Possible Use of Foresight, Understanding, and Planning by Wolves Hunting Muskoxen

ABSTRACT. On Ellesmere Island in 2006, arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos) were observed making a two-pronged approach to a herd of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and, on another occasion, ambushing muskoxen. Both observations seemed to provide evidence that the wolves were using foresight, understandin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: L. David Mech
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 2006
Subjects:
Key words
Canis lupus
cooperative hunting
foresight in wolves
muskoxen
Ovibos moschatus
Arctic
Ellesmere Island
ovibos moschatus
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.594.7802
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/arctic60-2-145.pdf
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT. On Ellesmere Island in 2006, arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos) were observed making a two-pronged approach to a herd of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and, on another occasion, ambushing muskoxen. Both observations seemed to provide evidence that the wolves were using foresight, understanding, and planning. Although the possible use of insight and purposiveness has been documented in captive wolves, the present report is one of the few to document the possibility that free-ranging wolves use these other three mental processes.

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