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This study reports the disappearance of a small Arctic wolf population in north-east Greenland founded in 1979 and provides the first long-term information on the wolf packs of this region. Data sources comprised specialized wolf surveys in two of three distributional core areas during three summers, 2012–14, and incidental sightings of wolves by military ground patrols during winter and by others year-round. The resulting time series spans 40 years (1979–2018). After gradually increasing for 14 years, the sighting rate peaked in 1996 and then declined to zero after May 2002, suggesting that the population went extinct. The crash occurred despite year-round legal protection in a national park and resulted in a 51.2% reduction in the extent of the occupied wolf range in Greenland and a 41.8% reduction in Greenland’s wolf population size. It was outside the scope of this study to conduct a complete analysis of all potential factors in the disappearance. In north Greenland, a small population of up to 32 wolves during optimal years continues to exist, and dispersers reach north-east Greenland occasionally. A number of measures are proposed that, if implemented by the Greenland Home Rule Government, would help secure the future of the few remaining wolves on the island.

A 6-wk-old managed male Arctic wolf with lethargy, drooling, dehydration, elevated temperature, and acute onset of seizures was submitted for autopsy. The wolf had been vaccinated with a multivalent vaccine exactly 2 wk prior to presentation. Grossly, long bones were brittle and easily fractured under pressure; the intestinal contents were mucoid and yellow. Histologically, there was widespread lymphoid and hematopoietic necrosis, failure of endochondral ossification within long bones, as well as intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusions in various tissues and cell types. Canine distemper virus was detected in numerous tissues by IHC and confirmed by RT-rtPCR and sequencing as an American-4 strain, an emerging strain in domestic dogs and wildlife species in the southeastern United States. The clinical and pathologic findings associated with this emergent CDV strain have not been reported previously in wolves, to our knowledge. Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2b) was also detected in the spleen by IHC and confirmed by conventional PCR as a wild-type strain. The exact impact of CPV-2b on the clinical course is unknown. Early vaccination in this case may have predisposed this Artic wolf to developing clinical disease.

International audience; Changing abiotic conditions can affect the phenology of animals and plants with implications for their reproductive output, especially in rapidly changing regions like the Arctic. For instance in arthropods, it was recently shown that females of the spider species Pardosa glacialis (Thorell 1872) (Lycosidae) are able to produce two clutches within one growing season in years when snowmelt occurs particularly early. This phenomenon could be widespread in northern latitudes, and here we investigated the voltinism of two other very abundant species of wolf spiders in the Low-Arctic, Pardosa hyperborea (Thorell 1872) and Pardosa furcifera (Thorell 1875), over the period 2015-2017. Whilst a bimodal pattern in the clutch size frequency distribution was only revealed for P. hyperborea, we were able to show that both species can produce a second clutch over the active season by using information on the embryonic stages. We also observed significantly larger first than second clutches. We argue that information about the embryonic stage can be critical for evaluating evidence of wolf spider populations producing more than one clutch in a season. Our study provides evidence that bivoltinism could be a more widespread pattern than expected in Arctic wolf spiders. It remains to be investigated what the trophic consequences of such patterns are in a global warming context. We thus highlight the need for a coordinated framework for such further studies, integrating and relating various functional traits.

Spiders at southern latitudes commonly produce multiple clutches, but this has not been observed at high latitudes where activity seasons are much shorter. Yet the timing of snowmelt is advancing in the Arctic, and may allow some species to produce an additional clutch. To determine if this is already happening, we used specimens of the wolf spider Pardosa glacialis caught by pitfall traps from the long-term (1996-2014) monitoring program at Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland. We dissected individual egg sacs and counted the number of eggs and partially developed juveniles, and measured carapace width of the mothers. Upon discovery of a bimodal frequency distribution of clutch sizes, as is typical for wolf spiders at lower latitudes producing a second clutch, we assigned egg sacs to being a first or second clutch depending on clutch size. We tested whether the median capture date differed among first and second clutches, whether clutch size was correlated to female size, and whether the proportion of second clutches produced within a season was related to climate. We found that assigned second clutches appeared significantly later in the season than first clutches. In years with earlier snowmelt, first clutches occurred earlier and the proportion of second clutches produced was larger. This result, likely a result of female spiders producing first clutches earlier in those years, which allowed time for another clutch. Clutch size for first clutches was correlated to female size, while this was not the case for second clutches. Our results provide the first evidence for Arctic invertebrates producing additional clutches in response to warming. This could be a common but overlooked phenomenon due to the challenges associated with long-term collection of life history data in the Arctic. Moreover, given that wolf spiders are a widely distributed, important tundra predator, we may expect to see population and food web consequences of their increased reproductive rates.

