Oct

24

2007
 
 

Fangs ain’t what they used to be



Restoration is only restoration when it’s not replacement

who am I again?Wolves Canis lupus lycaon were almost completely eradicated from the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, but a healthy population of 3000-plus individuals now prowls the region following protection under the US Endangered Species Act. Shame they’re not from the same genetic stock. This week, Jennifer Leonard, now at Uppsala University, Sweden and co-author Robert Wayne describe in Biology Letters how the current population is most likely a motley mix of plain ol’ grey wolf C. lupus and coyote C. latrans hybrids. There’s nothing wrong with hybrids — they’re an evolutionary shuffling of the pack — but we’ve got to be clear about whether the old world has been restored or we’ve just pressed the reset button. Source: Leonard JA & Wayne RK (2007) Native Great Lakes wolves were not restored. Biology Letters DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0354

Image © John Pitcher

Filed Under Endangered species, Habitat, Restoration, Monitoring | 

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