A Ten-year History of the Demography and Productivity of an Arctic Wolf Pack

Bibliographic Data

ID16865706
AuthorsL David Mech (0000-0003-3944-7769, corresponding author)
Year1995
Volume48
Issue4
Publication date1995-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueARCTIC (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0004-0843 • E-ISSN: 1923-1245
PublisherThe Arctic Institute of North America (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.14430/arctic1255
OpenAlexW2162248286
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited1

A pack of two to eight adult wolves (Canis lupus arctos) and their pups was observed during ten summers (1986-95) on Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. The author habituated the wolf pack to his presence in the first summer and reinforced the habituation each summer thereafter. The first alpha female produced four to six pups each year between 1986 and 1989. However, her daughter, who succeeded her as the alpha female, produced only one to three pups each year between 1990 and 1992 and in 1994, and apparently did not whelp in 1993 or in 1995. The tenure of the first alpha male was at least two years, and his successor was alpha male for the remaining eight years of the study. The wolf pack was characterized by highly variable annual productivity. The second alpha male-and-female breeding pair likely was an older brother and a younger sister. Early survival of wolf pups was high and constant, with all pups surviving through August of their first year. The pack's demography was consistent with what is known for wolf packs in other regions of North America, but its productivity was more typical of arctic packs.Key words: wolf, Canis lupus, productivity, demography, breeding tenure, survival

Arctic · Arctic fox · Biology · Canis · Geography · Lagopus · Productivity · Demography · Ecology · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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