Craniometrical sexual dimorphism of the grey wolf (Canis lupus, Canidae, Carnivora) in Bulgaria

• Published in: Historia naturalis bulgarica
• Main Authors: Katelina Uzunowa, Blagoy Koychev, Stanislava Peeva, Evgeniy Raichev, Nikolai Spassov
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 2024
• Subjects: canids; canis lupus; cranium; male-biased; sexual dimorphism; Science; Q; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.48027/hnb.46.052; https://doaj.org/article/6520f19f0fe942eb82ff817fd7ed0904

Cranial sexual dimorphism in grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) from Bulgaria has not been studied so far. Skulls from adult individuals from across the country were studied. Thirty-six parameters (35 craniodental measurements and a volumetric one) of each skull were measured. The Bulgarian wolf population exhibits weak craniodental sexual dimorphism, which is male-biased, as is typical in canids with a monogamous social system. However, the sexual dimorphism is more pronounced than in the studied more northern populations.