Resources ≀ Biology

Estimating Biomass of Berries Consumed by Gray Wolves

Posted on January 29, 2020

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) consume berries and other wild fruits seasonally when available or abundant. However, a method to convert percent frequency of occurrence or percent volume of berries in wolf scats to percent biomass has not yet been developed. … read more

Posted in Biology | Tagged berries, biomass, consumed, estimating, wolves

Is There A Mechanism That Causes Wolves from Same Area to Disperse Long-distances in Same Direction?

Posted on January 29, 2020

Dispersal is a fundamental component of the ecology of most animal populations. Dispersing individuals typically leave their natal habitat in search of a mate or available resources such as food and space (Gotelli 2008). Grey wolves (Canis lupus) typically disperse … read more

Posted in Biology | Tagged causes, direction, disperse, distances, mechanism, there, wolves

Intrinsic Ball Retrieving in Wolf Puppies Suggests Standing Ancestral Variation for Human-Directed Play Behavior

Posted on January 29, 2020

Study in the journal iScience shows that some wolf puppies know how to play fetch, upending the long-held hypothesis that the ability to interpret subtle human social cues is unique to dogs and arose as a result of selective breeding. … read more

Posted in Biology | Tagged ancestral, intrinsic, puppies, retrieving, standing, suggests, variation

Anthropogenic Food Subsidies Hinder The Ecological Role Of Wolves: Insights For Conservation Of Apex Predators In Human-modified Landscapes

Posted on December 3, 2019

In ecologically pristine ecosystems, top-down effects of apex predators play a fundamental role in shaping trophic cascades and structuring ecosystems, but in human-modified landscapes anthropogenic effects may markedly alter the ecological role of predators. In particular, human-provisioned food subsidies represent … read more

Posted in Biology | Tagged anthropogenic, conservation, ecological, hinder, insights, subsidies, wolves

Grasshopper Consumption by Grey Wolves and Implications for Ecosystems

Posted on December 3, 2019

The eradication and subsequent reintroduction of grey wolves (Canis lupus) in the western United States has provided unique insights into the role these predators play in regulating ecosystem functioning and dynamics. Although the importance of wolves in ecosystems has been … read more

Posted in Biology | Tagged consumption, ecosystems, grasshopper, implications, wolves

Tooth Fracture Frequency in Gray Wolves Reflects Prey Availability

Posted on October 31, 2019

Exceptionally high rates of tooth fracture in large Pleistocene carnivorans imply intensified interspecific competition, given that tooth fracture rises with increased bone consumption, a behavior that likely occurs when prey are difficult to acquire. To assess the link between prey … read more

Posted in Biology | Tagged availability, fracture, frequency, reflects, tooth, wolves

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Wolfwatcher

5 hours ago

Native Voices Speaking up for Wolvesbit.ly/3olLmEATribal leaders are speaking out about protecting wolves. The tribal perspective changes the focus of the debate on wolves and demonstrates the value of including Native voices in policy discussions.Dozens of American Indian tribes, including Montana tribes that are part of the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in September asking her to place wolves back on the endangered species list on an emergency basis for 240 days. “Had either the Trump or Biden Administrations consulted tribal nations, as treaty and trust responsibilities require, they would have heard that as a sacred creature, the wolf is an integral part of the land-based identity that shapes our communities, beliefs, customs and traditions,” the letter said. “The land, and all that it contains, is our temple.”In Montana the wolf debate is framed around economics. Wolves are viewed as threat to ranching income because they prey on livestock. Hunting and trapping are viewed as necessary to keep wolf populations in check and protect agricultural profits. Wolf hunting also offers outfitters and professional hunting guides a marketing opportunity. The Montana legislature passed several bills in the 2021 session making it easier for hunters to trap and kill wolves. But the tribal leaders advocating for protecting wolves frame their arguments in religious terms. The animals are “sacred”, shape beliefs and customs and are part of the land that is a “temple”. This perspective shifts the debate from the economic plain to a spiritual one, forcing people to see beyond the bottom line on an accounting leger. Tribal leaders in their letter to Secretary Haaland also assert treaty rights are being ignored and the federal government has an obligation to weigh tribal input on public policy issues. The native perspective is not the same as the Euro-American perspective; Native voices can expand the scope of policy debate, broach issues outside the Euro-American traditions and challenge the discussion to focus on multi-generational consequences. That is the value of the tribal perspective and why we, as League of Women Voters leaders, salute leaders who asserted their right to be heard. All public policy debates require diverse and inclusive voices.photo: Wild Love Images - Julie Argyle Wildlife Photography #shootwithacamera ... See MoreSee Less

