David Mech, PhD
L. David Mech (“Dave”) is a Senior Research Scientist with the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and works at the St. Paul, Minnesota duty station.
Dr. Mech
Wolf Information
Dr. Mech has studied wolves since 1958 in Isle Royale National Park (1958-1961), Minnesota (1964 to present), Yellowstone National Park (1995 to Present) , Denali National Park (1986-1995). Each summer from 1986 through 2010, he lived with, and studied, a pack of wolves tolerant to humans on Ellesmere Island, in Canada’s High Arctic. He chaired the IUCN Wolf Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union from 1978 to 2013 when the group was absorbed into the Canid Specialist Group (CSG). Dr. Mech is now an advisor on wolves to the chair of the CSG. He is continuing his research on wolf ecology and behavior, predator-prey relations, population regulation, and social ecology.
Professional Experience
Senior Research Scientist, 1999 to present; U.S. Geological Survey
Research Wildlife Biologist, 1969 to 1999; Biological Resources Division of the USGS (formerly Division of Endangered Species Research, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Degree, Wildlife Ecology, Purdue University, 1962, Lafayette, IN
B.S. Degree, Conservation, Cornell University, 1958, Ithaca, NY
Honors and Awards
Aldo Leopold Memorial Award - The Wildlife Society
Science and Products
A gray wolf (Canis lupus) delivers live prey to a pup
Production of hybrids between western gray wolves and western coyotes
Preliminary data used to assess the accuracy of estimating female white-tailed deer diel birthing-season home ranges using only daytime locations
The case for watchful waiting with Isle Royale's wolf population
Long term wolf study in the Superior National Forest ends
Age structure of moose (Alces alces) killed by gray wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota, 1967-2011
The challenge of wolf recovery: an ongoing dilemma for state managers
To the editor: Reply confuses newsprint with media
How not to find a wolf den
Minnesota wolf 2407: a research pioneer
Science and Products
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A gray wolf (Canis lupus) delivers live prey to a pup
A two-year-old sibling Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) carefully captured an Arctic Hare (Lepus arcticus) leveret alive on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, and delivered it alive to a pup 28–33 days old. This appears to be the first observation of a Gray Wolf delivering live prey to a pup.AuthorsL. David MechProduction of hybrids between western gray wolves and western coyotes
Using artificial insemination we attempted to produce hybrids between captive, male, western, gray wolves (Canis lupus) and female, western coyotes (Canis latrans) to determine whether their gametes would be compatible and the coyotes could produce and nurture offspring. The results contribute new information to an ongoing controversy over whether the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) is a valid uniqueAuthorsL. David Mech, Bruce W. Christensen, Cheryl S. Asa, Margaret Callahan, Julie K. YoungPreliminary data used to assess the accuracy of estimating female white-tailed deer diel birthing-season home ranges using only daytime locations
Because many white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) home-range and habitat-use studies rely only on daytime radio-tracking data, we were interested in whether diurnal data sufficiently represented diel home ranges. We analyzed home-range and core-use size and overlap of 8 adult-female Global-Positioning-System-collared deer during May and June 2001 and 2002 in the Superior National Forest, MinAuthorsShannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David MechThe case for watchful waiting with Isle Royale's wolf population
In "Should Isle Royale Wolves be Reintroduced? A Case Study on Wilderness Management in a Changing World," Vucetich et al. concluded with the hope that their analysis “motivates broader discussion that deepens understanding of the specifics on Isle Royale and the underlying principles” (2012: 137). This article represents an attempt to continue that discussion.AuthorsL. David MechLong term wolf study in the Superior National Forest ends
No abstract available.AuthorsL. David MechAge structure of moose (Alces alces) killed by gray wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota, 1967-2011
The ages of 77 adult Moose (Alces alces) killed by Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) during the period 1967–2011 in northeastern Minnesota were significantly older than those of a sample of 17,585 Moose killed by hunters in nearby Ontario. Our findings support those of earlier studies of protected Moose populations in national parks that found that Gray Wolves tend to kill disproportionately more older MoAuthorsL. David Mech, Michael E. NelsonThe challenge of wolf recovery: an ongoing dilemma for state managers
“Dave, would you do another legal declaration on the wolf for us?” The weary voice on the phone belonged to Mike Jimenez, Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Management and Science Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). He was calling from Wyoming to ask me to prepare a document to address a legal challenge to the FWS’s August 2012 delisting of the wolf (Canis lupus) in Wyoming, a highAuthorsL. David MechTo the editor: Reply confuses newsprint with media
“Is Science in Danger of Sanctifying the Wolf” (Mech, 2012), contends that some scientists have claimed that wolf (Canis lupus) restoration has led to many ecological benefits lower in the food chain but that other scientists have questioned the evidence for those claims. Furthermore, my article claims that “the media become complicit [in promoting positive studies about wolves] by immediately pubAuthorsL. David MechHow not to find a wolf den
A five-day odyssey, spanning 58 hours without decent sleep or meals, taught these researchers one thing-how not to find a wolf den.AuthorsL. David MechMinnesota wolf 2407: a research pioneer
The International Wolf Center has assembled in this book stories from over 30 wolf biologists from throughout North America and Europe. These tales provide a glimpse into the amazing lives of individual wolves, revealing their unique personalities, highlighting their struggles and triumphs, and illustrating the unique influence the individual can have on the survival of its pack and the populationAuthorsL. David Mech