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{{Short description|Subspecies of carnivore}}
{{main|Gray Wolf}}
{{Redirect2|White wolf|Polar wolf|other uses|White Wolf (disambiguation)|the prison in Russia|FKU IK-3, Kharp}}
{{Taxobox
{{pp-move-indef}}
⚫
| name = Arctic Wolf
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2020}}
| status = lc
{{Subspeciesbox
| image = Polarwolf004.jpg
⚫
| name = Arctic wolf
| image_width = 250px
| image = Canis lupus arctos qtl1.jpg
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| image_caption =
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
| status = DD
| status_system = COSEWIC
| ordo = [[Carnivora]]
| status_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/publications/canadian-wildlife-species-risk-2021.html |title=Canadian Wildlife Species at Risk 2021|access-date=2023-10-14|date=2021-12-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.741211/Canis_lupus_arctos|title=Canis lupus arctos|access-date=2023-10-14}}</ref>
| familia = [[Canidae]]
| genus = ''[[Canis]]''
| genus = Canis
| species_link = Gray wolf
| species = ''[[Wolf|C. lupus]]''
| species = lupus
| subspecies = '''''C. l. arctos'''''
| trinomial = ''Canis lupus arctos''
| subspecies = arctos
| trinomial_authority = [[Reginald Innes Pocock|Pocock]], 1935
| authority = [[Reginald I. Pocock|Pocock]], 1935
| range_map = arcticwolf distribution.gif
| range_map = North American gray wolf subspecies distribution according to Goldman (1944) & MSW3 (2005).png
| range_map_caption = Historical and present range of [[Subspecies of Canis lupus|grey wolf subspecies]] in North America
| range_map_width = 250px
| range_map_caption = Arctic Wolf ranges
}}
}}
The '''Arctic Wolf''' (''Canis lupus arctos''), also called '''Polar Wolf''' or '''White Wolf''', is a [[mammal]] of the [[Canidae]] family, and a [[subspecies]] of the [[Gray Wolf]]. Arctic Wolves inhabit the [[Canadian Arctic]] and the northern parts of [[Greenland]].


The '''Arctic wolf''' ('''''Canis lupus arctos'''''), also known as the '''white wolf''', '''polar wolf''', and the '''Arctic grey wolf''', is a [[Subspecies of Canis lupus|subspecies of grey wolf]] native to the [[High Arctic tundra]] of Canada's [[Queen Elizabeth Islands]], from [[Melville Island (Northwest Territories and Nunavut)|Melville Island]] to [[Ellesmere Island]].<ref>Mech, L. David (1981), ''The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species'', University of Minnesota Press, p. 352, {{ISBN|0-8166-1026-6}}</ref><ref name="ecoregions.appspot.com">{{Cite web|url=https://ecoregions.appspot.com/|title=Ecoregions 2017 ©|website=ecoregions.appspot.com}}</ref> Unlike some populations that move between tundra and forest regions,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.enr.gov.nt.ca/en/services/wolves|title = Wolves}}</ref> Arctic wolves spend their entire lives north of the northern [[treeline]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/wildlife/Arctic_animals/arctic_wolf.php|title=Arctic Wolf Facts and Adaptations - Canis lupus arctos}}</ref> Their distribution to south is limited to the northern fringes of the [[Middle Arctic tundra]] on the southern half of [[Prince of Wales Island (Nunavut)|Prince of Wales]] and [[Somerset Island (Nunavut)|Somerset Islands]].<ref name="ecoregions.appspot.com"/> It is a medium-sized subspecies, distinguished from the [[northwestern wolf]] by its smaller size, its whiter colouration, its narrower [[Neurocranium|braincase]],<ref name=goldman>Goldman, E. A. (1964). Classification of wolves. In ''The Wolves of North America'' Part 2. Young, S. P. & Goldman, E. A. (Eds.) New York: Dover Publs. p. 430.</ref> and larger [[carnassial]]s.<ref name=brock>{{cite journal | last1 = Clutton-Brock | first1 = J. | last2 = Kitchener | first2 = A. C. | last3 = Lynch | first3 = J. M. | year = 1994 | title = Changes in the skull morphology of the Arctic wolf, ''Canis lupus arctos'', during the twentieth century | journal = Journal of Zoology | volume = 233 | pages = 19–36 | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1994.tb05259.x}}</ref> Since 1930, there has been a progressive reduction in size in Arctic wolf skulls, which is likely the result of [[Wolfdog|wolf-dog hybridization]].<ref name="brock" />
==Anatomy==
''See also: [[Gray Wolf#Behavior and physiology|Gray Wolf behavior and physiology]]


