Evaluation of a Simulated Howling Survey for Wolves
Fuller TK and Sampson BA. 1988. Evaluation of a Simulated Howling Survey for Wolves. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 52(1):60-63
Wolf (Canis lupus ) packs were surveyed using simulated howling survey (Harrington and Mech 1992) in a 1,400-km2 area of northcentral Minnesota with a known density of radio-marked packs. Mean distance that wolf howls could be heard was 2 km (n = 74 trials). Howling at 55 sites indicated the presence of 5 packs and resulted in a density estimate (7.5 packs /1,000 km2) that was imprecise (95% CI = 2.5 - 16.4/1,000 km2) and 1.7 X greater than the actual density (4.3 /1,000 km2) . Because of logistical and statistical constraints, the technique is not practical for surveying large area, but simulated howling is useful for locating packs in smaller areas.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Fuller, Todd; Sampson, Barry
- Units
- GLAC , VOYA
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Gray Wolf(Canis lupus), Ground Survey, Population Density, Research Methods, Vocalizations & Sounds