David Mech, PhD (Former Employee)

We measured nipple sizes of 29 captive wolves (Canis lupus), of known breeding histories, throughout the year and tested distinctions among various known breeding statuses of 20 wild wolves examined in northeastern Minnesota from May through September. For ca. 8 mo of the year only breeders and nonbreeders can be classified. Distinctions between current and former breeders were not...

Canine parvovirus infected wild canids more than a decade ago, but no population effect has been documented. In wild Minnesota wolves (Canis lupus) over a 12-yr period, the annual percent population increase and proportion of pups each were inversely related to the percentage of wolves serologically positive to the disease. Although these effects did not seem to retard this large extant...

Three observations of young wolf (Canis lupus) pups in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, and two on Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, indicate that pups

We describe attacks by wolf (Canis lupus) packs in Minnesota on a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and a moose (Alces alces) in which wolves were within contact distance of the prey but in which the prey escaped.

A confrontation was photographed and video-taped at close range between a wild alpha mate wolf (Canis lupus) of known history and an alien adult on Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. For 100-110 seconds the two stood near each other, maneuvered around, and snapped at each other until the alien fled. The alpha and his mate, who suddenly joined the encounter, chased the other...

No abstract available.

It is common for land managers and administrators involved in wolf (Canis lupus) management to assume that human development within wolf habitat is a hindrance to wolf recovery. Thus, researchers are often asked questions like We are planning to build a new dock and parking area on Wolf Lake; how will that affect wolf recovery? This kind of question pervades national forest and national...

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Resting metabolic rates, weight gains and hematologic profiles of six newborn, captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns (four females, two males) were determined during the first 3 mo of life. Estimated mean daily weight gain of fawns was 0.2 kg. The regression equation for metabolic rate was: Metabolic rate (kcal/kg0.75/day) = 56.1 + 1.3 (age in days), r = 0.65, P 0.001)

No abstract available.