Tibetan wolf: Difference between revisions
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== Distribution and habitat == |
== Distribution and habitat == |
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Between 1847 and 1923, Tibetan wolves have been described under various [[scientific name]]s from Chinese [[Tartary]], Tibet, [[Kashmir]], the [[Gobi Desert]], and from near [[Seoul]] in [[Korea]]. Their distributional range extends from the Russian [[Pamir]], Chinese [[Turkestan]], [[Tien Shan]], Mongolia and northern China.<ref name="ems66">Ellerman, J. R., Morrison-Scott, T. C. S. (1966). [http://www.archive.org/stream/checklistofindia00elle#page/219/mode/1up ''Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946'']. Second edition. British Museum of Natural History, London. Page 219</ref> Their range in China includes [[Shensi]], [[Sichuan]], and [[Yunnan]]. In the western [[Himalayas]] they are known to occur in [[Kashmir]] from [[Chitral]] to [[Lahul]].<ref name="pocock"/> |
Between 1847 and 1923, Tibetan wolves have been described under various [[scientific name]]s from Chinese [[Tartary]], Tibet, [[Kashmir]], the [[Gobi Desert]], and from near [[Seoul]] in [[Korea]]. Their distributional range extends from the Russian [[Pamir]], Chinese [[Turkestan]], [[Tien Shan]], Mongolia and northern China.<ref name="ems66">Ellerman, J. R., Morrison-Scott, T. C. S. (1966). [http://www.archive.org/stream/checklistofindia00elle#page/219/mode/1up ''Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946'']. Second edition. British Museum of Natural History, London. Page 219.</ref> Their range in China includes [[Shensi]], [[Sichuan]], and [[Yunnan]]. In the western [[Himalayas]] they are known to occur in [[Kashmir]] from [[Chitral]] to [[Lahul]].<ref name="pocock"/> |
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Between 2005 and 2008, sightings and scat of Tibetan wolves were recorded in the alpine meadows above the tree line north-east of the [[Nanda Devi National Park]] in [[Uttarakhand]].<ref>Bhattacharya, T. Sathyakumar, S. (2010). [http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2010/November/o242326xi101345-1348.pdf ''Sighting of Tibetan Wolf ''Canis lupus chanko'' in the Greater Himalayan range of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand, India: a new record'']. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2 (12): 1345–1348.</ref> |
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==Ecology and behaviour== |
==Ecology and behaviour== |
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Revision as of 18:53, 7 January 2012
| Tibetan Wolf | |
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| Tibetan wolf in Tennoji Zoo, Osaka, Japan | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Subspecies: | C. l. chanco
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Trinomial name
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| Canis lupus chanco Gray, 1863
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| Synonyms | |
The Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco), also known as the woolly wolf, is a
The Tibetan wolf is thought by some scientists to be the most likely ancestor of the
Characteristics
The fur of the Tibetan wolf is fulvous, on the back longer, rigid and intermixed with black and grey hairs. Its throat, chest, belly and inside of the legs is pure white, its head pale grey-brown, and the forehead grizzled with short black and grey hairs. Its skull is very like the Eurasian wolf, but the legs are shorter.[5]
The colour of the pelt varies seasonally: on the winter coat, the back and tail are variegated by black and white or buff countour hairs, which are most defined on the back, where they form a black and white saddle running from the shoulders to the loins. The wool beneath the contour hair is of a brightish buff to clear grey colour, while the belly and outer side of the legs are buff or whitish. Occasionally, a dark stripe of varying intensity may be present on the forelegs. The ears are drabby grey or rich ocherous. The crown and muzzle are closely tinted with black speckles, which extend below the eye on to the upper cheeks and ears, isolating a white spot. The chin is varies from blackish to almost white. The contour hairs of the winter fur measure 100–120 mm (3.9–4.7 in) on the shoulders, 70–80 mm (2.8–3.1 in) on the back and 40–60 mm (1.6–2.4 in) on the flanks.
Distribution and habitat
Between 1847 and 1923, Tibetan wolves have been described under various
Between 2005 and 2008, sightings and scat of Tibetan wolves were recorded in the alpine meadows above the tree line north-east of the Nanda Devi National Park in Uttarakhand.[9]
Ecology and behaviour
Tibetan wolves do not form large packs, and typically travel in pairs or in groups of three. They feed largely on hares throughout the year, marmots in summer, and large numbers of goa and sheep in winter, when deep snow impedes the latter's mobility. They rarely succeed in catching bharal, due to the rougher ground they inhabit.[2]
Large numbers of wolves have been reported to reduce leopard populations in Tibet.[10] They can be a serious problem for livestock owners. A study on livestock predation showed the wolf was the most prominent predator, accounting for 60% of the total livestock losses, followed by the snow leopard (38%) and lynx (2%). Goats were the most frequent victims (32%), followed by sheep (30%), yaks (15%), and horses (13%). Wolves killed horses significantly more and goats less than would be expected from their relative abundance.[11]
Humans are occasionally targeted: Col. Stockley reported that wolves killed several children in Ladakh and Lahoul.[2] In
Reference
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b c d e Pocock, R.I. (1941). Canis lupus chanco Pages 86–90 in: Fauna of British India: Mammals Volume 2. Taylor and Francis, London
- ^ a b Jerdon, T.C. (1874). The Indian wolf. Pages 140–141 in: The mammals of India: a natural history of all the animals known to inhabit continental India. John Wheldon, London.
- ^ Olsen, S.J., Olsen, J.W. (1977). The Chinese wolf, ancestor of new world dogs. Science 197: 533–535.
- ^ Gray, J. E. (1863). Notice of the Chanco or Golden Wolf (Canis chanco) from Chinese Tartary. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 94
- ^ Geptner, V. G., Nasimovich, A. A., Bannikov, A. G. (1972). Mlekopitaiuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Vysšaia Škola, Moskva. (In Russian; English translation: Heptner, V.G., Nasimovich, A. A., Bannikov, A. G.; Hoffmann, R.S. (1988). Mammals of the Soviet Union. Vol II, Part 1a: Sinenia and Carnivora (sea cows, wolves and bears). Smithsonian Institute and the National Science Foundation, Washington DC).
- ^ Lydekker, R. (1900). The Tibetan Wolf. Pages 339–340 in: The great and small game of India, Burma, and Tibet. R. Ward, London.
- ^ Ellerman, J. R., Morrison-Scott, T. C. S. (1966). Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946. Second edition. British Museum of Natural History, London. Page 219.
- ^ Bhattacharya, T. Sathyakumar, S. (2010). Sighting of Tibetan Wolf Canis lupus chanko in the Greater Himalayan range of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand, India: a new record. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2 (12): 1345–1348.
- ^ Trimble, S. (1995). Words from the Land: Encounters with Natural History Writing. University of Nevada Press, ISBN 0874172640
- ^ Namgail, T., Fox, J.L., Bhatnagar, Y.V. (2007). Carnivore-Caused Livestock Mortality in Trans-Himalaya. Environmental Management 39 (4): 490–496 Abstract preview
- ^ Neff, R. (2007). Devils in the Darkness: Korea’s Gray Wolves. OhmyNews, 23 May 2007.