scholarly journals River Otter (Lontra canadensis) Killed by Wolves (Canis lupus) during Winter in Northern Minnesota

2018 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-253
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Gable ◽  
Steve K. Windels ◽  
Ian C. Rautio
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
National Park ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
River Otter ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Mammalian Predators ◽  
Voyageurs National Park

Few accounts exist of Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) killing small sympatric mammalian predators. In January 2017, we observed a River Otter (Lontra canadensis) that had been killed by wolves on the ice in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. This is one of only a few documented instances of wolves killing otters.

scholarly journals River Otter Distribution and Food Habits in Grand Teton National Park as Part of an Ongoing Project in the GYE

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 75-78
Author(s):  
Kelly Pearce ◽  
Tom Serfass
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Flagship Species ◽  
River Otter ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
River Otters

Grand Teton National Park is part of the known range of the North American river otter, however not much is known about this semi-aquatic mammal within the park. The results presented here are part of a larger project to investigate the potential of the river otter (Lontra canadensis) to serve as an aquatic flagship (species that engender public support and action) for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. River otters, known for their charismatic behavior have the potential to serve as an aquatic flagship species to promote conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective of this portion of the study was to identify river otter latrines on portions of the Snake River, between Flagg Ranch and Jackson Lake, and between Jackson Lake Dam and Pacific Creek, collect river otter scats to determine diet of the river otter, and employ remote cameras to determine activity patterns of the river otters. Between 20 June and 1 July 2015, 26 river otter latrines were identified during shoreline surveys, 186 river otter scats were collected, and cameras were deployed at 6 latrines between 7 July and 24 August 2015. River otter scats have been cleaned and prepared for analysis, but have not all been processed to date. Camera traps recorded 222 images, of which 7% (n = 14) were of carnivores, 70% (n = 155) were of non-carnivore mammals, and 9% (n = 22) were of birds. River otters were detected at 1 of the 6 latrines, a total of 5 independent times during the study.

scholarly journals Breeding displacement in gray wolves (Canis lupus): Three males usurp breeding position and pup rearing from a neighboring pack in Yellowstone National Park

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy SunderRaj ◽  
Jack W. Rabe ◽  
Kira A. Cassidy ◽  
Rick McIntyre ◽  
Daniel R. Stahler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Dominant Female ◽  
Territorial Group

Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) are territorial, group living carnivores that live in packs typically consisting of a dominant breeding pair and their offspring. Breeding tenures are relatively short and competitive, with vacancies usually occurring following a breeder’s death, and are often filled by unrelated immigrants or by relatives of the previous breeder. The frequency and conditions of active breeder displacements are poorly understood. Position changes in the dominance hierarchy are common yet rarely documented in detail. We describe a turnover in male breeding position in a wolf pack by males from a neighboring pack in mid-summer 2016 in Yellowstone National Park. Over the course of two months, three males from the Mollie’s pack displaced the breeding male of the neighboring Wapiti Lake pack, joined the pack’s two adult females, and subsequently raised the previous male’s four approximately three-month old pups. In the four years following the displacement (2017 to 2020), at least one of the intruding males has successfully bred with the dominant female and most years with a subordinate female (who was one of the pups at the time of displacement). The pack reared pups to adulthood each year. Male breeding displacements are likely influenced by male-male competition and female mate choice. These changes are the result of individuals competing to improve breeding position and may lead to increased pack stability and greater reproductive success. We report in detail on the behavior of a closely observed breeding displacement and we discuss the adaptive benefits of the change.

scholarly journals The problems with pooling poop: confronting sampling method biases in wolf (Canis lupus) diet studies

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (11) ◽  
pp. 843-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.D. Gable ◽  
S.K. Windels ◽  
J.G. Bruggink
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
National Park ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Wolf Population ◽  
Scat Analysis ◽  
Collection Method ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Voyageurs National Park ◽  
Collection Methods

Wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) diet is commonly estimated via scat analysis. Several researchers have concluded that scat collection method can bias diet estimates, but none of these studies properly accounted for interpack, age class, and temporal variability, all of which could bias diet estimates. We tested whether different scat collection methods yielded different wolf diet estimates after accounting for these other potential biases. We collected scats (n = 2406) monthly from four packs via three scat collection methods (at home sites, at clusters of GPS locations, and opportunistically) in and adjacent to Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, USA, during April–October 2015. Diet estimates were not affected by scat collection method but did vary temporally, among packs, and by age class. To more accurately estimate wolf population diets, researchers should collect 10–20 adult scats/pack per month from home sites and (or) opportunistically from packs that are representative of the population of interest. Doing so will minimize the potential biases associated with temporal, interpack, and age-class variability.

scholarly journals Social environment and genetics underlie body site‐specific microbiomes of Yellowstone National Park gray wolves ( Canis lupus )

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra L. DeCandia ◽  
Kira A. Cassidy ◽  
Daniel R. Stahler ◽  
Erin A. Stahler ◽  
Bridgett M. vonHoldt
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Body Site ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Gray Wolves

scholarly journals Interactions of Brown Bears, Ursus arctos, and Gray Wolves, Canis lupus, at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

2004 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom S. Smith ◽  
Steven T. Partridge ◽  
John W. Schoen
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
National Park ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Additional Insight ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Katmai National Park

We describe several encounters between Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) and Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) that were observed at Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwest Alaska. Katmai Brown Bears and Gray Wolves were observed interacting in a variety of behavioral modes that ranged from agonistic to tolerant. These observations provide additional insight regarding the behavioral plasticity associated with bear-wolf interactions.