Flaherty, William. Arctic Wolf. Illustrated by Sean Bigham. Inhabit Media, 2018. Karpik, Joanasie. Bowhead Whale. Illustrated by Sho Uehara. Inhabit Media, 2018. Paniaq, Herve. Walrus. Illustrated by Ben Shannon. Inhabit Media, 2017. Inhabit Media has published three more volumes in their successful “made in the Arctic” Animals Illustrated Series. Herve Paniaq’s Walrus, Joanasie Karpik’s Bowhead Whale and William Flaherty’s Arctic Wolf follow the pattern of the earlier works in this series (see review https://doi.org/10.20361/G2NM3W). Each book is a natural history of the animal, including range, physical characteristics, diet, babies, and fun facts. Each book also has one or two sections specific to the animal. For example, in Arctic Wolf, there is a section for “Wolves in Human Form.” Both Bowhead Whale and Walrus have sections on “Traditional Uses.” Although there is a different illustrator for each volume, the styles are similar and the content of the images are parallel throughout the three books. For example, page 6 of each book shows a naturally coloured skeleton on a black background, while page 12 is about Babies, and each book shows a mother and baby image. The illustrations are excellent throughout and extend to the end pages. This series would be good research material for elementary school children studying the North. These books are highly recommended for public libraries and elementary school libraries. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

Metal pollution from mining activities is a well-known environmental concern, and detailed environmental monitoring before, during, and after mining is essential to evaluate the contamination status of a mining area. We therefore investigated the use of Arctic wolf spiders as a potential monitoring organism for metal contamination. In the Arctic, spiders are the most abundant group of terrestrial predators, with documented abilities to accumulate metals. In Greenland however, most contamination studies in relation to mining have targeted the marine environment, with less attention given to the terrestrial. Following a distance transect (0–40 km) near the former Black Angel Pb-Zn-mine, Maarmorilik, West-Greenland, we collected samples of two species of wolf spiders (Pardosa glacialis and P. groenlandica), along with supporting samples from soil and lichens, and analyzed these for geochemical elements using Q-ICP-MS and DMA. We show that metal concentrations in spiders generally reflect the contamination trend of the area, i.e. decreasing concentrations with increasing distance from the old mine, but also that large differences in bioaccumulation efficiency occurs between elements (Ag > Cd > Zn > Cu > Hg > Pb). We also found larger differences between juvenile and adult (female) spiders than between species. Adults generally contained higher concentrations than juveniles, suggesting that distinguishing between age classes of spiders is critical in future assessments of the environmental contamination status using spiders as bioindicator- and biomonitoring organisms. Although further studies are needed, we conclude that, especially in the case of Ag and Cd, Arctic wolf spiders are show a promising biomonitor of metal contamination near Arctic mine sites and elsewhere.

This paper proposes Arctic Wolf optimization (AWO) algorithm to solve the optimal reactive power problem. Deeds of the Arctic wolf have been imitated to formulate the proposed algorithm. Arctic wolf also identified as the white wolf or polar wolf is a breed of gray wolf inhabitant from Melville Island to Ellesmere Island. It is average size, very smaller when compared to north western wolf, it possess whiter coloration, narrower braincase and big carnassials. Particle swarm optimization, Genetic algorithm has been used to improve the Exploration & Exploitation ability of the algorithm by utilizes flag vector & position, velocity update properties. Proposed Arctic Wolf optimization (AWO) algorithm has been tested in standard IEEE 30 bus test system and simulation results show the projected algorithms reduced the real power loss considerably.

