Smallest wolf

The smallest true wolf was the shamanu or Japanese dwarf wolf Canis lupus hodophilax. Formerly native to the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, it was approximately 90 cm long and stood only 30 cm tall at the shoulder. Human persecution and introduced rabies decimated this once-plentiful creature, with the last confirmed specimen dying in 1905 in Nara Prefecture on Honshu.