Canis lupus

Conservation biology requires the development of practical tools and techniques to minimize con- flicts arising from human modification of ecosystems. We applied behavioral theory of primary and secondary repellents to predator management by using aversive stimulus devices (electronic training collars) and dis- ruptive stimulus devices (behavior-contingent audio and visual repellents) in a multipredator ( Canis lupus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Ursus spp.)

With the successful recolonization and reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupus) in parts of the western United States (Bangs and Fritts, 1996; Bangs et al., 1998) and the natural expansion of wolves in the upper Midwest (Fuller et al., 1992; Thiel, 2001), managing conflicts between wolves and livestock is a growing issue for livestock producers, resource professionals, and the general public

We are creating a pack of virtual creatures who exhibit the kinds of social interactions found in a natural species of animal, the gray wolf (Canis lupus). To do this, we are extending our synthetic character building toolkit to enable our characters to learn to adapt pre-existing behaviors for use in novel social contexts; to have and express emotional states;

The diet strategy of the wolf in Europe is reviewed on the basis of 74 basic and 14 additional literature  sources. The comparative analysis reveals clear dependence on the latitude (and, therefore, on the changing  environmental conditions) correlated with the wild ungulate abundance and diversity. Following a  geographic pattern, the wolf is specialised on different species of ungulates: moose and reindeer in Scandinavia,  red deer in Central and Eastern Europe and wild boar in Southern Europe. Where this large prey  is taken, the roe deer is hunted with almost the same frequency in every region. The wolf diet in Europe  shows two ecological adaptations formed by a complex of variables: 1. Wolves living in natural habitats  with abundance of wild ungulates feed mainly on wild prey. 2. In highly anthropogenic habitats, with low  abundance of wild prey, wolves feed on livestock (where husbandry of domestic animals is available) and  take also a lot of plant food, smaller prey (hares and rodents) and garbage food. The frequency of occurrence  of wild ungulates in the diet of wolves in North Europe varies from 54.0% in Belarus to 132.7% in  Poland, while that of livestock is in the range from 0.4% in Norway to 74.9% in Belarus. In South Europe,  the frequency of occurrence of wild prey varies from 0% in Italy and Spain to 136.0% in Italy, while of domestic  ungulates ranges between 0% and 100% in Spain. The low density or lack of wild prey triggers the  switch of the wolf diet to livestock, plant food (32.2-85% in Italy) or even garbage (up to 41.5% in Italy).

Isotopic tracking of carnivore palaeoecology is a relatively new approach that yielded important results for the study of the non-analogue mammoth steppe biome. After describing the prerequisite to apply this approach and the possible complications, the main achievements will be described for extinct carnivore species such as scimitar-tooth cat Homotherium serum, cave lion Panthera spelaea, giant short-faced bear Arctodus simus, cave bear Ursus spelaeus s.l., as well as for ancient representatives of extant species such as brown bear Ursus arctos and wolf Canis lupus. Isotopic tracking showed that scimitar-tooth cats in Alaska were not a specialist proboscidean predators but rather generalist consumers of other large herbivores. The majority of cave lions analyzed so far were focused on reindeer, some individuals were specialized on cave bears, especially in contexts of competition with cave hyenas. Giant short-faced bears in Alaska were not pure herbivores and consumed meat from reindeer, muskoxen and possibly other predators, but may have still incorporated plant resources in their menu. In contrast, all cave bear populations studied so far for which a clear dietary reconstruction could be done were virtually pure herbivores, only a few cases are still unclear. Interestingly, brown bears used the opposite extreme of the dietary spectrum when competing with other large bears such as cave bears and giant short-faced bears, i.e. were more carnivorous in Europe and more herbivorous in Alaska. Finally wolves seem to have been outcompeted by hyenas but became dominant predators during the Lateglacial in Europe to the expense of the last cave lions. The results obtained through this approach are also relevant for improving conservation strategies of endangered extant large carnivores.

