The Searching Wolf



The Gray Wolf Course

9. Travel

  1. Wolves are physically adapted for travel.
  2. How fast can a wolf move?
  3. Why do wolves travel?
    1. To find food
    2. To explore
    3. To scent-mark
    4. To protect their territory
    5. To disperse
  4. Seasonal movement differences
  5. Diurnal movement differences
  6. Lone wolf travels
  7. Dispersal
    1. Types of dispersal
    2. What determines which wolves will disperse?
    3. Causes of dispersal
    4. Potential use of dispersal
    5. Potential costs of dispersal
    6. When during the year does dispersal usually occur?
    7. Demography and success
    8. Dispersal records
    9. Detailed examples
    10. Group dispersal

Resources

Articles and Reports

Ballard, W.B., R. Farnell, and R.O. Stephenson. 1983. Long distance movement by gray wolves, Canis lupus. Canadian Field-Naturalist 97:333.

Boyd, D.K. and D.H. Pletscher. 1999. Characteristics of dispersal in a colonizing wolf population in the central Rocky Mountains. Journal of Wildlife Management 63:1094-1108.

Burkholder, B.L. 1959. Movements and behavior of a wolf pack in Alaska. Journal of Wildlife Management 23:1-11.

Ciucci, P., L. Boitani, F. Francisci, and G. Andreoli. 1997. Home range, activity and movements of a wolf pack in central Italy. Journal of Zoology, London 243:803-819.

Gese, E.M. and L.D. Mech. 1991. Dispersal of wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota, 1969-1989. Canadian Journal of Zoology 69:2946-2955.

Joslin, P.W.B. 1967. Movements and home sites of timber wolves in Algonquin Park. American Zoologist 7:279-288.

Mech, L.D. 1987. Age, season, distance, direction, and social aspects of wolf dispersal from a Minnesota pack. Pages 55-74 In Chepko-Sade, B.D. and Z.T. Halpin, Editors. Mammalian Dispersal Patterns: The Effects of Social Structure on Population Genetics. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago.

Mech, L.D. 1992. Daytime activity of wolves during winter in northeastern Minnesota. Journal of Mammalogy 73:570-571.

Mech, L.D. 1994. Regular and homeward travel speeds of Arctic wolves. Journal of Mammalogy 75:741-742.

Mech, L.D. 1995. Summer movements and behavior of an Arctic wolf, Canis lupus, pack without pups. Canadian Field-Naturalist 109:473-475.

Mech, L.D., S.H. Fritts, and D. Wagner. 1995. Minnesota wolf dispersal to Wisconsin and Michigan. American Midland Naturalist 133:368-370.

Messier, F. 1985. Solitary living and extraterritorial movments of wolves in relation to social status and prey abundance. Canadian Journal of Zoology 63:239-245.

Ream, R.R., R.B. Harris, J. Smith, and D. Boyd. 1995. Movement patterns of a lone wolf, Canis lupus, in unoccupied wolf range, southeastern British Columbia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 99:234-239.

Shields, W.M. 1987. Dispersal and mating systems: Investigating their causal connections. Pages 9-24 In Chepko-Sade, B.D. and Z.T. Halpin, Editors. Mammalian Dispersal Patterns: The Effects of Social Structure on Population Genetics. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago.

Thompson, D.Q. 1952. Travel, range, and food habits of timber wolves in Wisconsin. Journal of Mammalogy 33:429-442.

Wydeven, A.P. 1994. Travels of a midwestern disperser. International Wolf 4(1):20-22.

Wydeven, A.P. 1995. Travels of a midwest disperser – part II. International Wolf 5(1):22-23.

Books, Monographs, and Proceedings

Mech, L.D. 1970. The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species. Natural History Press/Doubleday Publishing Co.: Garden City, New York. (Chapter V - "The Wolf's Wanderings")

Mech, L.D. 1991. The Way of the Wolf. Voyageur Press: Stillwater, MN. (Chapter - "Travels")

Mech, L.D., L.G. Adams, T.J. Meier, J.W. Burch, and B.W. Dale. 1998. The Wolves of Denali. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, MN.

Videos

Following the Tundra Wolf. 1975. 45 minutes. Vestron Video: Stamford, CT.