Dynamics of caribou and wolves in Denali National Park, 1898-1985
Singer FJ. 1987. Dynamics of caribou and wolves in Denali National Park, 1898-1985. Pages 117-157. In Singer FJ (ed): Conference on Science in the National Parks: Proceedings of the Fourth Triennial Conference on Research in the National Parks and Equivalent Reserves. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. July 13-18, 1986. The George Wright Society; National Park Service
(Adapted from author's abstract.) This 1986 conference paper on caribou and wolves in Denali National Park presents the results of the author's review of historical records to document the nature and chronology of the decline of the Denali Caribou Herd and to identify causal factors in the decline. The herd declined from 20,000-30,000 in 1940 to 1,200-1,500 by 1968. It then increased between 1980 and 1984 to 2,400. The author compares wolf populations with the caribou decline noting a period of wolf scarcity from 1917-1927, peak numbers of wolves from 1928-42, a second low from 1943-47, recovery during 1948-1974, and a third low from 1975-85. In 1985, there were 75-85 wolves in the Park, or only 1 wolf per 195 km2. At peak wolf numbers in the 1930s there were apparently about 200 wolves, even though the caribou herd was at the time ten times larger. Thirty-three percent of radio-collared caribou calves were killed by predators in 1984 and 56% in 1985. A more extensive snowpack in 1985 contributed to greater predator efficiency. Grizzly bears killed three times more young calves than did wolves. For a summary of the historical information this paper was based on, see Francis J. Singer, History of caribou and wolves in Denali National Park and Preserve - appendices (record no. 756).
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- Singer, Francis
- Units
- DENA
- Keywords
- Canis lupus, Caribou, Denali Caribou Herd, Denali National Park And Preserve, Grizzly Bears, Literature Review, Mount Mckinley National Park, Mt. McKinley National Park, Population Trends, Predation, Predator-Prey Relationships, Rangifer tarandus, Terrestrial Mammals, Ursus arctos, Wolves