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Urine-Marking And Ground-Scratching By Free-Ranging Arctic Wolves, Canis Lupus Arctos, In Summer, L. David Mech
Urine-Marking And Ground-Scratching By Free-Ranging Arctic Wolves, Canis Lupus Arctos, In Summer, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Urine-marking and ground-scratching were observed in an Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus) pack on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, during 16 summers between 1986 and 2005. All previously known urination postures and ground-scratching by breeding males and females were seen, and incidence of marking and scratching was greatest when non-pack wolves were present. Observations of urine-marking of food remains supported the conclusion from a captive Wolf study that such marking signals lack of edible food.