==Taxonomy==
Arctic Wolves generally are smaller than Gray Wolves, being about 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 m) long including the tail; males are larger than females. Their shoulder heights vary from 25 to 31 inches (63 to 79 cm); Arctic Wolves are bulkier than Gray Wolves, often weighing over 100 pounds (45 kg). Weights of up to 175 pounds (80 kg) have been observed in full-grown males. Arctic Wolves usually have small ears, which help the wolf maintain body heat.
[[File:Map indicating the Queen Elizabeth (or Parry) Islands, northern Canada.png|thumb|left|Queen Elizabeth Islands, northern Canada]]
[[File:Mapchart.JPG|thumb|left|Queen Elizabeth Islands region (QEI) divided into five major areas by apparent importance to arctic-island wolves.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Wolf-sightings on the Canadian Arctic Islands|last = Miller|first = Frank|date = 1995|journal = Arctic |doi = 10.14430/arctic1253|volume=48|issue = 4|doi-access = free}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite journal |title=Movement Patterns of Barren-Ground Wolves in the Central Canadian Arctic |last=Walton |first=Lyle |date=2001 |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |doi= 10.1093/jmammal/82.3.867|volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=867–876}}</ref>]]


In 1935, the British zoologist [[Reginald Pocock]] attributed the subspecies name ''Canis lupus arctos'' (Arctic wolf) to a specimen from Melville Island in the [[Queen Elizabeth Islands]], Canada. He wrote that similar wolves could be found on Ellesmere Island. He also attributed the name ''Canis lupus orion'' to a [[Greenland wolf]] specimen from [[Cape York (Greenland)|Cape York]], northwest Greenland.<ref name=pocock1935/> Both wolves are recognized as separate subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' in the taxonomic authority ''[[Mammal Species of the World]]'' (2005).<ref name=wozencraft2005/>
Arctic Wolves have achieved life spans of over 18 years in captivity; however, in the wild, the average lifespan is only 7-10 years.


A study by Chambers ''et al''. (2012) using [[Autosome|autosomal]] [[microsatellite]] DNA and [[Mitochondrial DNA]] data indicate that the Arctic wolf has no unique [[haplotype]]s which suggests that its colonization of the Arctic Archipelago from the North American mainland was relatively recent, and thus not sufficient to warrant subspecies status.<ref name=Chambers>{{cite journal |title=An account of the taxonomy of North American wolves from morphological and genetic analyses |vauthors=Chambers SM, Fain SR, Fazio B, Amaral M |year=2012 |journal=North American Fauna |volume=77 |pages=1–67|doi=10.3996/nafa.77.0001|doi-access=free }}</ref> During a meeting assembled in 2014 by the [[National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis]] of the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]], one speaker, Robert K. Wayne, mentioned he disagreed with the conclusion that a subspecies had to be genetically distinct, believing that different subspecies could slowly grade into each other - suggesting that although it was impossible to determine if an individual wolf was one subspecies or the next using DNA, the population of Arctic wolves as a whole could be distinguished by the looking at the proportions of [[single-nucleotide polymorphism]]s (SNP): i.e. Arctic wolves could be distinguished by having three wolves in the putative population with a specific SNP, whereas another subspecies could be distinguished by having 20 wolves with that SNP. Wayne furthermore stated that he believed the [[habitat]] in which the wolf happened to be found was a good enough characteristic to distinguish a subspecies.<ref>[http://www.fws.gov/home/wolfrecovery/pdf/Final_Review_of_Proposed_rule_regarding_wolves2014.pdf#47 Review of Proposed Rule Regarding Status of the Wolf Under the Endangered Species Act] p. 47</ref>
== Hunting ==
Arctic wolves, like all wolves, hunt in packs; they mostly prey on [[Caribou]] and [[musk ox]]en, but will also kill a number of [[Arctic Hare]]s, seals, [[ptarmigan]] and [[lemming]]s, as well as other smaller animals. [[Moose]] are also common prey; their long legs may render them slow and, at times, stuck, in thick snow, leaving them vulnerable to attacks by wolf packs.
Due to the scarcity of grazing plants, they roam large areas to find prey up to and beyond 2600 [[square kilometer|km²]] (1000 square miles), and they will follow migrating caribou south during the winter. Recent footage filmed by a BBC Wildlife documentary crew shows arctic wolves hunting [[waterfowl]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Morelle|first=Rebecca|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7213731.stm|title=Elusive wolves caught on camera|publisher=BBC|date=2009-01-31|accessdate=2008-01-31}}</ref>


