Extinguishing a Learned Response in a Free-ranging Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
A free-ranging Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), habituated to human presence (the author) on Ellesmere Island, Canada, learned to anticipate experimental feeding by a human, became impatient, persistent, and bold and exhibited stalking behaviour toward the food source. Only after the author offered the wolf...
| Published in: | The Canadian Field-Naturalist |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1951 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v131i1.1951 |
| Summary: | A free-ranging Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), habituated to human presence (the author) on Ellesmere Island, Canada, learned to anticipate experimental feeding by a human, became impatient, persistent, and bold and exhibited stalking behaviour toward the food source. Only after the author offered the wolf about 90 clumps of dry soil over a period of 45 minutes in three bouts, did the wolf give up this behaviour. To my knowledge, this is the first example of extinguishing a learned response in a free-ranging wolf and provides new insight into the learning behaviour of such animals. |
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