Yukon Wolf (Canis lupus pambasileus) – (Elliot 1905)
Common Names: Alaskan Interior Wolf
Range:
Original range – Alaska Interior, Yukon, Arctic coast, Sushitna River around Denali
The names of the large wolves of northern and western North America. Miller GS. Smithsonian Institution; 1912.
Current range – Alaska Interior, Yukon, Arctic coast
Habitat / Ecology / Prey:
Habitat – boreal forests, alpine, subalpine, and Arctic tundra.
Ecology –
Prey – moose (Alces alces) in southern Yukon, boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Dall sheep (Ovis dalli), barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) on North Slope, Bison (Bison bison)
Non-prey
Beautiful Birds of the Yukon!
Common raven (Corvus corax), Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis), Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), American three-toed woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis), Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis), merlin (Falco columbarius), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), blackpoll warbler (Setophaga striata). yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia), dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), American wigeon (Mareca americana), northern pintail (Anas acuta), Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), Barrow’s goldeneye (Bucephala islandica), red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena), Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta|), American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica|), Say’s phoebe (Sayornis saya), Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla|). spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius), belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), Mew Gull (Larus canus), American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)
Flora in the Susitna River Basin, Alaska
Variegated Horsetail (Equisetum variegatum), Feltleaf Willow (Salix alaxensis), Tall Blueberry Willow (S. novaeangliae), Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera),Yellow Dryas (Dryas drummondii), Thinleaf Alder (Alnus tenuifolia) White Spruce (Picea glauca), Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Vegetation succession and disturbance on a boreal forest floodplain, Susitna River, Alaska. Helm DJ, Collins WB. Canadian Field-Naturalist. 1997 Dec
Penstemon gormanii Greene (Plantaginaceae Scrophulariaceae), Artemisia rupestris L. “sagebrush” (Asteraceaet), Potentilla arenosa (Turczaninowii), Juzepczuk (Rosaceae)
Assembly of Alaska‐Yukon boreal steppe communities: Testing biogeographic hypotheses via modern ecological distributions. Edwards ME, Lloyd A, Armbruster WS. Journal of systematics and evolution. 2018 Sep
Interesting behaviors:
Legal and Cultural Background:
Government of Yukon Environment
Yukon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan
Porcupine Caribou Management Board
Conservation:
Yukon Conservation Society
Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative
Taxonomic/Genetic Information:
Further Reading
Journal / Scientific Publications:
Direct and indirect effects of wolves on interior Alaska’s mesopredator community (Doctoral dissertation). Sivy, K.J., 2015
Gray wolf (Canis lupus) predation and scavenging of reintroduced American bison (Bison bison) in southwestern Yukon. Jung TS. Northwestern Naturalist. 2011 Oct
Survival of radiocollared adult moose in lower Susitna River Valley, southcentral Alaska. Modafferi RD, Becker EF. The Journal of wildlife management. 1997 Apr
Ecology of an exploited wolf population in south-central Alaska. Ballard WB, Whitman JS, Gardner CL. Wildlife monographs. 1987 Jul
Observations on dall sheep, Ovis dalli dalli- grey wolf, Canis lupus pambasileus, interactions in the Kluane Lake Area, Yukon. Hoefs M, Hoefs H, Burles D. Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa ON. 1986
Prey selection and consumption by Alaskan wolves in winter. Holleman DF, Stephenson RO. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 1981 Jul
Causes of neonatal moose calf mortality in south central Alaska. Ballard WB, Spraker TH, Taylor KP. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 1981 Apr