==Reproduction==
==Behaviour==
The Arctic wolf is relatively unafraid of people, and can be coaxed to approach people in some areas.<ref name=mech2007>Mech, L. D., [https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/arctic-zone/essay_mech.html Arctic Wolves and Their Prey], ''[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]'', May 30, 2007</ref> The wolves on Ellesmere Island do not fear humans, which is thought to be due to them seeing humans so little, and they will approach humans cautiously and curiously.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-syB6DSQlvQC&pg=PA7 Arctic Wolf: The High Arctic] by Laura DeLallo. Bearport Publishing, New York 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2Y3BN0thkbqhzBwjLKkcfmh/arctic-wildlife-in-a-warming-world Arctic wildlife in a warming world] by Michael Becker. BBC Two, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://internationalwolfcenter.blogspot.com.au/2006_10_01_archive.html Ellesmere Island Journal & Field Notes] by Henry Beston 2006. International Wolf Centre.</ref><ref>[http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/arctic-zone/essay_mech.html Arctic Wolves and Their Prey] by L. David Mech. National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory, Actic Zone. 2004</ref> [[Otto Sverdrup]] wrote that during the [[Nansen's Fram expedition|Fram expedition]], a pair of wolves shadowed one of his teammates, who kept them at a distance by waving his ski pole.<ref name=sverdrup>Sverdrup, O. N., (1918), ''[https://archive.org/stream/newlandfouryears01sveruoft#page/430/mode/2up/search/wolves New land; four years in the Arctic regions]'', Vol. I, London Longmans, Green, pp. 431–432</ref> In 1977, a pair of scientists were approached by six wolves on Ellesmere Island, with one animal leaping at one of the scientists and grazing a cheek. A number of incidents involving aggressive wolves have occurred in [[Alert, Nunavut]], where the wolves have lived in close proximity to the local weather station for decades and became habituated to humans. One of these wolves attacked 3 people, was shot, and tested positive for rabies.<ref>Linnell, J.D.C., et al. (2002). [http://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/2002.Review.wolf.attacks.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802021922/https://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/2002.Review.wolf.attacks.pdf |date=2020-08-02 }}, NINA, pp. 29–31, {{ISBN|82-426-1292-7}}</ref>
:''See also: [[Gray Wolf#Reproductive physiology and life cycle|Gray Wolf reproductive physiology and life cycle]]
[[File:09 North Pole Wolf.jpg|thumb|Arctic wolf feeding on muskox carcass in Ellesmere Island]]
Normally, only the alpha male and female breed, but in large packs others may mate as well. Due to the Arctic's [[permafrost]] soil and the difficulty it poses for digging dens, Arctic Wolves often use rock outcroppings, caves or even shallow depressions as dens instead; the mother gives birth to two or three pups in late May to early June, about a [[month]] later than Gray Wolves. It is generally thought that the lower number of pups compared to the average of 4 to 5 among Gray Wolves is due to the scarcity of prey in the Arctic. They give birth in about 63 days. The wolf pups stay with their mother for 2 years.
Very little is known about the movement of the Arctic wolves, mainly due to climate. The only time at which the wolf migrates is during the wintertime when there is complete darkness for 24 hours. This makes Arctic wolf movement hard to research. About {{convert|2,250|km|abbr=on}} south of the High Arctic, a wolf movement study took place in the wintertime in complete darkness, when the temperature was as low as {{convert|-53|C}}. The researchers found that wolves prey mainly on the [[muskox]]en. There is no available information of the wolves' movements where the muskoxen were.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |title=Movements Of Wolves At The Northern Extreme Of The Species' Range, Including During Four Months Of Darkness |last=Mech |first=David |date=2011 |journal=PLOS ONE |doi= 10.1371/journal.pone.0025328|pmid= 21991308|pmc=3186767 |volume=6 |issue=10 |pages=e25328|bibcode=2011PLoSO...625328M |doi-access=free }}</ref>


