Content deleted Content added
174.22.180.25 (talk) minor misspelling ("renewel) |
Mariomassone (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
| trinomial_authority = Goldman, 1937 |
| trinomial_authority = Goldman, 1937 |
||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''Northern Rocky Mountains wolf''' (''Canis lupus irremotus''<ref name="Goldman" /><ref>{{ITIS|id=726829 |taxon=''Canis lupus irremotus'' Goldman, 1937}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Joshua Ross Ginsberg, David Whyte Macdonald & IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group |year=1990 |title=Foxes, wolves, jackals, and dogs: an action plan for the conservation of canids |publisher=[[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] |isbn=978-2-88032-996-9 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QvUfIvp4muEC&pg=PA6 |chapter=Sorting out the Canidae |pages=4–8}}</ref>), also known as the '''Northern Rocky Mountain wolf''',<ref name="Gazette">{{cite news |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qHYhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VIkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2190,7721370 |title=Humans now aid wolf they nearly eradicated |publisher=[[The Daily Gazette|Schenectady Gazette]] |author=T. R. Reid |date=August 31, 1989}}</ref> is a [[subspecies]] of the [[gray wolf]], ''[[Canis lupus]]'', that is primarily found in the northern portion of the [[Rocky Mountains]] and the states and provinces surrounding the region.<ref name="Land">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8KI1AmzIDnwC&pg=PA360 |title=Land Mammals of Oregon |chapter=''Canis lupus'' Linnaeus, 1758 |pages=360–363 |author=B. J. Verts & Leslie N. Carraway |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-520-21199-5}}</ref> The subspecies was initially listed as [[Endangered]] on March 9, 1978, but had the classification removed in the year 2000 due to the effects of the ''Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan''.<ref name="Boston">{{cite journal |year=2000 |title=The “wholly separate” truth: did the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction violate Section 10(J) of the Endangered Species Act? |publisher=[[Boston College]] |author=Elizabeth Cowan Brown |pages=425–465 |volume=27 |issue=3 |journal=Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review |url=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/law/lwsch/journals/bcealr/27_3/03_FMS.htm}}</ref><ref name="Law">{{cite court |litigants=Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation v. Babbitt |vol=97-8127 |reporter=Patrick Fisher |court=United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit |date=January 13, 2000 |url=http://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2000/01/97-8127.htm}}</ref> On August 6, 2010, the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf was [[Court order|ordered]] to be returned under [[Endangered Species Act]] protections by [[United States district court|U.S. District Judge]] [[Donald Molloy]] in a decision overturning a previous ruling by the [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]].<ref name="AP">{{cite news |url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gvpLOtu1zSieNGU7OAEbSTg-V2vwD9HE1QKO1 |title=Wildlife advocates hail Rocky Mountain wolf ruling |agency=Associated Press |author=Matt Volz |date=August 6, 2010}}</ref> They were later removed on August 31, 2012 from the list because of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming meeting the population quotas for the species to be considered stable.<ref name="CS1"/> |
|||
The '''Northern Rocky Mountains wolf''' (''Canis lupus irremotus'') is a possible [[Subspecies of Canis lupus|subspecies of gray wolf]] native to the northern [[Rocky Mountains]] and the high adjoining plains, from northwestern [[Wyoming]] northward through western [[Montana]] and eastern [[Idaho]] at least to [[Lethbridge]] in southern [[Alberta]]. It is a light-colored, medium to large-sized subspecies with a narrow, flattened [[frontal bone]].<ref name=glover>Glover, A. (1942), [https://archive.org/stream/extinctvanishing00allerich#page/208/mode/2up/search/wolf ''Extinct and vanishing mammals of the western hemisphere, with the marine species of all the oceans''], American Committee for International Wild Life Protection, pp. 205-206.</ref> |
|||
==Physiology== |
|||
===Description=== |
|||
This subspecies generally weighs {{convert|70|-|150|lb}} and stands at 26–32 inches, making it one of the largest [[Subspecies of Canis lupus|subspecies of the gray wolf]] in existence.<ref name="Yellow">{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/issues/wolves/wolves-in-yellowstone-a-short-history/all-pages.php |title=Wolves in Yellowstone: A Short History |publisher=[[Yellowstone Insider]] |author=Nelson King |year=2007}}</ref> It is a lighter colored animal than its southern brethren, the [[Southern Rocky Mountains wolf]], with a coat that includes far more white and less black. In general, the subspecies favors lighter colors, with black mixing in among them.<ref name="Goldman">{{cite journal|jstor=1374306|title=The Wolves of North America|author= E. A. Goldman|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=18|issue= 1 |year=1937|pages= 37–45|doi=10.2307/1374306}}</ref><ref name="Land"/> |
