Summer diet of Gray Wolves, Canis lupus, in northwestern Alaska

Abstract

In northwestern Alaska where Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) migrate out of the area for the summer we determined the 1988-1990 summer diets of Gray Wolves by analyzing 1182 scats collected from nine packs. The number of prey items per scat ranged from 1.1 to 1.9 (± = 1.4). Caribou, Moose (Alces alces), microtines, and birds, primarily Ptarmigan (Lagopus spp.), composed 47, 22, 11, and 14% of prey items, respectively. Ungulates composed 90%, birds 7%, and microtines 0.5% of biomass consumed. Ungulates composed 3%, birds 50%, and microtines 39% of numbers of individuals consumed. The number of individual Caribou consumed was greater than the number of Moose consumed for all summers. The percent biomass consumed of Caribou was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than that of Moose only for the summer 1988.