Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation

by L. David Mech (Editor), Luigi Boitani (Editor)

Wolves are some of the world's most charismatic and controversial animals, capturing the imaginations of their friends and foes alike. Highly intelligent and adaptable, they hunt and play together in close-knit packs, sometimes roaming over hundreds of square miles in search of food. Once teetering on the brink of extinction across much of the United States and Europe, wolves have made a tremendous comeback in recent years, thanks to legal protection, changing human attitudes, and efforts to reintroduce them to suitable habitats in North America.

As wolf populations have rebounded, scientific studies of them have also flourished. But there hasn't been a systematic, comprehensive overview of wolf biology since 1970. In Wolves , many of the world's leading wolf experts provide state-of-the-art coverage of just about everything you could want to know about these fascinating creatures. Individual chapters cover wolf social ecology, behavior, communication, feeding habits and hunting techniques, population dynamics, physiology and pathology, molecular genetics, evolution and taxonomy, interactions with nonhuman animals such as bears and coyotes, reintroduction, interactions with humans, and conservation and recovery efforts. The book discusses both gray and red wolves in detail and includes information about wolves around the world, from the United States and Canada to Italy, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Israel, India, and Mongolia. Wolves is also extensively illustrated with black and white photos, line drawings, maps, and fifty color plates.

Unrivalled in scope and comprehensiveness, Wolves will become the definitive resource on these extraordinary animals for scientists and amateurs alike.


“An excellent compilation of current knowledge, with contributions from all the main players in wolf research. . . . It is designed for a wide readership, and certainly the language and style will appeal to both scientists and lucophiles alike. . . . This is an excellent summary of current knowledge and will remain the standard reference work for a long time to come.”—Stephen Harris, New Scientist


“This is the place to find almost any fact you want about wolves.”—Stephen Mills, BBC Wildlife Magazine

Genres: Nonfiction, Wolves, Nature, Animals, Science, Natural History, Reference

472 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lucyan David "Dave" Mech is an internationally recognized wolf expert, a senior research scientist for the U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (since 1970), and an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. He has researched wolves since 1958 in places such as Minnesota, Canada, Italy, Alaska, Yellowstone National Park, and on Isle Royale.

Mech is the founder of the International Wolf Center and sits on its Board of Directors as Vice Chair. The project to create the facility, which he started in 1985, was a natural outgrowth of his wolf research as well as his ambition to educate people about the nature of wolves that they may come to respect the creature through understanding.

He has published ten books and numerous articles about wolves and other wildlife, the most famous of these being his books The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species and Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This behemoth of a textbook should be a bookshelf staple for anyone interested in conservation biology or wildlife management. It isn’t light reading, but it is definitely illuminating. The science was meticulous and, although I didn’t always agree with the authors (in fact, there were times when I found myself wondering if they even liked wolves), their suggestions for the future of wolf conservation were certainly food for thought.

[Matthew Dalzell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I started reading it many years ago, I doubt I will ever really finish it; though one may come to the end of the physical pages, there is no amount of time that can suffice to enable someone other than Mr. Mech or Mr. Boitani to internalize and appreciate the massive amount of information put forth in this work. There is no adjective potent enough to express how highly I recommend this book be read. If wolves could comprehend on a human level, I believe every single one of them would melt in tears upon seeing the exhaustive nature of this work.

[Ashleigh Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's only flaw is that it's so big it's hard to sit down with for any length of time. I love this for research and the articles are wonderful to read. Another "staying" book. It's wearing out some due to use but that's a sign of how useful it is.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was genuinely such an enjoyable textbook; I finished it in 4 days.

I read a lot of nonfiction and I've come to appreciate what makes good nonfiction writing. This textbook genuinely hit all of my marks. There was a lot of really detailed information (pretty sure it shakes out to a citation every sentence). In addition there was also a strong emphasis on storytelling. I thought this was one of the main strengths as so much of this work relies on eyewitness accounts from researchers in the field (and wolves are fascinating of course). I also thought the photos and graphs were really nicely interspersed.

Each chapter is written by different researchers so some chapters can be a bit more dry than others; however, I really appreciated seeing the different ways that they laid out information. I absolutely have a scientist-crush on some of the authors now.

What I appreciate most is how much this deepened my understanding of wolves. I know for me (and probably for a lot of people) my knee jerk has always been "Woah wolves are cool!" but never really knowing exactly why I felt that. This books really gave me an appreciation for them, especially as I learned more about their adaptability, hunting, biology, and unique associations with other animals.

I genuinely didn't know how much I didn't know until I picked this up. Here's a collection of some of my favorite things I learned.

- alpha-beta-gamma organization of packs isn't really the best way to describe packs. In fact packs are more analogous to a family unit with 1 breeding pair and offspring wolves that tag along until they are ready to leave on their own.

-wolves closely associate with ravens. In fact ravens typically will scavenge wolf kills but also have been observed engaging in "play" with wolves that involves pecking at their tail and flying away quickly.

- wolves are incredibly adaptable and have been observed to survive in habitats quite close to humans. In addition wolves don't necessarily need heavily forested areas

- They have excellent control over their ability to vomit and can regurgitate select amounts of food to either feed to pups or bury for later use.

-I really enjoyed hearing about the re-introduction effort in North Carolina

I know that some of the protections for wolves in America have been relaxing recently I'd be very curious for an update or addendum if the author has any!

[Layla Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a task to get through at times, not necessarily in a bad way, it's simply just packed full of information. Not a book for the light-reader, as it goes far in-depth and isn't suitable for sitting down and reading through casually.

I would recommend this book for people who are greatly interested in North American wolves, as a casual interest might not help you get through this monster.

Beautifully done though, although sometimes it felt like a trud trying to finish, I enjoyed the book as a whole and found it very informative, and will often go back to it for snippets of information

[Degenerate Chemist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of scientific research. It is very dense and hard to get through at points. However, I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do perfectly- and that is educate people about these animals. This book feels like a love letter to the species and a plea to the public for a more thorough understanding.

[Nick Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read a textbook cover to cover but I got through this one in a couple months. A phenomenal compilation of knowledge up until the mid-2000s on wolf research. Vast in scope and packed with decades of scholarship, 'Wolves' is the go-to book for any canid enthusiast. I wonder if there will be an updated edition soon.

[5 pound poi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally comprehensive scientific compendium of all things wolf.

I am not a scientist, but i needed this much detailed information because it will be of great use since I suffer from late onset hereditary lycanthropy.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skipped over some chapters and skimmed through others as it was for my Animal Behavior class, so bits about physiology, taxonomy, conservation, etc were not relevant.
Everything I did read was spectacular. What a privilege to access such a thorough look into such an incredible animal.

[Helen West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly informative and very good editing. I know this book has been around for a while, but these magnificent creatures always make a fascinating read.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love wolves so much

[Timothy Stringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for anyone with a serious interest in wolf pack behavior. Loaded with references this is not a casual read. It is a very informative read.

[Beckie Gaskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mech is obviously the top authority on wolves in the country, if not the world. For those looking for an in-depth, real-world discussion about wolves, there is likely not a better volume out there.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent compendium of wolf information. (These are scientific papers, though, so it isn't casual reading.)

[Charlotte]

Basically the Bible of wolf science and, holy crap, it's huge! I haven't read the entire thing from back to front because I think I might actually die, but it's great for referencing.