Polar bears and wolves may get the glory, but small predators like weasels, foxes and their cousins play outsized ecological roles. And many of these species are declining fast.
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Articles on Wolves
Displaying 1 - 20 of 38 articles
Wildfires are remaking western US forests. Decisions about managing forests that have burned should factor in how fires change animal behavior and interactions between predators and prey.
Woodland caribou populations are on the decline because human activity changes their habitat and exposes them to predation by wolves. But changing wolves’ hunting habits may protect the caribou.
Wolves killing livestock are seizing an opportunity for a meal in a landscape with little natural prey.
The hunting territories of wolves in the northern boreal forests are changing, in part due to the convenience of trails built for logging. This has placed caribou at an even greater risk.
The answer isn’t as clear cut as you might think and depends on a number of factors, including the terrain and whether it’s pack vs pack.
Jackals appeared and established themselves in Africa in at least the last five million years. These animals have evolved and adapted to the changing environment, allowing them to survive.
Dogs’ barks say a lot about how they’re feeling.
Our research shows dire wolves lived in the tropics not the Arctic, and were not especially close relatives of the grey wolf.
For the first time in the US, a ballot measure will ask voters whether to restore wolves to a place where they’ve been eradicated. Coloradans have strong views on both sides.
Your faithful friend’s view of the world is different than yours, but maybe not in the way you imagine.
Coyotes, whose range is expanding, are now at the doorstep of South America.
The abandonment of crops and pastures allows the natural regeneration of bushes and forests and the recolonization of fauna.
Wolves are not bad – they’re just trying to survive in a world where they are unwelcome.
There’s a big difference between rehoming and abandonment.
The National Park Service is moving wolves to Isle Royale in Lake Superior to replenish a small pack on the island. Wolves prey on moose, which are overgrazing the island. It doesn’t hurt that they are charismatic.
As omnivores, dogs should be able to adapt well and manage on well prepared commercially available vegetarian diets as long as the essential nutrients they would normally get from meat are present.
An attack on a WA mine worker has highlighted the danger of wild dingoes, particularly when attracted by humans’ food - one of the factors that can make an attack by wild predators much more likely.
Tracking wild animals can provide lots of valuable data. New research suggests audio recordings of wild wolves can replace the typical radio collars, which can be expensive and intrusive.
When humans have conflicts with wildlife, the first reaction is often to cull them. But there’s little evidence to show that it works, and removing predators can even backfire and make things worse.
Top contributors
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Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
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Associate Professor, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Environmental Social Scientist, Newcastle University
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Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, James Cook University
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Academic Fellow, University of Sydney
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PhD Student, Nottingham Trent University
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Professor, Murdoch University
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Senior Research Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey and Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota
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Postdoctoral Research Officer, University of Oxford
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Professor, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Wildlife Conservation, University of Salford
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Biologist with Raincoast Conservation Foundation and postdoctoral fellow, University of Victoria
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Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Otago
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Post-doc, University of Georgia
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Curator of Cenozoic Palaeontology, Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa; Honorary Research associate Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town