== Distribution ==
== Diet ==
In the wild, Arctic wolves primarily prey on [[muskox]]en and [[Arctic hare]]s. They have also been found to prey on [[lemming]]s, [[reindeer|caribou]], [[Arctic fox]]es, birds, and beetles. It has been also found that Arctic wolves scavenge through garbage. This sort of food source will not always be found in the Arctic wolf's diet because of regional and seasonal availability.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Marquard|first=Peterson|date=1998|title=Food Habits of Arctic Wolves in Greenland|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=79|issue=1|pages=236–244|doi=10.2307/1382859|jstor=1382859|doi-access=free}}<!--|access-date = October 30, 2015--></ref> Sometimes there is debate whether the muskox or the Arctic hare is the primary prey for the hare-wolf-muskox predator-prey system. Studies provide evidence that the muskoxen are indeed their primary prey because wolf presence and reproduction seems to be higher when muskox is more available than higher hare availability.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Decline and Recovery of a High Arctic Wolf-Prey System|last = Mech|first = David|date = September 1, 2005|journal = Arctic|doi = 10.14430/arctic432|volume = 58|issue = 3|doi-access = free}}</ref> More supporting evidence suggests that muskoxen provide long-term viability and other ungulates do not appear in the wolf's diet.<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |title=Decline and Extermination of an Arctic Wolf Population in East Greenland |last=Marquard-Petersen |first=Ulf |date=2012 |journal=Arctic |doi= 10.14430/arctic4197|volume=65|issue=2 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Evidence suggesting that Arctic wolves depend more on hares claims that the mature wolf population paralleled the increase of hares rather than muskoxen availability.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|title = Annual Arctic Wolf Pack Size Related to Arctic Hare Numbers|last = Mech|first = David|date = September 1, 2007|journal = Arctic|doi = 10.14430/arctic222|volume=60|issue = 3|url = https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsnpwrc/386|doi-access = free}}</ref> The study goes on to say that degree of reliance between the two sources of food is uncertain and that the amount of consumption between the two species depends on the season and year.<ref name=":4" /> Debate continues when seasonal and diet of young wolves is discussed. According to one study, muskox calves serve as a primary food source because the needs of pups are greater<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Abundance, social organization, and population trend of the arctic wolf in north and east greenland during 1978–1998|last = Marquard|first = Peterson|journal = Canadian Journal of Zoology |date=October 2009 |issue=10 |doi = 10.1139/z09-078|volume=87|pages=895–901}}</ref> but another study suggests that "when hares were much more plentiful (Mech, 2000), wolves commonly fed them to their pups during summer."<ref name=":4" /> These differences may be attributed to location as well. [[Polar bear]]s are rarely encountered by wolves, though there are two records of wolf packs killing polar bear cubs.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic59-3-322.pdf|title=Wolf (Canis lupus) Predation of a Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Cub on the Sea Ice off Northwestern Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada|journal=Arctic|volume=59|issue=3|year=2006|pages=322–324|access-date=March 16, 2010|doi=10.14430/arctic318|last1=Richardson|first1=E.S|last2=Andriashek|first2=D|archive-date=August 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808142212/http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic59-3-322.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The Arctic Wolf is the only subspecies of the [[Gray Wolf]] that still can be found over the whole of its original range, largely because, in their natural habitat, they rarely encounter humans.
[[Image:Arctwolft3.JPG|thumb|right|A pack of Arctic Wolves in [[Toronto Zoo]]]]


