Japanese Wolves

Honshu & Hokkaido Wolves

---

As an introduction to my thesis these sketches are examples of studies of extinct animals that I'm including in the project. The Honshu and Hokkaido wolves were the only endemic large canines on the Japanese islands. The last sighting of any native wolf in Japan was in 1905.

The reasons for their extinctions range from habitat destruction to bounties placed during the Meiji restoration period. In the top illustration those pressures are represented by the tree held by one wolf and the bounty notice in the other's mouth.