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Wolf Pack Dynamics (Preliminaries)

The Mexican wolf, the smallest subspecies of the North American gray wolf, weighs 50-80 pounds and stands about 30 inches at the shoulder. Once nearly extinct by the mid-20th century, it was listed as endangered in 1976, with recovery efforts commencing in 1977. This species forms basic social units called packs, typically consisting of an alpha pair and their offspring. Factors influencing their mortality include vehicle collisions, illegal shootings, and food scarcity. Understanding wolf pack dynamics, genetics, and natural behaviors is crucial for successful conservation.

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Wolf Pack Dynamics (Preliminaries)

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  1. Wolf Pack Dynamics(Preliminaries) Virginia Stoll Wm. D. Stone

  2. A Mexican Lobo

  3. The ‘Lobo’ • Smallest subspecies of North American Gray Wolf • 50 – 80 pounds • ~30 inches at the shoulder • Original range much of Mexico, NM, AZ

  4. History • Almost extinct by mid-20th century • Listed as endangered 1976 • Recovery effort started 1977 • Small population captured in Mexico • Two small captive populations • 7 founders.

  5. Wolf Packs • Basic unit of population – the pack • One alpha pair • Normally the only breeders • Young adults • Help hunt and baby-sit • Pups

  6. Formation of new packs • Young adults can leave the pack – become ‘lone wolves’ • New packs can be formed by a pair of lone wolves joining up • Very large packs can split • Death of one of the alpha pair can cause pack to split

  7. Pack size • Prey • Size • Mostly elk • Availability • Lots of elk • Scavengers • Ravens • Can eat 2 lbs. of meat per day each

  8. Population Pressures • In the New Mexico re-established wolf population, two largest sources of adult mortality are • Cars • Illegal shooting

  9. Natural Mortality • Food pressure mostly affects survival of pups to weaning • Inter-pack battles can be a significant cause of death

  10. Genetics • Starting with tracking one locus, with one marked gene in a single individual • Probability of duplicate copies in an individual • (comparative only)

  11. Input from Federal Wolf Biologists • New Mexico packs rarely are larger than a breeding pair plus pups • Subspecies difference? • Growth stage vs. steady state? • So far, little food or territory pressure

  12. Genetics • US Fish & Wildlife has full genetic profiles of every wolf they have handled • Very small number of founders • Selective breeding for genetic diversity • They hope our model can help

  13. Model Results

  14. Female with pups

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