== References ==
==Conservation==
The Arctic wolf is [[least concern]], but it does face threats. In 1997, there was a decline in the Arctic wolf population and its prey, muskoxen (''[[Ovibos moschatus]]''), and [[Arctic hare]]s (''Lepus arcticus''). This was due to unfavourable weather conditions during the summers for four years. Arctic wolf populations recovered the next summer when weather conditions returned to normal.<ref name=":5">{{cite journal |jstor=40512716 |title=Decline and Recovery of a High Arctic Wolf-Prey System |last=Mech |first=David. L |date=2005 |journal=Arctic |doi= 10.14430/arctic432|volume=58|issue=3 |pages=305–307 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1385&context=usgsnpwrc |doi-access=free }}</ref>
⚫
* L. David Mech (text), Jim Brandenburg (photos), ''At home with the arctic wolf'', [[National Geographic]] Vol. 171 No. 5 (May 1987), pp. 562-593
⚫
* L. David Mech, ''The arctic wolf: 10 years with the pack'', Voyageur Press 1997, ISBN 0-89658-353-8
* {{IUCN2006|assessors=Wolf Specialist Group|year=2004|id=3746|title=Canis lupus|downloaded= 26 July 2007}}


==Notes==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=

<ref name=pocock1935>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1935.tb01687.x|title=The Races of Canis lupus|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|volume=105|issue=3|pages=647–686|year=1935|last1=Pocock|first1=R. I}}</ref>

<ref name=wozencraft2005>{{MSW3 Wozencraft|id=14000751|pages=575–577}} url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JgAMbNSt8ikC&pg=PA576</ref><!--Note: the url must be kept outside of the MSW3 template for the link to arrive on the correct page-->
}}

==Further reading==
⚫
* L. David Mech (text), Jim Brandenburg (photos) (May 1987). ''At Home With the Arctic Wolf.'' [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] 171(5):562–593.
⚫
* L. David Mech (1997). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dabwAAAAMAAJ The Arctic Wolf: 10 Years With the Pack]'', Voyageur Press, {{ISBN|0-89658-353-8}} .


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{wikispecies|Canis lupus arctos}}
{{Wikispecies|Canis lupus arctos}}
{{commonscat|Canis lupus arctos}}
{{Commons category|Canis lupus arctos}}
*{{cite web|title=Workers in rural Canada were amazed when these wild arctic wolves approached them at their work yard|website = [[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3-K2HK2qU0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/O3-K2HK2qU0 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}
* [http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_mech.html L. David Mech: Arctic Wolves and Their Prey]
* [http://white-wolf-sanctuary.com/ White Wolf Sanctuary website]
* [http://www.wolf.org/wolves/index.asp Wolf survival website]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7213731.stm Elusive wolves caught on camera - BBC News]


{{grey wolf subspecies}}
⚫
[[Category:Arctic land animals|Wolf, Arctic]]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q216441}}
[[Category:Wolves]]
⚫
[[Category:Mammals of Canada]]