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Wolfwatcher

20 hours ago

It's Time to Thank WolvesA better way of viewing wolves~Rick LamplughAs the season of giving thanks arrives, I think it’s time to thank wolves, fine creatures whose ancient ancestors befriended us, shared with us, and taught us. Ancient wolves, for hundreds of thousands of years, dogged herds of caribou that migrated between what is now Spain and Siberia. After the last Ice Age, early humans may have watched wolves bringing down caribou. Our ancestors may have been as hungry as those wolves and wondered how to plunder some of their competitor’s bounty. But a few humans, no matter how desperate, couldn't just take a wolf pack's kill. Early humans, though, were superior to wolves in some ways, say Wolfgang Schleidt and Michael Shalter in a journal article, “Coevolution of Humans and Canids.” Humans have greater cognitive ability. Humans can see better at longer distances because we stand taller than wolves. Humans with weapons can hit a target from a distance. Early humans, these scientists believe, could have used these strengths to partner with wolves in hunting.Ancient wolves hunted, as they do now, by sorting and sifting a herd to expose the animal that requires the least effort to bring down. Once wolves cut that animal from the herd, the dangerous work begins. And that’s where humans could come in. With bigger brains, better vision, and deadly weapons humans could have helped wolves finish the job. Working together, a meal was won and shared using the strengths of the two-legged and four-legged partners.Another author, Pat Shipman, an anthropologist, also theorizes that early humans partnered with wolves. But in her book, The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction, she adds a twist: that alliance gave our ancestors an unbeatable advantage over Neanderthals, our competitor.Scientists figure that Neanderthals dominated the European continent when our ancestors reached there about 45,000 years ago. But by just 5,000 years later, Neanderthals had disappeared. While some experts believe that climate change caused their demise, Shipman presents an exciting alternative. She says that while modern humans and Neanderthals competed to kill grazers, humans partnered with wolf-dogs. She found no evidence that Neanderthals did so. She believes that our alliance with wolf-dogs helped us outcompete Neanderthals and win the evolutionary race.The wolf-dogs we partnered with, says Shipman, were not the same as modern wolves or modern dogs. They were not a wolf-dog hybrid. But they had characteristics similar to those of today’s wolves. They would have tracked animals like caribou, elk, and bison and hounded them until they tired. Then early humans would have stepped in to kill the prey with spears or bows and arrows. The wolf-dogs would have kept competitors and scavengers from stealing the kill—just as wolves protect their kills today. The partners shared the work and the meal.While Shipman sees early humans partnering with wolf-dogs, Mark Derr in his book, How the Dog Became the Dog, describes how humans partnered with actual wolves. Derr’s view of our connecting with wolves is quite unlike the more commonly told story that wolves were curs slinking around the edge of early human settlements begging for handouts and eventually tamed by intelligent humans. Our partnership with wolves, says Derr, occurred even before early humans had settlements. Certain nomadic humans and wolves met on the trail and were simply right for one another; were both sociable and curious. Those initial connections were no small thing. The first wolves to take up with humans were exceptional animals capable of making what Derr calls “a leap of friendship” with a creature from another species.Once that leap was made, early human and wolves evolved together, with our ancestors learning from wolves. Over centuries, humans eventually domesticated some wolves into dogs, animals that have helped us survive and prosper.Derr’s image of two intelligent and resourceful creatures meeting on the trail, befriending one another, and evolving together is an important addition to wolf natural history. I believe that how we view wolves historically is critical to how we treat them today.Consider this scenario: You’re in the market for a dog and you go to a reputable breeder. She has two dogs from which you can choose. The dogs look similar, and you ask about each. She points to one and says, “Oh, his parents hung out by my trash pile. They were just scavengers.” Then she points at the other and says, “This one’s parents were two of my best friends. They were intelligent, attentive, and curious.” Which animal would you take as one to love and care for? Which might you keep at a distance or demonize? As I see it, ancient wolves were intelligent enough to grasp the advantage of working with our ancestors. Ancient wolves were brave enough to make a dangerous leap of friendship with a competitive species. Ancient wolves were generous enough to share their hard-earned kills.Instead of hating wolves and treating them as unacceptable competitors for game and livestock, we should thank these essential predators that befriended us, shared with us, and taught us.We should protect them under the Endangered Species Act so their tiny population can grow in safety.Thanks for joining me in this Love the Wild! If you haven’t yet subscribed, I hope you’ll do so. It’s free and brings a Love the Wild letter to your inbox each week. In addition to commentaries such as this one, you’ll enjoy a variety of podcasts, photo essays, stories inspired by photos, excerpts from my books, and more. With each, I hope to warm your heart and excite your mind as we share moments with wildlife and in wild lands. ... See MoreSee Less

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Resources ≀ Biology

Estimating Biomass of Berries Consumed by Gray Wolves

Is There A Mechanism That Causes Wolves from Same Area to Disperse Long-distances in Same Direction?

Intrinsic Ball Retrieving in Wolf Puppies Suggests Standing Ancestral Variation for Human-Directed Play Behavior

Anthropogenic Food Subsidies Hinder The Ecological Role Of Wolves: Insights For Conservation Of Apex Predators In Human-modified Landscapes

Grasshopper Consumption by Grey Wolves and Implications for Ecosystems

Tooth Fracture Frequency in Gray Wolves Reflects Prey Availability

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