Habitat

From the mountain to the sea

The painted wolf used to range across much of sub-Saharan Africa, with evidence of their presence on the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro and along the coasts in Kenya. It is only in the lowland rainforests and the most arid deserts that there is no historical evidence. Now, they are limited to a fraction of their former range, and mostly roam in the plains and woodlands of southern and eastern Africa.

Ranging wide

The painted wolf’s home range varies widely, depending on the climatic conditions and prey density. It can be as small as 150 square kilometres, to as wide as 3,000 square kilometres. When the alpha female is denning, however, the range is dramatically restricted. Painted wolves generally occur at low density, although again this is dependent on prey availability.