Leadership behavior in relation to dominance and reproductive status in gray wolves, Canis lupus

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (8) ◽  
pp. 1405-1412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf O Peterson ◽  
Amy K Jacobs ◽  
Thomas D Drummer ◽  
L David Mech ◽  
Douglas W Smith
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Leadership Behavior ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Males And Females

We analyzed the leadership behavior of breeding and nonbreeding gray wolves (Canis lupus) in three packs during winter in 1997–1999. Scent-marking, frontal leadership (time and frequency in the lead while traveling), initiation of activity, and nonfrontal leadership were recorded during 499 h of ground-based observations in Yellowstone National Park. All observed scent-marking (N = 158) was done by breeding wolves, primarily dominant individuals. Dominant breeding pairs provided most leadership, consistent with a trend in social mammals for leadership to correlate with dominance. Dominant breeding wolves led traveling packs during 64% of recorded behavior bouts (N = 591) and 71% of observed travel time (N = 64 h). During travel, breeding males and females led packs approximately equally, which probably reflects high parental investment by both breeding male and female wolves. Newly initiated behaviors (N = 104) were prompted almost 3 times more often by dominant breeders (70%) than by nonbreeders (25%). Dominant breeding females initiated pack activities almost 4 times more often than subordinate breeding females (30 vs. 8 times). Although one subordinate breeding female led more often than individual nonbreeders in one pack in one season, more commonly this was not the case. In 12 cases breeding wolves exhibited nonfrontal leadership. Among subordinate wolves, leadership behavior was observed in subordinate breeding females and other individuals just prior to their dispersal from natal packs. Subordinate wolves were more often found leading packs that were large and contained many subordinate adults.

Wolf homesite attendance patterns

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 1512-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel J Potvin ◽  
Rolf O Peterson ◽  
John A Vucetich
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
National Park ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Isle Royale ◽  
Pack Size ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Isle Royale National Park ◽  
Attendance Patterns ◽  
Size Number

Adult gray wolves, Canis lupus L., 1758, frequent den and rendezvous sites (homesites) during summer to bring food to pups and to ensure security of the pups. We monitored homesite attendance of several adult wolves from a single pack in Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, for 6 years. Pack size, number of pups, and prey density varied during the period of monitoring. Given the effect of prey density on wolf behavior, we predicted that wolf homesite attendance patterns would vary with prey density. We also examined the effects of varying pack size, social status, and number of pups on homesite attendance. Contrary to our expectations, prey density did not appear to be a significant predictor of homesite attendance statistics such as hours per day at the homesite or length of absence from the homesite. Furthermore, when prey density and social status remained the same, homesite attendance (hours/day) of individual wolves monitored for multiple years varied substantially. Our results show homesite attendance to be highly variable and not well predicted by prey density.

scholarly journals Assessing the Potential of the River Otter to Promote Aquatic Conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: A Unique Approach for Developing a Long-Term Aquatic Flagship

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 108-113
Author(s):  
Kelly Pearce ◽  
Tom Serfass
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Snake River ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
River Otter ◽  
The Public ◽  
River Otters ◽  
Trout Lake ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

Charismatic “flagship” species are used in many parts of the world to raise public awareness or financial support for conservation, both among local people living in the area and among potential donors living far away. Flagship species can serve as symbols to stimulate conservation awareness and action and have been particularly valuable because of their potential to change citizen behavior, including involvement in conservation and support of fundraising. For a flagship to be successful, however, the target audience and conservation objectives must be established and understood before implementing the concept. Researchers have suggested that a successful flagship should possess traits that endear it to the public, should not be feared or disliked, nor have been used to convey conflicting messages of conservation. Therefore, critical to the flagship approach is understanding attitudes, species preferences, level of wildlife knowledge of people living near and living far away for which support is sought. To determine if the river otter (Lontra canadensis) could be a successful flagship for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), we conducted social science surveys with visitors to Grand Teton National Park who participated in guided-raft trips on the Snake River (n = 768), visitors of Oxbow Bend (n = 254), a popular turn-out for viewing aquatic wildlife, and visitors to Trout Lake in Yellowstone National Park (n = 298). Preliminary results showed that familiarity with the river otters is area dependent (e.g., Trout Lake visitors were more familiar with the species than those visiting Oxbow Bend or rafting the Snake River), river otters are not controversial, but education is needed to better inform the public about river otters’ occurrence and ecosystem function in GYE.

scholarly journals Seasonal and inter-annual variation in diet for gray wolves Canis lupus in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin R. Shave ◽  
Seth G. Cherry ◽  
Andrew E. Derocher ◽  
Daniel Fortin
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
National Park ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
Prince Albert National Park
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document