Wolves of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Peterson RO, Woolington JD, Bailey TN. 1984. Wolves of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Wildlife Monographs. 88:3-52
Adjacent to/nearby KEFJ. (Adapted from authors' abstract.) Wolves recolonized the Kenai Peninsula in the 1960s following a 50-year absence. During 1976-81 wolf ecology and population dynamics were studied in three to seven contiguous wolf packs on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Sixty-four wolves were captured and radio-collared 87 times. Wolf density ranged from 11 to 20 wolves/1,000 km2. Wolves fed primarily on moose, and predation rate in winter averaged 1 moose/pack/4.7 days. Average age for adult moose killed by wolves was 10.9 years, with wolf predation selectively removing the oldest moose in the population. One-third of the radio-collared wolves dispersed from their original packs, and their survival was half that of nondispersers. At the close of the study, wolf density on the study area appeared regulated by harvest.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Peterson, Rolf; Woolington, James; Bailey, Theodore
- Units
- KEFJ
- Keywords
- Aerial Surveys, Alces alces, Behavior, Canis lupus, Harvest, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai Peninsula, Moose (Alces alces), Mortality, Population, Population Dynamics, Predation, Radiotelemetry, Terrestrial Mammals, Wolves