Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin
Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) uses scent-marking to communicate breeding status, dominance, and territorial boundaries. Despite its importance for reproduction and pack dynamics, information on scent-marking and proestrus in wild wolf populations is limited to a handful of locations. We estimated the rate...
Published in: | The Canadian Field-Naturalist |
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Language: | English |
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The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
2023
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Online Access: | https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2907 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v136i3.2907 |
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ftjcfn:oai:canadianfieldnaturalist.ca:article/2907 2023-05-15T15:49:29+02:00 Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin Thiel, Richard DeWitt, Philip 2023-02-20 application/pdf https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2907 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v136i3.2907 eng eng The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2907/2929 https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2907 doi:10.22621/cfn.v136i3.2907 Copyright (c) 2023 The Canadian Field-Naturalist The Canadian Field-Naturalist; Vol. 136 No. 3 (2022); 254-261 0008-3550 behaviour Gray Wolf Canis lupus proestrus scent-marking reproduction territory raised-leg urinations recolonization info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2023 ftjcfn https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v136i3.2907 2023-02-26T18:46:39Z Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) uses scent-marking to communicate breeding status, dominance, and territorial boundaries. Despite its importance for reproduction and pack dynamics, information on scent-marking and proestrus in wild wolf populations is limited to a handful of locations. We estimated the rate of territorial scent-marking and the probability of proestrus in a recolonizing Gray Wolf population near the species southern range extent in eastern North America. An analysis of 221 pack-winters of tracking data show that the incremental addition of one wolf pack increased marking rates by 3.4%, whereas increasing the number of wolves in a pack decreased marking rates by 12.1%. Scent-marking rates subsequently increased from 1.9 times/km during recolonization to 3.0 times/km once the population was saturated. We observed evidence of proestrus from 19 December to 14 March with the highest probability of proestrus occurring around 6 February, after peak marking rates around 26 January. Repeated observations of bloody urinations within individual packs suggest proestrus averages 27.9 days. Our study reveals the role of population growth on territorial behaviours and provides a foundation for studies exploring the role of geographic and temporal variation on territorial and reproductive behaviours in wolves. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus gray wolf The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal) The Canadian Field-Naturalist 136 3 254 261 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal) |
op_collection_id |
ftjcfn |
language |
English |
topic |
behaviour Gray Wolf Canis lupus proestrus scent-marking reproduction territory raised-leg urinations recolonization |
spellingShingle |
behaviour Gray Wolf Canis lupus proestrus scent-marking reproduction territory raised-leg urinations recolonization Thiel, Richard DeWitt, Philip Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin |
topic_facet |
behaviour Gray Wolf Canis lupus proestrus scent-marking reproduction territory raised-leg urinations recolonization |
description |
Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) uses scent-marking to communicate breeding status, dominance, and territorial boundaries. Despite its importance for reproduction and pack dynamics, information on scent-marking and proestrus in wild wolf populations is limited to a handful of locations. We estimated the rate of territorial scent-marking and the probability of proestrus in a recolonizing Gray Wolf population near the species southern range extent in eastern North America. An analysis of 221 pack-winters of tracking data show that the incremental addition of one wolf pack increased marking rates by 3.4%, whereas increasing the number of wolves in a pack decreased marking rates by 12.1%. Scent-marking rates subsequently increased from 1.9 times/km during recolonization to 3.0 times/km once the population was saturated. We observed evidence of proestrus from 19 December to 14 March with the highest probability of proestrus occurring around 6 February, after peak marking rates around 26 January. Repeated observations of bloody urinations within individual packs suggest proestrus averages 27.9 days. Our study reveals the role of population growth on territorial behaviours and provides a foundation for studies exploring the role of geographic and temporal variation on territorial and reproductive behaviours in wolves. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thiel, Richard DeWitt, Philip |
author_facet |
Thiel, Richard DeWitt, Philip |
author_sort |
Thiel, Richard |
title |
Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin |
title_short |
Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin |
title_full |
Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin |
title_fullStr |
Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin |
title_full_unstemmed |
Territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) population in central Wisconsin |
title_sort |
territorial scent-marking and proestrus in a recolonizing wild gray wolf (canis lupus) population in central wisconsin |
publisher |
The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2907 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v136i3.2907 |
genre |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
op_source |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist; Vol. 136 No. 3 (2022); 254-261 0008-3550 |
op_relation |
https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2907/2929 https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2907 doi:10.22621/cfn.v136i3.2907 |
op_rights |
Copyright (c) 2023 The Canadian Field-Naturalist |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v136i3.2907 |
container_title |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist |
container_volume |
136 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
254 |
op_container_end_page |
261 |
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1766384523877023744 |