Extinguishing a Learned Response in a Free-ranging Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

Authors

  • L. David Mech

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v131i1.1951

Keywords:

Behaviour, Canis lupus, Ellesmere Island, extinguishing learned behaviour, Arctic, Gray Wolf, learned-response, learning

Abstract

A free-ranging Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), habituated to human presence (the author) on Ellesmere Island, Canada, learned to anticipate experimental feeding by a human, became impatient, persistent, and bold and exhibited stalking behaviour toward the food source. Only after the author offered the wolf about 90 clumps of dry soil over a period of 45 minutes in three bouts, did the wolf give up this behaviour. To my knowledge, this is the first example of extinguishing a learned response in a free-ranging wolf and provides new insight into the learning behaviour of such animals.

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Published

2017-07-14

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