I believe that is a large part of why dogs – domestic dogs – are so wonderfully diverse – they have had thousands of years and this large, worldwide gene pool from which to evolve. I do not consider them to be a wolf subspecies, but instead they are a species unto themselves, closely related to gray wolves but also to many other species of wild canine.

Some of the indigenous Japanese dog breeds, especially the Shikoku Inu shown here (http://japanesedogs.bulldoginformation.com/shikoku-inu.html) look very much like the extinct Japanese wolves and are probably descended (at least in part) from them.

As for whether they still exist, I still hold out hope that the Honshu wolf and Hokkaido wolves are still out there, and I believe there is a decent chance they just might be. Reliable reports have cropped up in recent years that are at least promising, and there has been the occasional physical evidence turned up such as hair, scat, and kills. One of the main problems I think is that the wolves resemble (indeed are likely related in some way to) some of the Japanese breeds of dog such as the Akita , and in conjunction with the fact that a lot of Japanese are aware the wolf existed yet don’t known exactly what it looked like, some sightings might be attributable to domestic dogs or feral strays seen under certain conditions. Even still, there are some very compelling cases, including actual specimens that were reportedly collected. For instance, one man allegedly actually found a wolf cub and kept it for a short time before turning it lose out of fear the mother would come looking for it.

The terrain is there, the ecosystem is ripe for a keystone predator such as the wolf, and Japan has a lot more remote areas than many people think. If the wolf could be located and brought back to its past numbers, it would be great for the ecology, as deer are in overabundance here and causing a good deal of problems in some areas. Ecosystems need top predators to remain healthy, and Japan is distinctly lacking an animal to fulfill the particular niche left by the wolf. Some want to reintroduce wolves other than the extinct Japanese variety, but I am somewhat against the idea due to the fact that it would almost certainly be detrimental to any Japanese wolves that may still remain.

A few responses to some posts.

sschaper- They are wolves. Depending on who you ask, they are a subspecies or their own separate species as some zoologists argue.

coelacanth1938- It was mostly the Hokkaido wolf that was directly slaughtered in response to the perceived threat they posed to the ranches that were becoming ubiquitous in the region at the time. A huge poisoning campaign did a lot of damage, and the wolves were shot whenever possible. The Honshu wolf met a more roundabout fate. Although attitudes had been changing and new farming techniques were causing more friction between humans and wolves, rabies was the main factor in the demise of the Honshu wolf. Domesticated dogs caused a rabies epidemic, which not only killed the wolves, but caused irrational fear of rabid wolves running amok which wasn’t good for its image at all and made the wolves more of a target. The really sad thing is that these wolves were at one time revered and even worshipped in Japan.

MatteBille- I read your book recently and thought you did a great job on the section pertaining to Japanese wolves. Nice work.

Once again, thanks to Loren for the figurine and for revisiting this very special topic for me.