# Maned Wolf

Region: South America
Source: https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/manedwolf/

The maned wolf is a one-of-a-kind animal that looks like a fox on very long legs. Its long legs let it see over tall grass. It isn't a wolf or a fox, but a species all its own.

## Quick facts

- **Habitat**: It lives on the tall-grass plains of South America.
- **Diet**: It's an omnivore that eats fruit, small animals, and insects.
- **Size and weight**: Height 90cm, weight 20–30kg.
- **Lifespan**: 12–15 years
- **Conservation status**: Near Threatened
- **Fun facts**: Its pee has a strong smell, a lot like a skunk's! / Its favorite food is a fruit called the "wolf apple."

## Learn more

### The supermodel of the grassland, the Maned Wolf

South America's most mysterious animal, with a fox's face, a deer's legs, and a wolf's body

### Not a wolf, and not a fox either

- It has a coat similar to a red fox's, but it isn't a fox.
- The name includes "wolf," but it isn't a true wolf either.

It's the sole, unique species in the genus Chrysocyon, meaning "golden dog."

### Perfectly evolved for tall grasslands

- **Giant ears** — measuring 18cm long, they pick up even the faintest sounds of prey hidden in the grass.
- **A black mane** — the black fur on its neck stands straight up when it feels threatened, making its body look bigger.
- **Model-like legs** — it's the tallest of all wild canids (standing 90cm at the shoulder), with legs that grew long to see over the tall grasslands of South America.

### A carnivore that loves veggies

50% meat, 50% plants

- **50% meat** — it hunts small animals like rodents, rabbits, birds, and insects.
- **50% plants** — unlike other canids, it eats an enormous amount of plant matter.
- **Its favorite food** — a tomato-like fruit called the "wolf apple," which can make up as much as 90% of its diet, enjoyed year-round.

### A three-way symbiotic relationship that tends the grassland

1. **The maned wolf's meal** — the wolf eats "wolf apples" and leaves droppings on top of leafcutter ant nests.
2. **The leafcutter ants' farming** — the ants use the droppings as fertilizer for their underground fungus farms, then discard it in a waste pile.
3. **Perfect germination** — thanks to the nutrient-rich waste pile left by the ants, wolf apple seeds sprout far more vigorously.

### A solitary hunter of twilight

- **Awake at twilight** — it's most active during the dim hours of morning (8–10am) and evening (8–10pm).
- **Traveling alone** — unlike typical wolves, it doesn't form packs — it hunts alone for its entire life.
- **A stomping hunting technique** — it perks its ears to listen, then stomps the ground with its front paw to startle hidden prey out of the grass.

### A unique way of communicating

- **The roar-bark** — to signal its location to other maned wolves far away, it lets out a deep, explosive, cough-like bark.
- **The secret of the "skunk wolf"** — its urine, used for marking territory, has a strong smell resembling marijuana or hops. In fact, this smell once led police to be called to a zoo in the Netherlands!

### The magic of changing fur color

1. **Black baby wolves** — after a 65-day pregnancy, 2–6 pups are born with fur that's entirely black.
2. **A change at 10 weeks** — after about 10 weeks, the black fur starts turning the maned wolf's signature reddish-gold color.
3. **Warm parental love** — both mother and father wolves take part in raising the pups, regurgitating food to feed them a warm, homemade "baby food."

## More animals from this region

- [Jaguar](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/jaguar/)
- [Toucan](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/toucan/)
- [Green Anaconda](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/anaconda/)
- [Llama](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/llama/)
- [Capybara](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/capybara/)
- [Sloth](https://spinplanet.app/animals/en/sloth/)

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All images and videos were made with AI to capture each animal's features, so they may look different from the real animals. The animal information comes from public sources and may contain mistakes.