Recently, a trail camera in northern Minnesota caught video of a pack of all-black wolves. The video has been viewed more than 950,000 times since it was uploaded in late December 2021. A greyish-brown wolf crosses the meadow in the shot, followed by three all-black wolves. People are fascinated. So, what affects animal coloration? And why are these wolves black?
First, although these wolves are black, they are still Canis lupus (commonly called the grey wolf). Naturally, wolves are red, brown, white, grey, black, and shades in between. These are the same colors we see available in nature in human hairs: black, brown, blonde, red, and grey/white. Other body coverings, such as scales and feathers, can be different colors due to the pigments available. Animals use color for camouflage, thermoregulation, and mating selection.
![Three wolves in a field. On the left is a black colored wolf standing and facing left. On the right, a grey-red-brown colored wolf sits, possibly being groomed by a whitw colored wolf who is standing.](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/05/black-wolf-picture-from-npgallery-sciu.jpg)