Urine-marking and Ground-scratching by Free-ranging Arctic Wolves, Canis lupus arctos , in Summer

Urine-marking and ground-scratching were observed in an Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus) pack on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, during 16 summers between 1986 and 2005. All previously known urination postures and ground-scratching by breeding males and females were seen, and incidence of marking and sc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mech, L. David
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 2006
Subjects:
Arctic Wolf
Canis lupus arctos
ground-scratching
odor
scent-marking
territoriality
urine-marking
Ellesmere Island
Nunavut
Canada
Animal Sciences
Behavior and Ethology
Biodiversity
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Policy
Life Sciences
Recreation
Parks and Tourism Administration
Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Arctic
Canis lupus
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsnpwrc/366
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/usgsnpwrc/article/1330/viewcontent/Mech_CFN_2006_Urine_marking_and_Ground_scratching.pdf
Description
Summary:Urine-marking and ground-scratching were observed in an Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus) pack on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, during 16 summers between 1986 and 2005. All previously known urination postures and ground-scratching by breeding males and females were seen, and incidence of marking and scratching was greatest when non-pack wolves were present. Observations of urine-marking of food remains supported the conclusion from a captive Wolf study that such marking signals lack of edible food.

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