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Species-of-the-Minute

Species-of-the-Minute. Gray wolf ( Canis lupus ). Wolf or Coyote?. 50 to 100+ lbs 5-6 ft. long 3 ft at shoulder . 20 to 45+ lbs 2.5-4 ft. long 1.5 ft at shoulder . Coyotes. Wolves in Michigan. Historically, wolves found throughout state 1838 Michigan bounty passed 1849 MN bounty

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Species-of-the-Minute

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  1. Species-of-the-Minute • Gray wolf (Canis lupus)

  2. Wolf or Coyote? • 50 to 100+ lbs • 5-6 ft. long • 3 ft at shoulder • 20 to 45+ lbs • 2.5-4 ft. long • 1.5 ft at shoulder

  3. Coyotes

  4. Wolves in Michigan • Historically, wolves found throughout state • 1838 Michigan bounty passed • 1849 MN bounty • 1865 WI bounty • 1910 wolves gone from LP • 1960 bounty repealed • 1965 wolves protected in MI

  5. Wolves in Michigan • By 1970’s few lone wolves probably left in UP • 1974 wolf listed as federally endangered species • 1989 tracks of a pair of wolves found • 1991 1st documented pups in 35 years

  6. WI = 450+ MI = 400+

  7. Wolf Reclassification • April 1, 2003 federally threatened • MI and WI follow with state reclassification. • Remains unlawful to pursue, harass, or otherwise harm gray wolves in Michigan, the exception being in self-defense or defense of another person.

  8. Wolf Reclassification • March 2007 – Wolves delisted in Great Lakes Region • How should wolves be managed?

  9. Species-of-the-Minute • American woodcock (Scolopax minor)

  10. Habitat • Woods & thickets with moist soil, small openings near woody cover • aspen, alder, willow cover types (early successional = seedling/sapling stage; <3 in dbh)

  11. Food • Diet = 50-90% earthworms • Diurnal foraging in spring/summer • Nocturnal foraging in winter • Long bill used as probe (foot stomping)

  12. Reproduction • Courtship behavior = males on breeding fields Mar-Apr -- polygynous • Clutch size = ~4 eggs • I.P. = 21 days; near full grown in 28 days • Behavior • Migratory – winters in SE U.S. • Nonvocal calls = wing position

  13. Species-of-the-Minute • Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

  14. Brink of Extinction By early 1900’s, culminative effects of: 1) wetland drainage (ag. expansion) 2) deforestation 3) overhunting

  15. Habitat • Wooded swamps & river bottomlands • Natural tree cavities for nesting (cypress, sycamore, silver maple, black ash) • Home range changes with flooding events

  16. Food • * In water <18”, feed on: • - seeds of trees (e.g., acorns) • - also field grains • * Young = aquatic insects

  17. Reproduction • Pairing in late Oct into spring (Mar-July nest) • Clutch size = 6-10 eggs • Behavior • Dump nests (up to 30+ eggs in 1 nest) = “egg dumping” behavior = intraspecific brood parasitism • may decrease hatch rates to 10%

  18. Species-of-the-Minute • mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)

  19. Habitat • Woodlots & open fields • Adaptable – e.g., residential, ag., urban • Food • Weed seeds (foxtail, ragweed), waste grains, water source • Reproduction • April-Sept • Clutch size = 2 eggs • 2 to 5 clutches / year

  20. Annual Mortality Rate • ~60% • Population Status (fall) • N.A. pop >400 million • MI pop = 4-5 million • Federal Hunting Regs • Season after 1 Sept • States (39) choose: • 70-day season (12) • 90-day season (15)

  21. Species-of-the-Minute • Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata)

  22. Habitat • Wide range of habitats, except deserts & dense forest • Dens = logs (CWD = coarse woody debris), rock piles, old buildings • Small mammal habitats

  23. Food • Diet = 75% small mammal

  24. Food • Diet = 75% small mammal • Niche partitioning = sexes differ in diet & subtle differences in habitat use

  25. Reproduction • Late spring-summer = breeding season • Delayed implantation (cell division starts in March) • Gestation Period = 280 days! (litter size = 6) • Behavior • nomadic behavior of males during breeding season • Solitary or gregarious?

  26. Female Male

  27. METHODSRadio-Telemetry Study Trapping: • 200 km2 study area, includes 1-km buffer • Edgar live trap baited with domestic mice • Traps spaced at 200-400 m intervals in corridor, grassland, and forest habitats

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