Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Documented long-distance dispersal of wolf (Canis lupus) from Dinaric population and successful pack formation"

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

Full text: Download

Question mark in circle
Preprint: policy unknown
Question mark in circle
Postprint: policy unknown
Question mark in circle
Published version: policy unknown

Abstract

mate, new territory, and food resource. Dispersal has major influence on distribution and genetic structure of animal populations, but is often difficult to detect. Most of the longest movements are detected when animals are relocated coincidentally. In winter 2011/2012 we documented a long dispersal of 2-year old male grey wolf (Canis lupus) “Slavc” from Dinaric population to the Venetian Alps. Wolf was equipped with GPS-GSM-VHF collar on 17th July 2011 in Slovenia. He left his transboundary Slovene-Croatian natal pack on 20th December 2011 and after 99 days of dispersal and crossing of three countries became stationary in the Lessinia Regional Park in Italy. He formed a new pack with female wolf that dispersed from the Italian peninsula population and the pair successfully mated in 2013. His new home range size was estimated to 117 km2 in comparison with 423 km2 home range size of his natal pack in Slovenia and Croatia. 2445 successful GPS locations were obtained from his collar and the male travelled over 1000 km during his dispersal, overcoming anthropogenic and natural barriers such as highways, railways, urbanized and cultivated areas, river dams, large rivers and mountain ridges in Slovenia, Austria and Italy. From the present distribution in Dinaric wolf population, no wolf was documented to travel such distances before .