CRANIAL AND DENTAL ABNORMALITIES OF THE ENDANGERED RED WOLF CANIS-RUFUS

Skulls of 3 captive-raised female endangered red wolves Canis rufus Au dubon and Bachman, 1851 exhibited severe malocclusion of the jaws. Cra nial and dental abnormalities (including crowding of upper toothrows, and an extra tooth behind the lower left Ms in one of the three mandib les) were also evident. Ratios of alveolar length of maxillary toothro w to maximum width across the outer sides of crowns of P-4 were signif icantly different (p = 0.008) compared to unaffected skulls. Significa nt differences were also evident when ratios of maximum width across i nner edges of alveoli of pl to alveolar length of maxillary toothrow a nd maximum width across outer sides of crowns of P4 were compared betw een the two groups. Although the three skulls all exhibited malocclusi on, the abnormality expressed itself differently in relation to the ef fects to each skull. Captive inbreeding may increase the probability a nd frequency of expressing these anomalies, although inbreeding coeffi cients calculated for the wolves expressing malocclusion were not cons idered high (0.0313-0.0508). A wild female red wolf specimen captured in 1921 in Arkansas also exhibited the malocclusion, although not as s everely as in the captive females. This demonstrates that this trait w as present in wild populations prior to, and not a result of, the capt ive breeding program.