Editing Red wolf (section)

==== Morphological evidence ====
[[File:John Woodhouse Audubon - Red Texas Wolf (Canis Lupus) - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Audubon's depiction of the red wolf (1851)]]
[[File:The Wolves of North America (1944) C. lupus, rufus & latrans.jpg|thumb|Skulls of North American canines, with the red wolf in the center]]

In 1771, the English naturalist [[Mark Catesby]] referred to Florida and the Carolinas when he wrote that "The Wolves in America are like those of Europe, in shape and colour, but are somewhat smaller." They were described as being more timid and less voracious.<ref name=catesby1771/> In 1791 the American naturalist [[William Bartram]] wrote in his book ''[[Bartram's Travels|Travels]]'' about a wolf which he had encountered in Florida that was larger than a dog, but was black in contrast to the larger yellow-brown wolves of Pennsylvania and Canada.<ref name=phillips2003/><ref name=bartram1791/> In 1851 the naturalists [[John James Audubon]] and [[John Bachman]] described the "Red Texan Wolf" in detail. They noted that it could be found in Florida and other southeastern states, but it differed from other North American wolves and named it ''Canis lupus rufus''. It was described as being more fox-like than the gray wolf, but retaining the same "sneaking, cowardly, yet ferocious disposition".<ref name=audubon1851/>

In 1905, the mammalogist [[Vernon Orlando Bailey|Vernon Bailey]] referred to the "Texan Red Wolf" with the first use of the name ''Canis rufus''.<ref name=bailey1905/> In 1937 the zoologist [[Edward Alphonso Goldman|Edward Goldman]] undertook a [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] study of southeastern wolf specimens. He noted that their skulls and dentition differed from those of gray wolves and closely approached those of coyotes. He identified the specimens as all belonging to the one species which he referred to as ''Canis rufus''.<ref name=goldman1937/><ref name=goldman1944/> Goldman then examined a large number of southeastern wolf specimens and identified three subspecies, noting that their colors ranged from black, gray, and cinnamon-buff.<ref name=goldman1944/>

It is difficult to distinguish the red wolf from a red wolf × coyote hybrid.<ref name=phillips2003/> During the 1960s, two studies of the skull morphology of wild ''Canis'' in the southeastern states found them to belong to the red wolf, the coyote, or many variations in between. The conclusion was that there has been recent massive hybridization with the coyote.<ref name=mccarley1962/><ref name=paradiso1968/> In contrast, another 1960s study of ''Canis'' morphology concluded that the red wolf, eastern wolf, and domestic dog were closer to the gray wolf than the coyote, while still remaining clearly distinctive from each other. The study regarded these 3&nbsp;canines as subspecies of the gray wolf. However, the study noted that "red wolf" specimens taken from the edge of their range which they shared with the coyote could not be attributed to any one species because the cranial variation was very wide. The study proposed further research to ascertain if hybridization had occurred.<ref name=lawrence1967/><ref name=lawrence1975/>

In 1971, a study of the skulls of ''C.&nbsp;rufus'', ''C.&nbsp;lupus'' and ''C.&nbsp;latrans'' indicated that ''C.&nbsp;rufus'' was distinguishable by being in size and shape midway between the gray wolf and the coyote. A re-examination of museum canine skulls collected from central Texas between 1915 and 1918 showed variations spanning from ''C.&nbsp;rufus'' through to ''C.&nbsp;latrans''. The study proposes that by 1930 due to human habitat modification, the red wolf had disappeared from this region and had been replaced by a [[hybrid swarm]]. By 1969, this hybrid swarm was moving eastwards into eastern Texas and Louisiana.<ref name=paradiso1971/>

In the late 19th century, sheep farmers in [[Kerr County, Texas]], stated that the coyotes in the region were larger than normal coyotes, and they believed that they were a gray wolf and coyote cross.<ref name=nowak1979/> In 1970, the wolf mammalogist [[L. David Mech]] proposed that the red wolf was a hybrid of the gray wolf and coyote.<ref name=mech1970/> However, a 1971 study compared the [[cerebellum]] within the brain of six ''Canis'' species and found that the cerebellum of the red wolf indicated a distinct species, was closest to that of the gray wolf, but in contrast indicated some characteristics that were more primitive than those found in any of the other ''Canis'' species.<ref name=atkins1971/> In 2014, a three-dimensional [[Morphometrics#Landmark-based geometric morphometrics|morphometrics]] study of ''Canis'' species accepted only six red wolf specimens for analysis from those on offer, due to the impact of hybridization on the others.<ref name=schmitt2014/>