⚫
[[Category:Arctic land animals]]
[[da:Polarulv]]
⚫
[[Category:Mammals of the Arctic]]
[[de:Polarwolf]]
[[es:Canis lupus arctos]]
[[Category:Mammals of Canada]]
[[Category:Carnivorans of North America]]
[[fr:Loup arctique]]
[[it:Canis lupus arctos]]
[[Category:Subspecies of Canis lupus]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1935]]
[[hu:Sarki farkas]]
[[nl:Poolwolf]]
[[no:Arktisk ulv]]
[[nn:Polarulv]]
[[pl:Wilk polarny]]
[[ru:Волк мелвильский островной]]
[[sv:Polarvarg]]
[[zh-yue:北極狼]]
[[zh:北極狼]]

Latest revision as of 17:10, 23 January 2024

"White wolf" and "Polar wolf" redirect here. For other uses, see White Wolf (disambiguation). For the prison in Russia, see FKU IK-3, Kharp.

Arctic wolf

Data Deficient (COSEWIC)[1][2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species:
C. lupus
Subspecies:
C. l. arctos
Trinomial name
Canis lupus arctos
Pocock, 1935
Historical and present range of grey wolf subspecies in North America

The Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos), also known as the white wolf, polar wolf, and the Arctic grey wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the High Arctic tundra of Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, from Melville Island to Ellesmere Island.[3][4] Unlike some populations that move between tundra and forest regions,[5] Arctic wolves spend their entire lives north of the northern treeline.[6] Their distribution to south is limited to the northern fringes of the Middle Arctic tundra on the southern half of Prince of Wales and Somerset Islands.[4] It is a medium-sized subspecies, distinguished from the northwestern wolf by its smaller size, its whiter colouration, its narrower braincase,[7] and larger carnassials.[8] Since 1930, there has been a progressive reduction in size in Arctic wolf skulls, which is likely the result of wolf-dog hybridization.[8]

Taxonomy

Queen Elizabeth Islands, northern Canada
Queen Elizabeth Islands region (QEI) divided into five major areas by apparent importance to arctic-island wolves.[9][10]

In 1935, the British zoologist Reginald Pocock attributed the subspecies name Canis lupus arctos (Arctic wolf) to a specimen from Melville Island in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada. He wrote that similar wolves could be found on Ellesmere Island. He also attributed the name Canis lupus orion to a Greenland wolf specimen from Cape York, northwest Greenland.[11] Both wolves are recognized as separate subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World (2005).[12]

A study by Chambers et al. (2012) using autosomal microsatellite DNA and Mitochondrial DNA data indicate that the Arctic wolf has no unique haplotypes which suggests that its colonization of the Arctic Archipelago from the North American mainland was relatively recent, and thus not sufficient to warrant subspecies status.[13] During a meeting assembled in 2014 by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, one speaker, Robert K. Wayne, mentioned he disagreed with the conclusion that a subspecies had to be genetically distinct, believing that different subspecies could slowly grade into each other - suggesting that although it was impossible to determine if an individual wolf was one subspecies or the next using DNA, the population of Arctic wolves as a whole could be distinguished by the looking at the proportions of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP): i.e. Arctic wolves could be distinguished by having three wolves in the putative population with a specific SNP, whereas another subspecies could be distinguished by having 20 wolves with that SNP. Wayne furthermore stated that he believed the habitat in which the wolf happened to be found was a good enough characteristic to distinguish a subspecies.[14]

Behaviour

The Arctic wolf is relatively unafraid of people, and can be coaxed to approach people in some areas.[15] The wolves on Ellesmere Island do not fear humans, which is thought to be due to them seeing humans so little, and they will approach humans cautiously and curiously.[16][17][18][19] Otto Sverdrup wrote that during the Fram expedition, a pair of wolves shadowed one of his teammates, who kept them at a distance by waving his ski pole.[20] In 1977, a pair of scientists were approached by six wolves on Ellesmere Island, with one animal leaping at one of the scientists and grazing a cheek. A number of incidents involving aggressive wolves have occurred in Alert, Nunavut, where the wolves have lived in close proximity to the local weather station for decades and became habituated to humans. One of these wolves attacked 3 people, was shot, and tested positive for rabies.[21]