|||
{{As of|2005|uc=on}},<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Wozencraft | pages = | id =14000760}}</ref> it is considered a valid subspecies by [[MSW3]], though it is classed as a [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''[[Great Plains wolf|C. l. nubilus]]'' by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].<ref name=chambers>{{cite journal |title=An account of the taxonomy of North American wolves from morphological and genetic analyses |authors=Chambers SM, Fain SR, Fazio B, Amaral M |year=2012 |journal=North American Fauna |volume=77 |pages=1–67 |url=http://www.fwspubs.org/doi/pdf/10.3996/nafa.77.0001 |accessdate=2013-07-02 |doi=10.3996/nafa.77.0001}}</ref> |
|||
=== Dietary habits === |
|||
The Northern Rocky Mountains wolf preys primarily on the [[American bison]], [[Rocky Mountain elk]], the Rocky Mountain [[mule deer]], and the [[North American beaver]], though it is an [[opportunistic feeder|opportunistic]] animal and will prey upon other species if the chance arises. But, for the most part, small prey animals do not make up a large part of its diet.<ref name="Land"/> |
|||
When an individual or a pack is able to take down numerous prey, the amount a Northern Rocky Mountains wolf eats daily will generally make up about 10–21% of its [[Body weight|body mass]], though there have been recorded instances of an individual eating up to 37% of its body mass. However, when prey is not as plentiful, Northern Rocky Mountains wolves are able to survive for considerably long periods of time while eating only small amounts. [[Cannibalism]], in times of severe food shortage, occurs, as a pack will kill and eat an injured or weak member of the group.<ref name="Land"/> |
|||
== History == |
|||
Early recorded history of the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf found it roaming primarily in the forests that would later become known as [[Yellowstone National Park]]. They resided nearby [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] of the [[Tukudika]] tribe, who considered the wolf to be a sacred animal.<ref name="Yellow"/> |
|||
As the American population began spreading west in the late 19th century, [[rancher]]s, [[farmer]]s, and [[Cattle|cattle drivers]] began to settle in the area. In due time, the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf began preying on the [[livestock]] brought by the settlers. A practice of eradication was enacted in 1915,<ref name="Whisperer">{{cite news |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tampatribune/access/34851105.html?dids=34851105:34851105&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+04%2C+1998&author=MIKE+CHISLER&pub=Tampa+Tribune&desc=Wolf+takes+horse+whisperer%27s+path&pqatl=google |title=Wolf takes horse whisperer's path |publisher=[[The Tampa Tribune]] |author=Mike Chrysler |date=October 4, 1998 |page=4}}</ref> through the use of [[gun]]s, [[Animal trapping|traps]], and [[poison]]. This policy was made even more all encompassing by the creation of the [[National Park Service]] in 1916, which regulated control over the land in Yellowstone and authorized through the [[National Park Service Organic Act]] the "destruction of such animals and such plant life that may be detrimental".<ref name="Gazette"/> By 1924, the last known wolves in the bounds of Yellowstone were killed, though small numbers of the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf survived in outlying areas.<ref name="Yellow"/> |
|||
===The Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan=== |
|||
The ''Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan'' was first approved in 1980, though it was then revised later on in 1987. The plan required a certain population of Northern Rocky Mountains wolves to reside in the area inside and around Yellowstone, which included at least ten [[breeding pair]]s, and for the population to remain [[Ecological stability|stable]] for at least three consecutive years.<ref name="Review">{{cite news |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DUYjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=APADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4314,3236133 |title=Wildlife official defends wolf plan |publisher=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=December 4, 1987 |page=A10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K4QpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=O2UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2361,3370565 |title=Wolves may be returned to Rockies |publisher=[[Sun Journal (Lewiston)|Sun Journal]] |author=Sports Afield |date=July 20, 1989 |page=23}}</ref> However, the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf was not, at the time of the initial drafting, recognized as a legitimate subspecies, so the wolves involved in the plan were instead the [[Great Plains wolf]] and the [[Mackenzie Valley wolf]].