Wolf hybridization in the wild

Discuss other canids (coyotes, foxes, dholes, etc.).

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-Wolfdog-
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Wolf hybridization in the wild

Post by -Wolfdog- » Sun Jul 24, 2022 12:29 pm

Hi, currently I'm in the process of researching wolf hybrids in the wild (namely, wolf x dog crosses) and I would love to find some verified images of naturally occurring wolfdogs and observe their phenotype. Additionally, I'm looking for some scholarly articles on the frequency of wolfdog hybridization and how it may impact the pure wolf population.

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but I have no idea whether or not to consider wolf hybrids as "other wild canids" "wolves" or "domestic animals". I would prefer if my topic isn't lumped together with preexisting threads if that's possible, I believe my question would be more noticeable as a stand-alone topic.
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DaniBeez
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Re: Wolf hybridization in the wild

Post by DaniBeez » Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:27 am

Hi Wolfdog,

In the past I'd be happy to assist with sourcing and reviewing some academic literature for you on wild occurrences of hybridization and impact(s) on wild populations, but my schedule is a bit fuller than it was in the past. If you want to try your own hand at finding papers, I would recommend Google Scholar.

When you search there, try using keywords in quotations like: "wolf hybridization" "frequency" "wild". Play with the combinations and words. You can utilize the Abstract section of these documents to first see if the paper is relevant to your question before reading the other sections. This will keep your searching efficient.

You may also find it helpful when searching to break things down into two separate questions:
1) what is the estimated frequency of dog-wolf hybridizations in the wild?
2) what is the impact, if any, on wild wolf populations?

#1 you might be able to find a global statistic, but more likely it will be localized to specific areas. I also would recommend clarifying #2 a bit more before searching. What type of 'impact' are you most interested in? There could be many!

If you find some papers that you can't get access to, link to them here. I have access permissions for some journals that I might be able to rely on.

Good luck!
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