Sicilian wolf (SciiFii)

The Sicilian wolf (Canis lupus cristaldii) (Sicilian: lupu sicilianu) is a subspecies of the gray wolf that is endemic to Sicily. The Sicilian wolf was once extinct due to human persecution in the 1920s, though there were several possible sightings up to the 1970s, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to Sicily. The Sicilian wolf is paler than the mainland Italian wolf and comparable in size to the Arabian wolf and the Japanese wolf. The Sicilian wolf is a slender, short-legged subspecies with light, tawny coloured fur. The dark band present on the forelimbs of the mainland Italian wolf are absent or poorly defined in the Sicilian wolf. The adult Sicilian wolves have a head to body length of 105.4 centimeters and a shoulder height of 54.6 centimeters, thus making them slightly smaller than the mainland Italian wolf, which measures 105.8-109.1 centimeters long and 65–66.9 centimeters high at the shoulder. The Sicilian wolf is carnivorous like other subspecies of gray wolves, being mostly a solitary animal, primarily preying on animals smaller than itself, although it has been reported to occasionally hunt in packs to bring down Sicilian dwarf elephants. The conservation status of the Sicilian wolf is Vulnerable due to habitat loss and historic poaching, however, the conservationists are working to protecting this species, allowing the subspecies to make a comeback.