<ref>{{cite book |editor=L. David Mech & Luigi Boitani |year=2003 |title=Wolves: behavior, ecology, and conservation|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-51696-7 |chapter=Wolf Conservation and Recovery |author=Luigi Boitani |pages=317–340 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_mXHuSSbiGgC&pg=PA337}}</ref> The overall reason for this was because the stated two subspecies of wolf roamed in the same general area as the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf and because the plan covered the reintroduction of wolves into the area in general. For this reason, the more plentiful subspecies' were chosen to be trans-located, so as to not upset the balance in the areas they would be taken from.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fws.gov/ecos/ajax/docs/recovery_plan/870803.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=[[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] |title=Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan |year=1987}}</ref> |
|||
In response to concerns about wolves being allowed to run free in the area, killing livestock without any allowed repercussions, the final draft of the plan, completed on November 22, 1994, outlined that ranchers were allowed to kill wolves if they were "caught in the act of killing livestock on private property."<ref name="Boston"/> |
|||
In three lawsuits combined as ''Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation v. Babbitt'', opponents of re-introduction argued that the re-introduced wolves threatened wolves that might already inhabit the area, while supporters argued against the experimental desigination and for fully protected status. District Court Judge [[William F. Downes]] ruled that the re-introduction violated section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act, however, this ruling was overturned by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.<ref name="Boston"/><ref name="Law"/><ref name="Beyond">{{cite book |author=Martin A. Nie |year=2003 |title=Beyond wolves: the politics of wolf recovery and management |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |chapter=The wolf as symbol, surrogate, and policy problem |pages=67–112 |isbn=978-0-8166-3977-9 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=s234GacEaD8C&pg=PA99}}</ref> |
|||
===Policy Changes for the ESA=== |
|||
In 2007, a [[memorandum]] was drafted by the [[solicitor]] for the [[United States Department of the Interior]], which looked at the wording of the [[Endangered Species Act]]. Specifically, the paper considered the meaning of the phrase "significant portion of its range". The memorandum detailed that the previous [[Range (biology)|range]] of a species under the ESA was unimportant and that the current range of such a species was what was important, not what it "historically occupied". A number of [[Environmental movement|environmental groups]] were outraged over the memorandum, as the density of species under their current range would end up with many taken off the [[Endangered Species List]], even if the population was far lower than what would be considered stable.<ref name="Nature">{{cite journal |title=US habitat rule threatens species |author=Daniel Cressey |date=2009 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |doi=10.1038/news.2009.1061 }}</ref> |
|||
Jeremy Bruskotter, who is an [[Environmental science|environmental scientist]], authored two papers in early 2009 stating that, if the memorandum is taken seriously, it could result in "an increased risk of extinction for some species." On the other hand, Robin Waples, a scientist at the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's]] Northwest Fisheries Science Center, stated that "the memorandum by itself does not reduce protections".<ref name="Nature"/> |
|||
Since the memorandum was drafted, five rulings that relied heavily upon it were passed regarding endangered species, one of which was about the population of the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf. The ruling decided that protection for the species was to be "sharply limited". However, in 2009, [[wildlife]] groups challenged the ruling.<ref name="Nature"/><ref name="Obama">{{cite news |url=http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-21-03.asp |title=Obama freezes pending federal rules, wolves may benefit |publisher=[[Environment News Service]] |date=January 21, 2009}}</ref> |
|||