La ricerca su Valenze del lupo nel mondo romano, concentrata sul periodo monarchico e repubblicano, è finalizzata all’indagine di un tema, quello del lupo nel mondo romano, già oggetto di numerosi studi che hanno riguardato in alcuni casi la raccolta e l’analisi filologica delle fonti storiche, in altri la catalogazione di materiali figurati e la loro analisi iconografica e iconologica, in altri ancora l’interpretazione in chiave religiosa e socioculturale. Ne deriva che l’argomento non è mai stato trattato in maniera organica, sulla base cioè dell’utilizzo integrato di fonti storiche, documentazione archeologica e analisi comparativa, strumenti che solo se utilizzati insieme riescono a dare del problema un quadro esaustivo. Non basta. Poiché l’oggetto in esame, il lupo, non costituisce un’entità astratta, bensì un’entità reale, oggetto di approfonditi studi nel campo della zoologia, si ritiene opportuno partire dai dati scientifici relativi a tassonomia, distribuzione, morfologia e etologia per stabilire corrispondenze con i dati messi a disposizione dalla ricerca storica. A questo tipo di approccio è da riferire anche l’analisi della licantropia come forma di delirio di origine neurologica, secondo la classificazione della medicina moderna, ma così interpretata già a partire da Galeno.  La ricerca, che si avvale anche di fonti e testimonianze che esorbitano il periodo prescelto qualora si tratti di espressioni che possano essere riferite a tradizioni antiche, si articola in tre parti. La prima, costituita dalla raccolta della documentazione, dove si analizza il lupo con i dati messi a disposizione dalla scienza moderna; si procede alla raccolta delle fonti sul lupo nel mondo romano, con particolare approfondimento degli episodi legati al lupo e relativi alla leggenda di fondazione della città di Roma, l’analisi del complesso dei Lupercalia e dei racconti e degli eventi prodigiosi che, nell’ambito del periodo indagato, presentano una connessione con il lupo. La fase di documentazione è completata dall’analisi topografica dei luoghi che, nella città di Roma, presentano una relazione con il lupo o con i rituali ad esso collegati nonché dall’analisi di materiali figurati significativi. La seconda parte riguarda la comparazione e si occupa di verificare le valenze del lupo nel mondo indoeuropeo, con un’attenzione particolare all’area occupata da popolazioni elleniche, per la quale si registrano il maggior numero di fonti, e, tra gli altri popoli, alla presenza del tema in questione presso gli Etruschi, ma senza tralasciare indicazioni utili che possono provenire da altre culture, anche da quelle non direttamente in contatto con il mondo romano, ma originate dallo stesso sostrato. L’ultima fase della ricerca riguarda l’analisi dei dati raccolti.

The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was one of Australia's largest predators, but became extinct in mainland Australia soon after the arrival of a new predator, the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) around 3500 bp. Evidence implicating the dingo in the thylacine's extinction has been equivocal, largely because thylacines are thought to be considerably larger than dingoes. Thus, other concurrent factors, such as shifts in human technology and population increase as well as climate change, have been cited to explain their extinction. Here we present new morphological evidence that female mainland Holocene thylacines were actually smaller than dingoes. We discuss these findings against archaeological and contemporary ecological evidence concerning dingoes' environmental impacts, and provide evidence that, as novel predators, dingoes induced a trophic cascade that had dramatic impacts on the fauna and economy of Holocene Australia. We suggest that dingoes, owing to their larger brains and body size, were likely a primary agent for the extinction of the thylacine from mainland Australia.

In the Romain-la-Roche (Doubs) fossil site the carnivores are an important part in the great amount of fauna remains excavated. They form now an important reference for the Canidae, Ursidae and Felidae, which occur there in a considerable quantity. The Canidae correspond to Vulpes lagopus, Vulpes vulpes and mainly to Canis lupus. As often, two Ursidae coexist, Ursus arctos and Ursus spelaeus, which is greatly the most abundant. Three species of Felidae occur, Felis silvestris, Panthera pardus and essentially Panthera spelaea. There are three skulls and one skeleton of P. spelaea scattered throughout some square meters. The biochronology of Canis lupus, of Ursus spelaeus and of Panthera spelaea provides convergent dating elements, pointing around stage 5 (Eemian Interglacial). The Rabeder's method applied on the fourth premolars of Ursus spelaeus indicates an evolutive stage comparable to that of the cave bear found in the deep layers of Herdengelhoehle (Austria) which is dated between 112 000 and 135 000 years.

A partire dall'analisi delle antiche fonti letterarie, delle raffigurazioni artistiche e dei contesti funerari, questo studio riassume le principali evidenze circa la presenza del cane al fianco delle divinità ctonie del pantheon greco, nei rituali sacrificali e nelle sepolture, concludendo con un piccolo focus sulle raffigurazioni di questo animale nell'arte funeraria attica d'età classica.

Revista Orígenes y Raíces número 15, 2020. Sociedad de Estudios Historiológicos y Etnográficos.

