As it is understood now, black phases can occur in any population of wild wolves (including the red wolf and even Indian wolf), challenging the idea of if it occurred in domestic dogs and was reintroduced into wild wolf populations, or the mutation originally occurred in ancient wolves and has survived sporadically since. The original classification however, listed by Linnaeus himself, was Canis lycaon under the assumption that the different coat color indicated subspecies (varieties) differentiation. The animals themselves are true gray wolves in every other respect. Thus, the color itself is not spectral nor supernaturally related, it is merely the phenotypic result of canines interbreeding. A genetic study at Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles, found the genetic mutation to have occurred in domestic dogs and introduced into wild Gray Wolf populations through hybridization. There is no particular species (or more accurately explained today as “varieties”) that tends to be black in color more frequently than others, it is simply a mutation. Moving on to the real hard facts, a black “phase” wolf is more properly described as a melanistic color variant.

Each region mentioned has their own mythology of mysterious canids. Some other locations to research further if you wish would be nearly anywhere in Europe, Latin America, early colonization of the US, Arabia, India, and Japan.

These sorts of stories appear nearly everywhere you look for them, representing domestic dogs or fiendish looking wolves such as the model presented. This was done under the belief that the first body buried would have its soul trapped forever and doomed to either shepherd souls into the afterlife or are described as sinister and violent attackers. Meanwhile, the “black dogs” (Black Shucks, etc.) of England historically were considered the souls of canines buried first in a new cemetery area. Fenrir and his sons Hati and Skoll are all perpetrators for the events of Ragnarok. Cerberus and Garmr in particular, are guardians of Hell’s gates for their respective masters. All of the above being animals of great strength, cunning, and some vague association with the afterlife. Perhaps the most famous would be the Greek Cerberus, generic “black dogs” from British stories, of Fenrir or Garmr from Norse myths. Typically, presented as either a guardian or servant of Hell, the Devil, or the underworld, portrayals of similar animals are included in cultures and stories from around the globe. Now, on to the mythological roots of the dark hell hound. I am unsure of the production time frame for this piece, but the words “special edition” and “exclusive” would indicate that it is part of a limited run. The mouth is parted in a sculpted pant, pink tongue hanging out slightly forward of the muzzle, backed by yellow eyes so small in scale you can hardly tell the color! The scale of these small Japanese creations and their intricate paintwork always astounds me. It also flashes a lighter, nearly white, highlight along the hind portion of the shoulder and ruff again, very realistic of real animals. The coloration here is rather more accurately sooty gray, the dorsal region being a shade darker than on ventral areas, with the paws being a shade in-between both. This canine trots at about 1 ¼ by 2 ¾ inch (or approx. My regular run of this model does not share this issue, so this is likely an individual item issue rather than a trait. The puzzle itself is not difficult, however, the hind leg of this model of mine tends to be loose enough to fall apart and would benefit from gluing. Twigs might be located near the top of the burrow as well.The model itself is a puzzle including 6 pieces to place together. Wolf spiders seal their tunnels with stones in rainy seasons and create towers for floodwater to deflect. These burrows may have silky entrances open or screened. Wolf spiders don’t rotate webs and lie inside burrows rather. Several western wolf spiders live indoors, whereas others prefer wetter environments like riverbanks. Colorful marks on their bodies are possible.

The most frequent hue of wolf spiders seen in the west is brown, however grey and black individuals have been reported as well. Since wolf spiderlings traverse such enormous distances, a single species’ habitat can cover a large area. Several wolf spider species may be found in coastal sand dunes, alpine herb meadows, and riverside gravel beds. Certain species of wolf spiders like to live in suburban gardens. Wolf spiders may be found in a variety of environments, including woods, dry inland shrublands as well as wet forest lands.

Giant black wolf