An observation of incest avoidance in Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

Authors

  • L. David Mech U.S. Geological Survey
  • Rick McIntyre Yellowstone Center for Resources

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v137i3.2971

Keywords:

Canis lupus, Gray Wolf, inbreeding avoidance, incest, reproduction, Behaviour, Yellowstone National Park

Abstract

Free-ranging Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) tends to avoid inbreeding, but there is no information about how they manage this avoidance. Our observation of a female wolf in Yellowstone National Park actively rebuffing her father’s sexual advances but then copulating with a distantly related male is the first and only report of one means by which wolf pack members avoid inbreeding.

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Published

2024-05-31

Issue

Vol. 137 No. 3

Section

Notes

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