Furbearer carcass study, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska - Three year summary
Swanson SA. 1992. Furbearer carcass study, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska - Three year summary. National Park Service. Fairbanks, AK
(Adopted from author's abstract). Red fox, lynx, marten, and wolverine carcasses were purchased from trappers operating in and near Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve to collect information on furbearer population dynamics. Alaska Department of Fish and Game fur sealing records were summarized for the area to examine past and present furbearer harvests. Sex ratios were male-dominated for all furbearer species necropsied during the three-year study except wolverines in 1989-90. Based on tooth cementum analyses, 82% of red fox, 31% of lynx, and 72% of wolverine carcasses were juveniles. All adult female red foxes bore placental scars as well as 10% of red fox juveniles. Only 2 of 7 adult female wolverines bore placental scars and both were two-year-olds. Resource managers can use this information to direct and prioritize future furbearer research needed to maintain natural and healthy furbearer populations in the park and preserve.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Swanson, S
- Date of Issue
- 1992-05-14
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GAAR
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, carcass, Furbearer, Furbearers, Gates Of The Arctic National Park And Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve AK, Gulo gulo, Harvest, IAR, Lynx, Lynx canadensis, Mammals, marte, Martes americana, Population, Red Fox, sex ratios, Study, Summary, Trapping, Vulpes vulpes, Wolverine