Contrary to his other 2 visits to nearby Axel Heiberg Island just west of Ellesmere, Brutus (and no doubt his pack) actually spent much time inland on Axel rather than just along the shore.
This time, they spent at least 2 full days there, traveled at least 47 miles ( 75 km) on the island, and got as far as 11 miles (18 km) inland. Both muskoxen and arctic hares inhabit Axel, and our wolves probably partook of both. That would be the only reason to travel so far, and from the positioning of the locations we have some evidence of possible muskox kills (more about this in a later blog). Upon returning to Ellesmere, the wolves headed back to the center of their territory, and their last location was the farthest east we have ever found them, some 67 miles (107.2 km) from their farthest west location on Axel.
Remember, amount of daylight = 0; current temperature = -20 to -37 C.
Dave
What does someone have to study in school to do this sort of thing for a living? It sounds, to me anyway, like the best job a person could have.
ReplyDeleteThat Is Amazing. Wolves Are Truly Amazing Creatures. I Still Can’t Understand Why Men And Women Wish To Hunt And Kill Them. David Mech, Or Dave If You Prefer, I Am At This Time Reading Your Informational Book, The Wolf The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species For More Information On These Beautiful Animals, But Also For An Essay That I Almost Did Not Get Approved Because The Topic Wasn’t One Of The Choices. I’m Doing The Composition On If All Wolves Should Be Protected And Known As Endangered, Or If Wolves Should Be Hunted. To Be Honest, I Strongly Disagree With The Right Of Having People Hunt Them. I Would Truly Love Your Opinion If You Have One, Or Any Information You Have Extra On The Topic Of Wolves In General. Thank You For Your Time.
ReplyDelete-Casey Stappenbeck
RSI,
ReplyDeleteVisit my Web site for information on "How to Become a Biologist".
http://www.davemech.org/biologist.html
Dave
Hey! They finally want over there! Thanks for making this blog,I really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteCasey,
ReplyDeleteWhether or not any animal should be hunted or totally protected is a personal, ethical decision, and not a scientific one. Thus I as a scientist have no authoritative comment about it. Because I am not an ethicist, my personal opinion should have no more relevance than that of anyone else. However, if I gave an opinion, it would too easily be mistaken (or used) by many people as an authoritative scientific pronouncement. I am on record that wolf management, like management of other wildlife, should be left up to the people of each state, as wildlife law states. (Exceptions are waterfowl and birds that migrate across state boundaries as well as animals listed on the federal Endangered Species List, which are all managed by the federal government or delegated to states. The wolf in the West is delisted and thus managed by the states.)
Dave
In such cold temperatures, how do they keep their toe pads from not freezing and the tissue dying? Other than thick fur, what special adaptions do they have (physical or behavioral) to survive these extreme temps?
ReplyDeleteDeLene,
ReplyDeleteThere is a “counter current” in the vascular (blood) system that helps warm the cold blood there. Of course the temperature in the snow where their pads go most of the time is probably much higher than the air temperature too since snow is such a good insulator.
Dave
What an amazing blog!
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if, on their way 'home' from Axel Heiberg, the pack swam across the water (as the spaghetti plot would indicate), or actually traveled to the south a bit to cross the ice pack.