The Italian wolf, also known as the Apennine wolf, is a subspecies of the grey wolf native to the Italian Peninsula. It inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps, though it is undergoing expansion towards the north and east. As of 2022 the wolf population within Italy is estimated to be 3,307 individuals. Although not universally recognised as a distinct subspecies, it nonetheless possesses a unique mtDNA haplotype and a distinct skull morphology.
Italian wolf
Giuseppe Altobello's comparative illustration of the skulls and dentition of C. l. lupus (a) and C. l. italicus (b)
Wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth
Grey wolf killed in Malga Campo Bon (Comelico) on 24 May 1929
Subspecies of Canis lupus
There are 38 subspecies of Canis lupus listed in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World. These subspecies were named over the past 250 years, and since their naming, a number of them have gone extinct. The nominate subspecies is the Eurasian wolf.
Skulls of various wolf subspecies from North America
Image: Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. albus mod
Image: Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate IV) C. l. arabs mod
Image: Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate III) C. l. campestris mod