![]() Members of each pack have designated positions in a hierarchy that they distinguish through body posture communication. Much like other mammals, arctic wolves live in packs of around 6-8 related animals.They are usually only 2 to 3 feet in height. An adult arctic wolf typically weighs from 70 to 125 pounds and stretches up to 5 feet long including their tail.The arctic wolf’s paws are insulated by thick pads which allow them to walk or run on frozen and slippery ground.The Canis lupus species also recognizes another subspecies known as Canis lupus orion, or Greenland wolf, which closely resembles the arctic wolf.The arctos refers to a polar region describing the habitat of the arctic wolf. The term Canis in the arctic wolf’s scientific name is Latin for dog while lupus refers to wolf.The arctic wolf, or Canis lupus arctos as classified by British zoologist Reginald Pocock, belongs to the wider Canis lupus, or gray wolf, species common all throughout North America and Eurasia.Key Facts & Information ETYMOLOGY AND TAXONOMY See the fact file below for more information on the arctic wolf or alternatively, you can download our 19-page Arctic Wolf worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment. Arctic wolves are native to the Queen Elizabeth Islands in Canada and are distinguished from their close relative the northwestern wolf by their smaller size. Known for their striking white and grey fur, the arctic wolf, or polar wolf, is a subspecies of the Canis lupus or grey wolf. Download the Arctic Wolf Facts & Worksheets.A literature compilation suggested that arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos Pocock, 1935) preferentially feed on caribou (Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus, 1758)) and muskoxen, but can sustain themselves on arctic hares and Greenland collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus (Traill, 1823)) in areas with limited or no ungulate populations. ![]() Prey remains in 54 wolf scats collected at three sites in the high Arctic region surrounding the Hall Basin (Judge Daly Promontory, Ellesmere Island, Canada, and Washington Land and Hall Land, both in northwestern Greenland) pointed to a dietary importance of arctic hare (Lepus arcticus Ross, 1819 55% frequency of occurrence) and muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus (Zimmermann, 1780) 39% frequency of occurrence), although we observed diet variation among the sites. To improve our ability to manage Arctic ecosystems under environmental change, we therefore need knowledge about Arctic predator diets. Global warming is expected to increase the importance of predation for ecosystem regulation in Arctic environments. Although wolf diet is well studied, we have scant information from high Arctic areas. The grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most widespread large carnivores on Earth, and occurs throughout the Arctic. We suggest that climate change may alter the dynamics among wolves, arctic hare, muskoxen, and caribou, and we encourage further studies evaluating how climate change influences predator–prey interactions in high Arctic environments.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |