Eastern Canadian Wolf
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The Eastern Canadian Wolf, Canis lycaon, is a newly recognized wolf species identified as early as 1970, but was not genetically confirmed until 1999. Many names were proposed, including the Eastern Wolf, Eastern Gray Wolf, and Algonquin Wolf, although Eastern Canadian Wolf has appeared to gain the most recognition. The other names are still recognized as synonyms.
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[edit] Current news
Much of what is known about Eastern Canadian Wolves is currently being reviewed by many international and governmental organizations, as the discovery is recent and the factual knowledge base for this animal is currently in question. Due to heavy pressure from conservation organizations, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has implemented a ban on the hunting of wolves around Algonquin park. But biologists have stated recent evidence that wolf packs move in and out of the borders of the park, making them easy targets for hunters, farmers and trappers. This evidence suggest that the park itself may not be large enough to hold a healthy population of the Algonquin wolf.
[edit] Physical attributes
The Eastern Canadian Wolf is smaller than the Gray Wolf. It has a pale greyish-brown pelt. The back and the sides are covered with long, black hairs. Behind the ears, there is a slight reddish colour. These differences in attributes are thought to be a result of their Red Wolf ancestry. The Algonquin wolf is also skinnier than the Grey Wolf and displays a coyote-like appearance. This is because wolves and coyotes often mate and breed hybrid wolf/coyote pups in the park. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society states: "Hybridization with coyotes has historically been a precursor to the decline of Eastern wolf populations. The Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has identified hybridization with coyotes as one of the major threats facing the Eastern wolf, and hybridization continues to pose a serious challenge to red wolf recovery efforts in North Carolina." Because the two animals looks so much alike, a ban on the hunting of Algonquin wolves and coyotes has been in place to make sure no accidental deaths occur.
Grey wolves will attack, kill or drive out coyotes if they find them, but recent studies by John and Mary Theberge suggest that Algonquin red wolf males mate and accept coyote females. John Theberge states that, because coyotes are smaller than wolves, that female wolves would be less likely to accept a smaller mate.
[edit] Range
The Eastern Canadian Wolf mainly occupies the area around Algonquin Park in Canada. It is suspected that the species is also present in Minnesota, Manitoba, and Quebec. It is also suspected that the range used to stretch as far south as Florida, but as drought and other geographical barriers developed, the Eastern Canadian Wolf and the Red Wolf were separated and speciation occurred. Both species suffered heavy persecution since the arrival of Europeans, leading to eventual extinction in the United States. In Canada, exact numbers of Eastern Canadian Wolves are unknown.
Because wolves disperse from their packs and travel great distances to find mates, this has made it harder for biologists to protect them. Algonquin wolves will anf often do travel out of the park, where they are protected, and into places that do not welcome wolves such as farm country. In fact, most wolf deaths occur outside the park: "Of all the wolf deaths recorded from 1988 to 1999, a minimum of 66% was caused by humans. Shooting and snaring outside park boundaries were the leading causes of death for wolves radio-collared in Algonquin Park. References: Theberge 1998, CBSG 2000." One wolf that was radio-collared in July 1992 was located in October in Gatineau Park (north of Ottawa), which is 170 km from Algonquin Park. By mid-December it had made its way back to Algonquin ,and then, in March 1993, this wolf's severed head was found nailed to a telephone poll in Round Lake by someone who hated wolves.
[edit] Diet
Natural prey for the Eastern Canadian Wolf includes deer, hares, mice, muskrats, and beavers. Prey changes seasonally for wolves. Their favourite prey are American Beavers in summer, and White-tailed Deer and caribou in the winter months. The Algonquin wolves eat moose, deer, and beaver. On the east side of the Park, where most of the wolf studies have been conducted, the ratio is a diet of about 33% moose (some of which is scavenged), 33% deer, 33% beaver. Wolves will also eat snowshoe hare, particularly on the west side of the park where they are more common, and in some instances, bear.
[edit] Other “lycaons”
[edit] African Wild Dog
The lycaon (Lycaon pictus) is an unrelated canid.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Wolves of Algonquin Park PHVA Final Report, PDF includes the final recommendation on how to proceed with the Eastern Canadian Wolf.
- The Wolves of Algonquin Provincial Park ? A Report by the Algonquin Wolf Advisory Group PDF
- Status of the Eastern Wolf A PDF document outlining genetic research concerning the Eastern Canadian Wolf.
- The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database which lists some of the Eastern Canadian Wolf's Genetic Information.
- Wolves at the Door Documenting the resurgence of wolves in North America.
[edit] References
- Banfield, A.W.F. 1974. The Mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press.
- Reid, F.A. 2006. Field Guide to the Mammals of North America north of Mexico. Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin. New York.
