gray or buff. However, like all wolves, they can be found in a variety of colors. This was once the most wide ranging subspecies of wolf in the Americas Despite being called Great Plains wolves, this their original range spanned not only the Great Plains, but a huge swath of North America from northern Canada south to Texas, from the Great Lakes westward. I'm using the more modern approach to wolf subspecies, which relies more on genetic and physical characteristics than the earlier system, which was based more on geographic region. You can see a map here. Currently, the C. lupus nubilus is found only in the Great Lakes states and Canada.

Watercolor, pen and pencil on 11 x 14 bristol board.

© Wolfote

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