[3] In 1935, the British zoologist Reginald Pocock attributed the subspecies name Canis lupus orion to a specimen from Cape York, northwest Greenland.

[1] Both wolves are recognized as separate subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World in 2005.

[8] In 2019, a study mapped the entire mitochondrial genome of the Greenland wolf and confirmed that it fell within Canis lupus.

They are endangered due to their exceptionally low densities, smaller pack sizes, infrequent reproduction, and lower offspring production.

[13] The wolves of Greenland and Ellesmere Island prey on any easily obtainable species, with hare forming an important food source.

The wolf has been documented preying on seal in both Greenland and the Queen Elizabeth Islands, and there are documented eye-witness accounts of muskox killings from the Queen Elizabeth islands and from Greenland where two muskox calves were killed by a wolf pair.

[16] In 2018, it was estimated that the total population of the Greenland wolf was about 200, but with significant uncertainty due to its remote range.

Between 1920 and 1932, 35 wolves were killed in the core wolf range, forcing the population to decline rapidly to extinction.

Prey was insufficient and a dispersal corridor was hidden at 79 degrees north, thus restricting access to east Greenland.