register for free
View our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
View Poll Results: Poll - Do you agree you should be alpha male over your dog?
Yes 70 39.33%
No 71 39.89%
Other, please specify 37 20.79%
Voters: 178. You may not vote on this poll - please see pinned thread in this section for details.



Reply
Page 88 of 92 « First < 38 78 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 > Last »
Gnasher
Dogsey Veteran
Gnasher is offline  
Location: East Midlands, UK
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,775
Female 
 
18-05-2009, 05:23 PM
Apologies to the moderators, as this is strictly a bit off topic, but whilst doing some wolf habitat research, I came across this statement on the Wolf Trust website:

"Wolves, like many other predators, such as foxes and mink, do not need a predator to hold their numbers down. Wolf pack numbers are regulated by territoriality (each wolf pack monopolises the food on an area of land from which it excludes other wolves). Territories space out packs and wolves without territory eventually die without successfully raising young. Thus wolves largely regulate their own numbers"

I thought this was rather interesting.
Reply With Quote
wolfdogowner
Dogsey Senior
wolfdogowner is offline  
Location: london, UK
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 583
Male 
 
18-05-2009, 05:33 PM
Originally Posted by Gnasher View Post
Apologies to the moderators, as this is strictly a bit off topic, but whilst doing some wolf habitat research, I came across this statement on the Wolf Trust website:

"Wolves, like many other predators, such as foxes and mink, do not need a predator to hold their numbers down. Wolf pack numbers are regulated by territoriality (each wolf pack monopolises the food on an area of land from which it excludes other wolves). Territories space out packs and wolves without territory eventually die without successfully raising young. Thus wolves largely regulate their own numbers"

I thought this was rather interesting.
Hi Gnasher!

I think this has been covered before; resources limit the success of wolves. Wolves are an apex predator, like humans, bears etc they have no predator above them in the food chain so to speak.

Loved your theory about the evolution of Tundra wolves by the way: but I think a few biologists might not agree. They have been in the Tundra for thousands of years!
Reply With Quote
Gnasher
Dogsey Veteran
Gnasher is offline  
Location: East Midlands, UK
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,775
Female 
 
18-05-2009, 05:58 PM
I know they have Wolfdog ! I had forgotten about the Tundra Wolf (I have even met one, so no excuse at all!) and felt a little foolish to say the least !
Reply With Quote
Promethean
Dogsey Junior
Promethean is offline  
Location: Back in Canada, finally!!!!!
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 245
Male 
 
18-05-2009, 07:14 PM
Originally Posted by Gnasher View Post
As for Ellesmere, I never said there had been a population explosion - you must have misunderstood what I was saying. Just the opposite - the living is poor on Ellesmere, this is the whole point that Mech was making ! BECAUSE the living was so poor, the wolves were living in what could be described as the "new model" state (because unfortunately due to man's persecution, wolves have been driven away from desirable places like Yellowstone, to undesirable places such as Ellesmere).
How could this be described as a new model when the wolves of Ellesmere have been there for as long as we've known. We also observe the same in Baffin Island. Nobody "drove" the wolves into Ellesmere or Baffin for that matter. They have been part of that ecosystem for a long time. And they are full time residents.

What makes you think Ellesmere is "undesirable"? It is full of wildlife, there is plenty to hunt. Artic fox like it, so do Polar bears and so does the wolf.

I've re-read it to see if your interpretation can be justified, and I don't think it can.
Reply With Quote
Wysiwyg
Dogsey Veteran
Wysiwyg is offline  
Location: UK
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,551
Female 
 
19-05-2009, 06:38 AM
Originally Posted by Promethean View Post
I've re-read it to see if your interpretation can be justified, and I don't think it can.
I have to agree. I also must bow out now (I think?!) as I have to concentrate on my studies now, thanks everyone for the discussion and have fun!

Wys
x
Reply With Quote
Gnasher
Dogsey Veteran
Gnasher is offline  
Location: East Midlands, UK
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,775
Female 
 
19-05-2009, 06:49 AM
Good luck Wys ! Lovely debating with you !!
Reply With Quote
Gnasher
Dogsey Veteran
Gnasher is offline  
Location: East Midlands, UK
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,775
Female 
 
19-05-2009, 06:58 AM
Originally Posted by Promethean View Post
How could this be described as a new model when the wolves of Ellesmere have been there for as long as we've known. We also observe the same in Baffin Island. Nobody "drove" the wolves into Ellesmere or Baffin for that matter. They have been part of that ecosystem for a long time. And they are full time residents.

What makes you think Ellesmere is "undesirable"? It is full of wildlife, there is plenty to hunt. Artic fox like it, so do Polar bears and so does the wolf.

I've re-read it to see if your interpretation can be justified, and I don't think it can.
Wolves have indeed been living for so long on Ellesmere that they have no or little fear of man, so my apologies for thinking that there appearance there has been in the last few hundred years.

This is what someone said about the place :

"Ellesmere Island is very dry. Wildlife tends to congregate in large thermal oases where sufficient water sustains the sparse vegetation that nourishes muskoxen, arctic hares and other animals. Although snow does accumulate during the long, dark arctic winter, it must not come too early in the autumn if healthy numbers of muskoxen and arctic hares are to survive. If the snow comes too early, it will cover the vegetation, and the muskoxen will not have enough to eat to build up the reserves they need to survive the bitter cold and depleted food supply in winter. This is life on the edge."

Doesn't sound like an ideal habitat for wolves to me. There is plenty to hunt during good years, but the overall picture seems grim, as the above quote shows ... "This is life on the edge". However, although their numbers are very small, the wolves remain there, I am convinced, by the very fact that they are left in peace by man. They show little fear of David Mech and colleagues. And why should they be fearful? They are safe on Ellesmere from the trophy hunter's gun.

What a very lucky man Dave Mech is, I would give my back teeth to spend some time on Ellesmere observing these magnificent creatures. By the way, I have been reading David Mech's fascinating Blogs written when living on the island - they are extremely interesting, and some lovely photos too !
Reply With Quote
Wysiwyg
Dogsey Veteran
Wysiwyg is offline  
Location: UK
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,551
Female 
 
19-05-2009, 09:21 AM
Originally Posted by Gnasher View Post
Good luck Wys ! Lovely debating with you !!

Cheers Gnasher, you too

Wys
x
Reply With Quote
Crysania
Dogsey Veteran
Crysania is offline  
Location: Syracuse, NY USA
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,848
Female 
 
15-01-2016, 08:46 PM
LOL no. Do people still believe this?
Reply With Quote
Azz
Administrator
Azz is offline  
Location: South Wales, UK
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 18,577
Male 
 
15-01-2016, 09:00 PM
Originally Posted by Crysania View Post
LOL no. Do people still believe this?
I think that's how most of us started out
Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 88 of 92 « First < 38 78 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 > Last »


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 2 (0 members and 2 guests)
 


© Copyright 2016, Dogsey   Contact Us - Dogsey - Top Contact us | Archive | Privacy | Terms of use | Top