We studied populations of three tundra-dwelling wolf spider (Lycosidae) species to determine reproductive trait relationships and developmental timing in the Arctic. We collected 451 Pardosa lapponica (Thorell, 1872), 176 Pardosa sodalis Holm, 1970, and 117 Pardosa moesta Banks, 1892 during summer 2008. We used log-likelihood ratio tests and multiple linear regressions to determine the best predictors of fecundity and relative reproductive effort. Female body size best explained the variation in fecundity and body condition was the best predictor for relative reproductive effort. We tested for a trade-off between the allocation of resources to individual eggs and the number of eggs produced (fecundity) within each species using linear regression. There was variation in detectable egg size and number trade-offs among sites and these may be related to local variation in resource allocation linked to density-related biotic or abiotic factors. These findings contribute to knowledge about the fitness of arctic wolf spiders in the region of study and are particularly relevant in light of the effects that climate changes are predicted to have on the arctic fauna.

Climate change is advancing the onset of the growing season, and this is happening at a particularly fast rate in the Arctic. Although this has recently been shown to affect the sexual size dimorphism (SSD) of a wolf spider species through time, it remains to be shown whether spatial variation in the physical environment is similarly affecting SSD. We studied altitudinal variation in adult body size of male and female wolf spiders on Disko Island, West Greenland. Two species exhibited female-biased SSD (measured by carapace width) at sea level but not at higher altitudes. Males and females of a third species were of equal size at both altitudes, and the 2 remaining species found on Disko Island were only present at 1 low altitude site each. Altitudinal variation in SSD is probably a result of sex differences in body size response to shorter growing seasons with altitude. Our results suggest that climate change may result in increased SSD. Constraints on body size may increase with altitude, and expanding growing seasons due to climate change may predominantly affect SSD at higher altitudes. Such intra-specific effects of climate may be widespread and suggest that further research in this topic is needed.

A case of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in a captive 4-month-old Arctic wolf ( Canis lupus) is described. The animal had vomiting, anorexia, and ataxia before death. Histopathology revealed multifocal severe renal lymphoplasmacytic vasculitis, mostly affecting small arterioles, with fibrinoid degeneration of some vessel walls. Many small foci of gliosis were detected in the cerebral cortex. West Nile virus was demonstrated in the kidneys and cerebrum by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction. The described renal changes represent a novel pathological finding of WNV infection.

Parasitoids can have significant impacts on the life history of their hosts, as well as on local population and community dynamics. These effects could be particularly pronounced in the Arctic where the breeding season is short. We studied the incidence and loads of egg sac parasitoids, and whether these varied with body size or among species in three Arctic wolf spider species: Pardosa sodalis Holm 1970, Pardosa lapponica (Thorell 1872) and Pardosa moesta Banks 1892 from the Yukon Territory in northwestern Canada. We found a high incidence of egg sac parasitism (by Gelis sp.) and that the incidence of parasitism increased significantly with body size in two of the spider species; however, it did not change in the largest species. Among the three species investigated, parasitism was highest in the largest species (P. sodalis). Parasitism loads ranged from one to fourteen individuals per egg sac, and incidence reached 29.6% overall in P. sodalis. Parasitism may have significant impacts on the life...

Measurements of a large series of skulls of the Arctic wolf, Canis lupus arctos. have shown that since 1930 there has been an overall reduction in the size of the skulls, together with widening of the cranium, shortening of the facial region, and reduction in size of the teeth. This suggests that hybridization and subsequent introgression occurred with huskies (Canis familiaris) during the 1930s, which is consistent with historical accounts. Since 1950 there has been a reversion in skull morphology to a more ‘wolf-like’ form, suggesting that hybridization is no longer occurring. The skull of a wolf/dog hybrid is intermediate in size between the skulls of wolves and huskies but its shape is allometrically dissimilar. Skulls of wolves from the period 1930–50 are moi-e similar to the skull of this hybrid than in the other time periods. The skull of a male canid from a carcass collected on Ellesmere Island and presented to the Natural History Museum. London, in 1986 was at first thought to be from a wolf/dog hybrid but analyses of the measurements show that it is more likely to be from an Arctic wolf with severe abnormalities to the jaws.

A long-existing system of wolves ( Canis lupus ), muskoxen ( Ovibos moschatus ), and arctic hares ( Lepus arcticus ) in a 2600 km2 area of Canada’s High Arctic (80° N latitude) began collapsing in 1997 because of unusual adverse summer weather but recovered to a level at which all three species were reproducing by 2004. Recovery of wolf presence and reproduction appeared to be more dependent on muskox increase than on hare increase.

