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Full-Text Articles in Behavior and Ethology
Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Movements And Behavior Around A Kill Site And Implications For Gps Collar Studies, L. David Mech
Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Movements And Behavior Around A Kill Site And Implications For Gps Collar Studies, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Global Positioning System (GPS) radio-collars are increasingly used to estimate Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) kill rates. In interpreting results from this technology, researchers make various assumptions about wolf behavior around kills, yet no detailed description of this behavior has been published. This article describes the behavior of six wolves in an area of constant daylight during 30 hours, from when the pack killed a Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) calf and yearling on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, to when they abandoned the kill remains. Although this is only a single incident, it demonstrates one possible scenario of pack …
Prolonged Intensive Dominance Behavior Between Gray Wolves, Canis Lupus, L. David Mech, H. Dean Cluff
Prolonged Intensive Dominance Behavior Between Gray Wolves, Canis Lupus, L. David Mech, H. Dean Cluff
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Dominance is one of the most pervasive and important behaviors among wolves in a pack, yet its significance in free-ranging packs has been little studied. Insights into a behavior can often be gained by examining unusual examples of it. In the High Arctic near Eureka, Nunavut, Canada, we videotaped and described an unusually prolonged and intensive behavioral bout between an adult male Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and a male member of his pack, thought to be a maturing son.With tail raised, the adult approached a male pack mate about 50 m from us and pinned and straddled this …
Leadership In Wolf, Canis Lupus, Packs, L. David Mech
Leadership In Wolf, Canis Lupus, Packs, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
I examine leadership in Wolf (Callis lupus) packs based on published observations and data gathered during summers from 1986 to 1998 studying a free-ranging pack of Wolves on Ellesmere Island that were habituated to my presence. The breeding male tended to initiate activities associated with foraging and travel, and the breeding female to initiate, and predominate in, pup care and protection. However, there was considerable overlap and interaction during these activities such that leadership could be considered a joint function. In packs with multiple breeders, quantitative information about leadership is needed.