On January 21, 2009, President [[Barack Obama]] made a [[Executive order (United States)|presidential ruling]] for all [[Government agency|federal agencies]] to "halt all pending regulations until his administration can review them." This, in turn, has halted the delisting of many species under the ESA, though the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf had already been removed prior to this regulation.<ref name="Obama"/> |
|||
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled in an [[appeal]]ed decision on August 6, 2010, that the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf must either be "listed as an endangered species or removed from the list, but the protections for the same population can't be different for each state." This ruling came about from the challenged decision in 2009 by wildlife groups and would end many of the special regulations that individual states had held over the species. The Fish and Wildlife Service made a statement that endangered protections would remain for the entire species until [[Wyoming]] is able to bring the population of wolves within its borders into required standards. The populations for [[Idaho]] and [[Montana]] have already exceeded the requirements and, thus, previously had had no protections for the wolves in the states.<ref name="AP" /><ref>[http://vocuspr.vocus.com/vocuspr30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=fws&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=111656&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True "Statement of Assistant Secretary Strickland Regarding Court Ruling on the Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf" – US Fish and Wildlife Service]. Vocuspr.vocus.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-31.</ref> |
|||
On August 31, 2012, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would be removing endangered species protections from the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf, as Wyoming has achieved the necessary populations to qualify with 328 wolves. Fish and Wildlife Service Director [[Dan Ashe]] called the renewal of the wolf subspecies to be a "major success story". Wyoming has also instituted its own "dual status" system that would protect the wolves inside Yellowstone park, but allow any wolves who leave the area to be shot on sight. Currently, 224 of the 328 wolves in Wyoming live outside of Yellowstone Park.<ref name="CS1">{{cite news |title=Open season: Will rebounding Wyoming wolves thrive without US protection? |author=Patrik Jonsson |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0901/Open-season-Will-rebounding-Wyoming-wolves-thrive-without-US-protection |newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |date=September 1, 2012 |accessdate=September 1, 2012}}</ref> |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} |
||
==External links== |
|||
* [http://www.mtexpress.com/vu_breaking_story.php?bid=6110 "Feds renewing efforts to delist wolves?" – Idaho Mountain Express] |
|||
* [http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005122748 "Are northern Rockies wolves on the decline?" – Idaho Mountain Express] |
|||
* [http://www.standard.net/topics/featured/2010/04/17/utah-split-wolf-protection-status "Utah split on wolf protection status" – Standard Examiner] |
|||
[[Category:Wolves|Rocky Mountains]] |
|||
[[Category:Mammals of North America|Rocky Mountains]] |
[[Category:Mammals of North America|Rocky Mountains]] |
||
[[Category:Fauna of the Western United States|Rocky Mountains]] |
[[Category:Fauna of the Western United States|Rocky Mountains]] |
||
[[Category:Fauna of the Rocky Mountains|Wolf]] |
[[Category:Fauna of the Rocky Mountains|Wolf]] |
||
[[Category:Environmental issues in the United States]] |
|||
[[Category:Subspecies of Canis lupus]] |
[[Category:Subspecies of Canis lupus]] |
||
Revision as of 15:59, 2 June 2014
Northern Rocky Mountains wolf | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | C. l. irremotus
|
Trinomial name | |
Canis lupus irremotus Goldman, 1937
|
The Northern Rocky Mountains wolf (Canis lupus irremotus) is a possible subspecies of gray wolf native to the northern Rocky Mountains and the high adjoining plains, from northwestern Wyoming northward through western Montana and eastern Idaho at least to Lethbridge in southern Alberta. It is a light-colored, medium to large-sized subspecies with a narrow, flattened frontal bone.[1]
As of 2005,[2] it is considered a valid subspecies by MSW3, though it is classed as a synonym of C. l. nubilus by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[3]
References
- ^ Glover, A. (1942), Extinct and vanishing mammals of the western hemisphere, with the marine species of all the oceans, American Committee for International Wild Life Protection, pp. 205-206.
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ "An account of the taxonomy of North American wolves from morphological and genetic analyses". North American Fauna. 77: 1–67. 2012. doi:10.3996/nafa.77.0001. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite uses deprecated parameter|authors=
(help)