Socio-ecological dynamics of wolves and prey in a subarctic ecosystem ...

• Main Author: Haber, Gordon C.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Subjects: Subarctic; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0094168; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0094168

An eight year field study (1966-1974) in the Denali region of Alaska (lat.,63°N, long.150°W) focused primarily on two adjacent wolf packs in a largely unexploited ecosystem, to obtain information on their social dynamics and interactions with moose, sheep, and caribou. The "Savage" pack used a home range of about 600 square miles, and the "Toklat" pack about 1,000 square miles; both were territorial to essentially the full extent of their ranges. There was frequent ritualistic scent marking by both packs (usually the alpha male and female), especially where their ranges intersected, and this appeared to be mainly for territorial maintenance. Normal late winter pack sizes were 12-15 for the Savage pack, and about the same or a little larger for the Toklat pack. Historical records suggest little change in spatial patterns and pack size for these and surrounding packs for at least 30-40 years. Moose density averaged about .70 animals per square mile in the Savage range, and about .26 in the Toklat range, with ...