If behavioral mechanisms controlling suckling have been shaped by parent – offspring conflict in the ultimate sense, then proximate behavioral determinants of conflict should occur throughout lactation, with greatest intensity in the terminal phase, and offspring should have tactics for overcoming parental resistance. We observed the weaning process in a habituated wild wolf pack (Canis lupus) on Ellesmere Island, Canada, from estimated ages 5 through 10 weeks (including a continuous record for 192 h). The following variables declined with age: percentage of suckling bouts initiated by the nurser, persistence by pups, and mean duration of suckling bouts. Variables that increased with age were interbout interval, percentage of suckling bouts terminated by the nurser, and wincing or agonistic actions of the nurser. Behavioral conflict appeared in the developmental stage (estimated age 7 – 8 weeks) during which pups could feed on opened carcasses. Countertactics by pups to obtain milk were not apparent, although the pups developed diverse tactics for obtaining and sharing meat. In this group of wolves, weaning mechanisms were a complex function of food delivery by adults, discomfort of the nursing female as pups developed, and declining persistence of pups. If there is a conflict over what is optimal for pups and for the nurser in the ultimate sense, behavioral conflict is more likely to be expressed with regard to access to meat, or as conditional tactics dependent on food availability, rather than weaning conflict being controlled by fixed rules in this species.

During the summers of 2000 through 2006, I counted arctic wolf ( Canis lupus arctos ) pups and adults in a pack, arctic hares ( Lepus arcticus ) along a 9 km index route in the area, and muskoxen ( Ovibos moschatus ) in a 250 km2 part of the area near Eureka (80° N, 86° W), Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Adult wolf numbers did not correlate with muskox numbers, but they were positively related (r2 = 0.89; p < 0.01) to an arctic hare index. This is the first report relating wolf numbers to non-ungulate prey.

A pack of two to eight adult wolves ( Canis lupus arctos ) and their pups was observed during ten summers (1986-95) on Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. The author habituated the wolf pack to his presence in the first summer and reinforced the habituation each summer thereafter. The first alpha female produced four to six pups each year between 1986 and 1989. However, her daughter, who succeeded her as the alpha female, produced only one to three pups each year between 1990 and 1992 and in 1994, and apparently did not whelp in 1993 or in 1995. The tenure of the first alpha male was at least two years, and his successor was alpha male for the remaining eight years of the study. The wolf pack was characterized by highly variable annual productivity. The second alpha male-and-female breeding pair likely was an older brother and a younger sister. Early survival of wolf pups was high and constant, with all pups surviving through August of their first year. The pack's demography was consistent with what is known for wolf packs in other regions of North America, but its productivity was more typical of arctic packs. Key words: wolf, Canis lupus , productivity, demography, breeding tenure, survival

Reproduction and mortality of the High Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus arctos) in northeast Greenland were investigated through a temporal and spatial analysis of data on litter sizes from direct counts of pups during 21 years (1978-1998). A minimum of 22 pups were produced in a total of six areas. Overall mean litter size was 2.0 pups/litter. This was the lowest mean litter size recorded for Wolves in North America through observations of pups in summer and was probably related to low availability and vulnerability of ungulate prey. Pack size and litter size were very strongly positively correlated. Large packs (4-7 adults) produced significantly more pups than smaller packs. Mean maximum litter size from 17 North American studies employing similar methods, suggested that maximum productivity of wolves in Greenland was 58% below that of wolves elsewhere. The number of Wolf pups born in North America was negatively correlated with increasing latitude. Eight mortalities were identified and were predominantly caused by humans despite the fact that this Wolf population inhabits a national park with year-round protection.

Urine-marking and ground-scratching were observed in an Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus) pack on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, during 16 summers between 1986 and 2005. All previously known urination postures and ground-scratching by breeding males and females were seen, and incidence of marking and scratching was greatest when non-pack wolves were present. Observations of urine-marking of food remains supported the conclusion from a captive Wolf study that such marking signals lack of edible food.

