The Arabian wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf native to the Arabian Peninsula—to the west of Bahrain, as well as Oman, southern Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. They are also found in Israel’s Negev and Arava Deserts, Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. It is the smallest Gray wolf subspecies, and a specialized xerocole (arid-adapted) animal that normally lives in smaller familial packs. Arabian wolves are omnivorous and opportunistic eaters; they consume small to medium-sized prey, from insects, reptiles and birds to rodents and small ungulates, such as young Nubian ibex and several species of gazelle.
Image: Arabian wolf in Jordan
Image: Present distribution of the gray wolf subspecies Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs)
Wolf at Al Ain Zoo, the UAE
Female head and shoulders
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