- EL BARCO DE SIERRA ESPUÑA. ARTE ESQUEMÁTICO DE GRANDES PROPORCIONES EN LAS CUEVAS DE LA PLATA (TOTANA). Teresa Fernández Azorín, Pedro Lucas Salcedo.
- PRESENCIA DEL LOBO EN LAS FUENTES CLÁSICAS. Teresa Fernández Azorín.
- SOBRE EL HALLAGO Y PROTECCIÓN DE LAS PINTURAS DE  LA PARROQUIA DEL SALVADOR (CARAVACA). Pedro Lucas Salcedo.
- GÉNESIS, EVOLUCIÓN Y REPRESIÓN DEL MOVIMIENTO OBRERO
EN CARTAGENA-LA UNIÓN PATRIMONIO HISTÓRICO VINCULADO. Javier Alberto Crespo Aledo.

The dangerosity of wolves for human beings is a staple of old tales such as Little Red Riding Hood or Tom Thumbs.  Is it a historical reality, though?  And if yes, what was the impact on our ancestors?  The perception of the wolf, long very negative in Europe, has become much more positive lately, in a framework of publicly stated worries about biodiversity.  Since the wolf was reintroduced in the Alps in 1992, this reversal of perspective has led to deep rift of public opinion, and increased the tensions between actors of pasture territories ans managers of the environment.  In this debate, often quite passionate, some question the reality of wolf attacks, the reason for the classifying of this predator as the worst of all « pests » for centuries on end.  It is particularly the case of the most negatively seen of all wolf aggressions in the European cultural heritage, that of a wolf held to be a « man eater ».
To delineate more precisely what is at stake and within which limits when this highly sensitive is concerned, we need to find answers to many questions.  Which actual testimonies can we use to assess wolf attacks, and to what extent are they reliable?  How can we distinguish between attacks by « anthropophagous » animals and attacks by rabid wolves?  Can we discern chronological evolutions in these attacks, and which were the most acute periods?  What geographical dispersion can we trace, and what information can we derive therefrom?  How were the aggressors identified, and culturally perceived?  What was the demographic and sociological impact of these attacks?  In a word, what was the actual risk the wolf represented for human beings in France, and can this risk explain the « fear of the wolf » still observable in the mentalities?
To answer these questions, this work uses testimonies and printed sources from over five centuries of observation, from the Hundred Years War to the First World War, and relies on a statistical dataset comprising over 3 000 death certificates dated from 1420 to 1918.
No historical synthesis so far had achieved this width of inquiry, covering the whole French territory.  The book presents the results of 5 years of research for 85 French départements.  Still the work is far from over : the conclusion calls for a wider focus, and more study on other aspects of the relationship between human beings and wolves.  Indeed, beyond the explanation given to a fact which tends to be forgotten today, this study sheds light primarily on the spatial organization of human activity, much more than on the biological evolution of this species.  The wolf reveals social choices, and is a marker of the way our environment is managed.  The story of the « big bad wolf » prompts the historian to communicate his results to the wider public, and reveals the place left by human beings to what is wild in their universe.

Prior studies have documented the domestic dog’s (Canis lupus familiaris) sensitivity to human attentional state, including a tendency to preferentially beg for food from attentive individuals and an ability to selectively perform forbidden behaviors when humans are not looking. Due to the success of dogs on perspective-taking tasks, some have hypothesized that domestic dogs may have theory of mind, or the ability to infer what other individuals know. Here we provide the first evidence that nondomesticated canids, grey wolves (Canis lupus), are also sensitive to human attentional state under some conditions. We also demonstrate that dogs do not display an undifferentiated sensitivity to all visual cues of attentional state. Rather, dogs are more sensitive to stimuli encountered in their home environment. Some dogs perform poorly on perspective-taking tasks. These findings have important implications for the interpretation of research designed to understand complex social cognition across species.

Eighteen STR loci and one sex determination locus present in the Finnzymes Canine 2.1 STR Multiplex Reagent Kit were screened in the UK dog population providing allele frequencies and population genetic parameters necessary for the application of STRs to forensic genetic casework. A total of 375 dogs were genotyped, including representative samples from each of twelve breeds used to evaluate Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and calculate inter-population pairwise FST values. Three loci were excluded from calculations of average random match probability due to deviations from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium or ambiguous genotyping. Random match probability based on fifteen STR loci and one sex locus was subsequently estimated to be 2.8 × 10−17 for unrelated individuals across breeds.