Gray and Arctic wolves interacting/breeding?

[roguemoon]

I was wondering if it would be possible for Gray and Arctic wolves to cross paths and interact, even possibly mate and form a pack? I imagine it is very unlikely, especially since Arctic wolves live much further north than Gray wolves but perhaps in places northern Canada (ex. northern Alberta and the southern areas of the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut) or Alaska, where the ranges of Gray wolves and Arctic wolves would be closer, it could be possible.

[Koa]

It is, in a basic sense, possible for subspecies of a species to interbreed with another subspecies; however, it does not appear that arctic wolves would "cross paths" with other subspecies in the way of breeding given their location. (Just so you know, arctic wolves are not a separate species of wolf.)

(In a general sense) I should add that breeding "seasons" vary as well based on location. That, and if there are plenty of other wolves around, I would expect they would breed with their own kind.

EDIT: These are some illustrated ranges:
C.l. occidentalis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest ... _range.png
C.l. nubilus:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pla ... _range.png
C.l. arctos:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_wo ... bution.gif

[roguemoon]

Ah I hadn't taken mating seasons into account. Good point to add. I believe arctic wolves mate later in the year than their cousins, correct?

And I hadn't been entirely sure of the ranges either. Every single range map I'd looked at was different, some maps I found for the arctic wolf range extended all the way to the border of Alberta and the Northwest Territories so I had assumed they were commonly found that far south.

Thank you for your answer Koa!

[Koa]

You're welcome.
Topic locked.

EDIT:

When do wolves breed? Wolves breed once a year in late winter or early spring depending on where they live. For example, gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes region breed in February to March, while gray wolves in the arctic may breed a few weeks later – in March to April.

wolf.org