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Portugal at a glance
Main prey for wolves here are roe deer and wild boar.
Main threats to wolf survival are poaching, prey availability, depredation conflict and habitat fragmentation.
This summary of wolves in Portugal is from the UK Wolf Conservation Trust: “The wolves found in Portugal and Spain form a single population. In 1907 this was described as a sub-species of the grey wolf, bearing the scientific name Canis lupus signatus – the Iberian Wolf.
“Wolves were once numerous in Portugal, but by 1910 the population was in decline as they suffered habitat loss and as some of the chosen prey species became extinct. Studies estimate that the wolf population within Portugal is between 250-300 animals, occurring only in the north and centre of the country – corresponding to 30% of its original range. The Iberian wolf which has been threatened with extinction has been protected by law since 1988 in Portugal.”
Species Information
Male Iberian wolf. Image: J.C. Blanco, Spanish wolf biologist
Species
Common Names: gray wolf, lobo (Portuguese and Spanish)
Latin Name: Canis lupus
Subspecies
Common Name: Iberian wolf
Latin Name: Canis lupus signatus
Current Wolf Population, Trend, Status
Number of wolves: About 300
Population trend: Stable
Legal protection: Full protection
This page was last updated in 2018
Additional Information
- Portugal brings back rare guard dogs to tackle wolves
- Connecting the Iberian wolf in Portugal – Project lobo na Raia
- Wolf population rising in Portugal
- Money pledged to protect Guarda farmers from Iberian Wolf
- Wolf attacks in Guarda: The flip-side of conservation
Research
- Perspective on the Iberian wolf in Portugal: Population trends and conservation threats
- Taeniid species of the Iberian wolf in Portugal with special focus on Echinococcus spp.
- Presence of Iberian wolf in relation to land cover, livestock and human influence in Portugal
- Human dimensions in Iberian wolf management in Portugal: Attitudes and beliefs of interest groups and the public toward a fragmented wolf population
- Food habits and livestock depredation of two Iberian wolf packs in the north of Portugal
