WolvesWLF314
2009
What is a wolf?
Killer
Brother
Menace
Fool
Symbol
DemonProvider
Friend
Keystone
Trickster
Hero
Bardeleden et al. 2005
African wild dog
Dhole
Golden jackal
Dog
Gray wolf
Coyote
Side-striped jackal
Black-backed jackal
African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)
Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
• 8 species– But possibly 10, or 11, maybe even 12
• Northern Hemisphere (exception-dingo)
• Highly social- packs• Predatory but occasionally omnivorous• Hybridization
Genus Canis
Hybridization
Gray wolf (Canis lupus) Red wolf (Canis rufus) Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis)
Coyote (Canis latrans) Golden jackal (Canis aureus) Dog (Canis familiaris)
Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis)
Gray wolf (Canis lupus)
• Circumpolar distribution• Largest canid (23-80 kg)• Color variation (white – black)
Gray Wolf
• territorial – aggressive defense by pack
• females sexually mature ~ 2 yr, males ~ 3 yr
• gestation ~ 2 mo.
• altricial pups born in den – 8 to 10 wks
Wolf communication
• Highly social• Vocal
– Howling• Olfactory
– Scent rolling• Body language
Schenkel 1947
Zimen 1981
Social ecology
• Pack- social unit• Breeders and offspring• Dispersal
– Budding• Variation in size• Seasonal• Models of pack structure
Vonholdt et al. 2008
Why packs?
• Larger prey?• More efficient?
Thurber and Peterson 1993
Ecosystem effects
• Often cited as a ‘keystone’ species• Direct effects
– Prey populations– Mesopredators
• Indirect effects– Plant communities– Scavengers– Trophic cascades
•1973 -- lower 48 listed “Endangered” (except MN = “Threatened”)
•2009 -- 3 DPSs
Eastern- threatened
Western- delisted
Southwestern- non-essential experimental population
Mexican Gray Wolf(Canis lupus baileyi)
• genetically distinct subspecies
Size: < northern gray wolf (~ red wolf, 20-36 kg)
Habitat: Mountains of the SW
Diet: elk, deer, small mammals
• extinct in native habitat by 1950s
• 1998: 11 wolves reintroduced to AZ & NM
Red wolf (Canis rufus)
• Medium-sized canid (27-37 kg)• Reddish coat color• Pack social structure
USFWS
Nowak 2002
Early History• Massachusetts- first wolf bounty (1630)• Virginia Bay Colony followed (1632)• Court records from 1768 to 1789 indicated wolf bounties paid in eastern NC
Hailer & Leonard 2008
1960s
• McCarley 1962– Compared red wolf and coyote skulls– Suggested red wolves in eastern Texas
likely hybrids– Only pure red wolves in SW Louisiana
1960s• More and more
morphological studies found few pure red wolves
• Coyote range expanded eastward
• 1967 red wolves listed under US Endangered Species Preservation Act
Paradiso 1968
1970s• Pure wolves only existed in
coastal plains of SE Texas and SW Louisiana (Paradiso and Nowak 1972)
• USFWS- only way to save red wolf was to capture remaining pure individuals
1973-1980
• 400 wild canids captured from remaining red wolf range
• 43 determined ‘morphologically’ pure red wolves
• Captive breeding tests determined only 17 actually pure
1980
• Captive breeding program initiated– Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, WA
• Red wolf officially declared extinct in the wild
1980s
North Carolina
1987
• 4 red wolf pairs reintroduced into Alligator National Wildlife Refuge
• Non-essential experimental population status
• 1st species declared extinct to later be reintroduced
1990s- Crisis
• Coyotes quickly migrated into eastern NC
• 1993 1st hybridization event between reintroduced wolves and coyotes detected
• Fears of hybrid swarm
1999• PHVA conducted for
red wolf• Concluded greatest
threat to red wolf was hybridization
• Formation of Red Wolf Recovery Implementation Team (RWRIT)
• Adopted aggressive adaptive management plan
2009
40 red wolf pups
7 hybrid pups (2 litters)
# of known wild litters
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
19881990199219941996199820002002200420062008
Year
#of l
itter
s
HybridWolf
USFWS 2007
5-year review
Coyote
Gray wolf
Red wolf
Nowak 2002
Two Types of DNANucleus
Mitochondrion
Animal Cell
MtDNA
nDNA
MaternalInheritance
BiparentalInheritance
Roy et al. 1996
Roy et al. 1996
Wilson et al. 2000
Wilson et al. 2000
Wheeldon and White 2008
What is a wolf?