Arctic wolf feeding on muskox carcass in Ellesmere Island

Very little is known about the movement of the Arctic wolves, mainly due to climate. The only time at which the wolf migrates is during the wintertime when there is complete darkness for 24 hours. This makes Arctic wolf movement hard to research. About 2,250 km (1,400 mi) south of the High Arctic, a wolf movement study took place in the wintertime in complete darkness, when the temperature was as low as −53 °C (−63 °F). The researchers found that wolves prey mainly on the muskoxen. There is no available information of the wolves' movements where the muskoxen were.[22]

Diet

In the wild, Arctic wolves primarily prey on muskoxen and Arctic hares. They have also been found to prey on lemmings, caribou, Arctic foxes, birds, and beetles. It has been also found that Arctic wolves scavenge through garbage. This sort of food source will not always be found in the Arctic wolf's diet because of regional and seasonal availability.[23] Sometimes there is debate whether the muskox or the Arctic hare is the primary prey for the hare-wolf-muskox predator-prey system. Studies provide evidence that the muskoxen are indeed their primary prey because wolf presence and reproduction seems to be higher when muskox is more available than higher hare availability.[24] More supporting evidence suggests that muskoxen provide long-term viability and other ungulates do not appear in the wolf's diet.[25] Evidence suggesting that Arctic wolves depend more on hares claims that the mature wolf population paralleled the increase of hares rather than muskoxen availability.[26] The study goes on to say that degree of reliance between the two sources of food is uncertain and that the amount of consumption between the two species depends on the season and year.[26] Debate continues when seasonal and diet of young wolves is discussed. According to one study, muskox calves serve as a primary food source because the needs of pups are greater[27] but another study suggests that "when hares were much more plentiful (Mech, 2000), wolves commonly fed them to their pups during summer."[26] These differences may be attributed to location as well. Polar bears are rarely encountered by wolves, though there are two records of wolf packs killing polar bear cubs.[28]

Conservation

The Arctic wolf is least concern, but it does face threats. In 1997, there was a decline in the Arctic wolf population and its prey, muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus), and Arctic hares (Lepus arcticus). This was due to unfavourable weather conditions during the summers for four years. Arctic wolf populations recovered the next summer when weather conditions returned to normal.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Canadian Wildlife Species at Risk 2021". 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  2. ^ "Canis lupus arctos". Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  3. ^ Mech, L. David (1981), The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species, University of Minnesota Press, p. 352, ISBN 0-8166-1026-6
  4. ^ a b "Ecoregions 2017 ©". ecoregions.appspot.com.
  5. ^ "Wolves".
  6. ^ "Arctic Wolf Facts and Adaptations - Canis lupus arctos".
  7. ^ Goldman, E. A. (1964). Classification of wolves. In The Wolves of North America Part 2. Young, S. P. & Goldman, E. A. (Eds.) New York: Dover Publs. p. 430.
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  23. ^ Marquard, Peterson (1998). "Food Habits of Arctic Wolves in Greenland". Journal of Mammalogy. 79 (1): 236–244. doi:10.2307/1382859. JSTOR 1382859.
  24. ^ Mech, David (September 1, 2005). "Decline and Recovery of a High Arctic Wolf-Prey System". Arctic. 58 (3). doi:10.14430/arctic432.
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  27. ^ Marquard, Peterson (October 2009). "Abundance, social organization, and population trend of the arctic wolf in north and east greenland during 1978–1998". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 87 (10): 895–901. doi:10.1139/z09-078.
  28. ^ Richardson, E.S; Andriashek, D (2006). "Wolf (Canis lupus) Predation of a Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Cub on the Sea Ice off Northwestern Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada" (PDF). Arctic. 59 (3): 322–324. doi:10.14430/arctic318. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  29. ^ Mech, David. L (2005). "Decline and Recovery of a High Arctic Wolf-Prey System". Arctic. 58 (3): 305–307. doi:10.14430/arctic432. JSTOR 40512716.

Further reading

External links

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