SUMMER DIET OF GRAY WOLVES, CANIS-LUPUS, IN NORTHWESTERN ALASKA

In northwestern Alaska where Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) migrate out o f the area for the summer we determined the 1988-1990 summer diets of Gray Wolves by analyzing 1182 seats collected from nine packs. The num ber of prey items per seat ranged from 1.1 to 1.9 (- +/- = 1.4). Carib ou, Moose (Alces alces), microtines, and birds, primarily Ptarmigan (L agopus spp.), composed 47 22, 11, and 14% of prey items, respectively. Ungulates composed 90%, birds 7%, and microtines 0.5% of biomass cons umed. Ungulates composed 3%, birds 50%, and microtines 39% of numbers of individuals consumed. The number of individual Caribou consumed was greater than the number of Moose consumed for all summers. The percen t biomass consumed of Caribou was significantly greater (P < 0.05) tha n that of Moose only for the summer 1988.