Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Movements and Behavior Around a Kill Site and Implications for GPS Collar Studies
Open accessAbstract
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 behavior around a kill. Combined with the literature, this observation supports placing a radio-collar on the breeding male to maximize finding kills via GPS collars and qualifying results depending on whatever other information is available about the collared wolf’s pack.
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Historically, wolves were considered the main predator in muskox ecosystems.
“Historically, wolves (Canis lupus) were considered the main predator in muskox ecosystems (Marquard-Petersen 1998; Gunn and Adamczewski 2003; Mech 2011).”
From Muskox status, recent variation, and uncertain future (2020) · cites this paper as Mech 2011
The Results describe wolves killing a muskox calf, and the Discussion describes their feeding on a calf and yearling. These passages support wolves as muskox predators, but the paper does not say they were historically considered the main predator in muskox ecosystems (searched: historical and principal predators). (LLM, conf=0.78)
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Cites
The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species
Coulter, M. W., & Mech, L. D. (1971) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2307/3799810 · Cited by 1,153 · see citing works
Self-citationWolf Ecology and Prey Relationships on Isle Royale
Peterson, R. O. (2017) · Purdue e-Pubs (Purdue University System) · Cited by 352 · see citing works
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Self-citationUsing GPS technology and GIS cluster analyses to estimate kill rates in wolf—ungulate ecosystems
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Self-citationSummer kill rates and predation pattern in a wolf–moose system: can we rely on winter estimates?
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Statistical Methods for Identifying Wolf Kill Sites Using Global Positioning System Locations
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Effects of hunting group size, snow depth and age on the success of wolves hunting moose
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Self-citationRegular and Homeward Travel Speeds of Arctic Wolves
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Self-citationProblems with studying wolf predation on small prey in summer via global positioning system collars
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Self-citationTesting Global Positioning System Telemetry to Study Wolf Predation on Deer Fawns
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Self-citationPossible use of Wolf, Canis lupus, den over several centuries
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Self-citationBehavioural Assessment in Muskox Calves
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A preliminary study of the musk-oxen of Slidre Fiord District, Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island
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Is climate change affecting wolf populations in the high arctic?
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Killing of a Muskox. Ovibos moschatus, by two Wolves, Canis lupus, and subsequent caching
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Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Merrill, S. B., L. G. Adams, M. E. Nelson, and L. D. Mech. 1998. Testing releasable GPS collars on wolves and white- tailed deer. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26: 830-835.
- Tener, J. S. 1954. A preliminary study of the musk-oxen of Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, N.W.T. Canadian Wildlife Service, Wildlife Management Bulletin, Series 1, Number 9. 34 pages.
- Webb, N. F., M. Hebblewhite, and E. H. Merrill. 2008. Statistical methods for identifying wolf kill sites using GPS locations. Journal of Wildlife Management 72: 798- 807.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Muskox status, recent variation, and uncertain future
Cuyler, C., Rowell, J., Adamczewski, J., Anderson, M., Blake, J., Bretten, T., Brodeur, V., Campbell, M., Checkley, S. L., Cluff, H. D., et al. (2020) · Ambio · doi:10.1007/s13280-019-01205-x · Cited by 77 · see citing works
- Authors
- Mech, L. D.
- Affiliations
- Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mech, L. David
- ORCID
- Mech, L. David
- Venue
- The Canadian Field-Naturalist
- Publisher
- Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
- Published
- 2012-08-13
- Volume
- 125
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 353
- ISSN
- 0008-3550 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1540417764
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- The Canadian Field-Naturalist (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Lincoln (University of Nebraska) (submittedVersion)
- Biodiversity Heritage Library (Smithsonian Institution) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Funders
- National Geographic Society
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Keywords
- gray wolf, wolf, kill rate, Ovibos moschatus, Ellesmere Island
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