A camera trapping survey reveals a melanistic Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) in an unusual habitat in Turkey (Mammalia: Carnivora)

WOS: 000331654700001 Apparently as a consequence of persecution from humans, Grey Wolves (Canis lupus) are confined in Turkey to mountainous regions, mostly above 600 m a.s.l. In the course of a camera trap survey carried out between April and July 2013 in the Marmaris region in western Turkey, I co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoology in the Middle East
Main Author: Ilemin, Yasin
Other Authors: MÜ
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd 2014
Subjects:
Wolf
Melanism
Distribution
Alleles
Genes
Camera Trapping
Yenisey
Canis lupus
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12809/3630
https://doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2014.892299
Description
Summary:WOS: 000331654700001 Apparently as a consequence of persecution from humans, Grey Wolves (Canis lupus) are confined in Turkey to mountainous regions, mostly above 600 m a.s.l. In the course of a camera trap survey carried out between April and July 2013 in the Marmaris region in western Turkey, I could confirm the presence of this species in coastal areas at an altitude of 215 m a.s.l. The species lives there quite secretly and its presence is unknown to local people. The records include a melanistic individual, which is the first such record in Turkey. Because of the aggressive relationship between wolves and sheep dogs all over Western Anatolia, I am considering that this individual is the result of a natural combination of coat colour determining alleles and not the result of hybridisation with a melanistic domestic dog, as had been suggested for other parts of the distribution area. Small Grants Programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-SGP) I am grateful to Ertan Kilci (Chief of Datca Forest Management), S. Akin Unler (Chief of Hisaronu Forest Management) from the General Directorate of Forestry for their logistic support, Mustafa Kantarli from General Directorate of Nature Protection and National Parks, Halil Ibrahim Yolcu from South-West Anatolian Forest Research Institute (SAFRI), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Koc and Dr. Burcin Yenisey Kaynas for their valuable contributions. The Small Grants Programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-SGP), which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Doga Arastirmalari Dernegi (DAD-Turkey) supported this study.

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