How many wolf species are there? ?

There is only one species of wolf - Canis lupus. The timber wolf, buffalo wolf, Alaskan wolf, British Columbian wolf, and Mexican wolf are simply subspecies and can freely interbreed if given the opportunity. It is up to some debate whether the red wolf is indeed a separate species and not a coywolf, but most taxonomists now believe they are a true species based on their social structure and vocalization patterns. There are a few other animals locally called "wolf", such as the Ethiopian wolf and the maned wolf. But the maned wolf is a different genus while the Ethiopian is a different species. African hunting dogs are not considered wolves at all and are a genus of their own. The website listed below breaks it down really well and gives a good explanation of what each species is and how it lives. The photos are also excellent.