Various dung substrates including that of arctic fox, arctic hare, arctic wolf, lemming, musk-ox, polar bear, rock ptarmigan, and snow goose were collected from the Churchill region, Resolute Bay region, Scogan Lowland, Sverdrup Lowland, Truelove Lowland, and Truelove Valley. These collections were incubated and surveyed for coprophilous fungi. Of 20 taxa recorded Ascobolus stictoideus, Cheilymenia coprinaria, Coprobia granulata, Lilliputia rufula, Sporormiella bipartis, Sporormiella dubia, Sporormiella minima, Sporormiella septenaria, and a Zopfiella sp. are first reports for Arctic sites. Taxonomic problems are discussed in some detail for Sporormiella intermedia and Thelebolus polysporous.

Milk was obtained from an Arctic wolf which was captured on Axel Heiberg Island, Northwest Territories, in 1961 and held in captivity for 5 years before the collection of the sample, and from two huskies. The gross composition of the milks and the fatty acid constitution of the milk fats were determined.

Recent biological studies have concluded that North American wolves are rarely dangerous to humans. To date the scientific literature contains only one well-documented account of a vicious wolf attack on a man, an incident that took place in northwestern Ontario in 1942. A much earlier attack, however, took place in February 1915 on the Coppermine River in Canada's Arctic. Though mentioned in two publications in the 1920s, this incident has escaped the scientists' notice and is reported again now with additional information. In this encounter a large white wolf ( Canis lupus mackenzii Anderson) entered the campsite of members of the 1913-18 Canadian Arctic Expedition and on discovery attacked one of the scientists. The incident is unique for three reasons: (1) the existence and reliability of eyewitness accounts of the attack in the unpublished diaries of two of the scientific members, one of whom was the wolf's victim; (2) the chance coincidence that the man who shot the wolf was a mammalogist responsible for collecting arctic specimens for the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa; and (3) the existence today, 70 years later, of the wolf mount in the museum's research collection. Key words: Arctic, wolf, Rudolph Anderson, Diamond Jenness, Frits Johansen, Canadian Arctic Expedition

The high arctic wolf Canis lupus arctos, a white, medium-sized subspecies of the arctic wolf, and a considerable carnivore, ranges over the Queen Elizabeth Islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. … With the object of adding to the meagre literature on the high arctic wolf, I present in this paper the results of observations I made on it over a total period of 425 days spent in the field in the Jones Sound region, collecting information on the local wildlife and Inuit. … Little is actually known about the wolf's predatory behaviour in the eastern High Arctic, and much of what is attributed to the high arctic wolf is merely hearsay or speculation. For example, in the Jones Sound region muskox carcasses which bear signs of attention from wolves are usually referred to as wolf-kills. It is possible that some of these carcasses have simply been scavenged by wolves. … Over the years, some of the residents of Grise Fiord have attributed the decline of Peary's caribou Rangifer tarandus pearyi in the region to the predatory habits of wolves, in spite of the absence of any proof that they have a controlling effect upon the size of caribou populations. It appears in actual fact that man has been blaming his competitor, the wolf, for the problems he himself has created. … From data based on reports of members of the Grise Fiord Detachment of the R.C.M.P. I have been able to derive the following average numbers of wolves taken: 1956-57 to 1962-63: 1.7; 1963-64 to 1967-68: 4.4; 1968-69 to 1970-71: 9.6. The sharp increase from 1.7 to 4.4 was a result of the reintroduction in 1964 of bounty payments in the Northwest Territories for the capture of wolves. A hunter receives $40 for each animal captured, as well as the pelt which has a value ranging between $10 and $150. Some pelts are used locally for the trimming of parkas, for which they are however considered inferior to the pelts of dogs or imported wolverine. Most wolves taken up to 1968 were either poisoned, accidentally caught in fox traps, or shot as they approached hunters or their dogs out of curiosity. Since the coming into general use of snowmobiles in the area, however, hunters have usually followed any fresh wolf track in the hope of catching up with one of the animals. The fact that the average number caught over the three years ending in 1971 was as high as 9.6 per year was therefore the result of overhunting by snowmobile, and not of an increase in numbers of the animals. The overhunting which took place over the years 1968-71 is the presumable explanation of the fact that not one wolf was taken during the years 1971-72. … Wolf carcasses are not eaten either by Inuit or their dogs.

Milk was collected from the following Arctic or sub-Arctic species: Arctic wolf, husky, fin whale, beluga whale, and mountain goat. The ash obtained from each milk was analyzed for its sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus contents.