Alaskan tundra Wolf (Canis lupus tundrarum) – (Miller 1912)
Common Names: barren-ground wolf, boreal wolf, Interior Alaskan wolf, Yukon wolf, Hudson Bay wolf, Mackenzie River wolf, Northwestern wolf
Range:
Original range – Northern Canada, Akaska
Current range – Arctic Coast region from near Point Barrow, Alaska eastward toward Hudson Bay and north to the Arctic Archipelago Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon
Habitat / Ecology / Prey:
Biomes -Boreal forests/taiga, Tundra
Ecoregions
Ecoregion of Northwest Territories
Mid-Continental Canadian forests , Muskwa-Slave Lake forests ,Northern Canadian Shield taiga, Northern Cordillera forests , Northwest Territories taiga, Arctic coastal tundra, Brooks-British Range tundra, High Arctic tundra, Low Arctic tundra, Middle Arctic tundra, Ogilvie-MacKenzie alpine tundra
Ecoregions of Nunavut
Northern Canadian Shield taiga, Baffin coastal tundra, Davis Highlands tundra, High Arctic tundra, Low Arctic tundra, Middle Arctic tundra
Ecoregion of Yukon
Interior Alaska–Yukon lowland taiga, Northern Cordillera forests, Northwest Territories taiga ,Yukon Interior dry forests, Alaska-St. Elias Range tundra, Arctic coastal tundra, Brooks-British Range tundra, Interior Yukon-Alaska alpine tundra , Ogilvie-MacKenzie alpine tundra, Pacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra
Prey – caribou (Rangifer tarandus), barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), woodland caribou, moose (Alces alces), bison (Bison bison), muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)
“During the spring and summer the diet of wolves is much more varied than in winter and small rodents, passerine birds, eggs and fish are then resorted to, particularly in areas temporarily devoid of caribou.”
Feeding ecology of wolves on barren-ground caribou range in the Northwest Territories (Doctoral dissertation, University of Saskatchewan). Kuyt, E., 1969.
Other wolf prey in the region.
wolverine (Gulo gulo), weasel (Mustela spp.), mink (Mustela vison), muskrat (Ondatra zibethica), otter (Lontra canadensis), beaver (Castor canadensis), snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), brown lemming (Lemmus sibiricus), red-backed vole (Clethrioomys gapperi)
Other predator Species
polar bear (Ursus maritimus), grizzly bear (Ursos arctos), black bear (U. americanus)
Beautiful birds of the Canadian boreal and tundra!
Common raven (Corvus corax), Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis), willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), rock ptarmigan (L. mutus), sandhill crane (Grus canadensis), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), spruce grouse (Dendragapus canadensis), snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca), snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), northern pintail (Anas acuta), red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator), American golden plover (Pluvialis dominica), pomarine jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), yellow-billed loon (Gavia adamsii), northern harrier (Circus hudsonius), sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus), northern hawk-owl (Surnia ulula), boreal owl (Aegolius funereus), gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)
Relevant flora of the Canadian tundra and boreal regions
Lichen, black spruce (Picea mariana), tamarack (Larix laricina), white spruce (Picea glauca) dwarf birch (Betula sp.), ericaceous shrubs (Ericaceae), cottongrass (Eriophorum spp.), sedge (Carex spp.), sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
Interesting behaviors:
Legal and Cultural Background:
Conservation:
Taxonomic/Genetic Information:
Further Reading
Enhanced North Slave Wolf Harvest Incentive Program Government of Northwest Territories
Ecosystem Classification Government of Northwest Territories
Northern Canadian Shield Taiga (Ecosystem Classification Group [ECG]) 2012
Journal / Scientific Publications:
Synchronicity of movement paths of barren-ground caribou and tundra wolves. Hansen IJ, Johnson CJ, Cluff HD. Polar Biology. 2013 Sep
Differentiation of tundra/taiga and boreal coniferous forest wolves: genetics, coat colour and association with migratory caribou. Musiani M, Leonard JA, Cluff HD, Gates CC, Mariani S, Paquet PC, Vila C, Wayne RKMolecular Ecology. 2007 Oct
Long foraging movement of a denning tundra wolf; PF Frame, DS Hik, HD Cluff, PC Paquet – Arctic, 2004
Hierarchical Habitat Selection by Tundra Wolves; Philip D. McLoughlin Lyle R. Walton H. Dean Cluff Paul C. Paquet Malcolm A. Ramsay; Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 85, Issue 3, 1 June 2004
Feeding ecology of wolves on barren-ground caribou range in the Northwest Territories (Doctoral dissertation, University of Saskatchewan). Kuyt, E., 1969.