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Funder: MTA-ELTE 'Lendület' Neuroethology of Communication Research Group (Grant No. 95025), Funder: Austrian Science Fund (FWF): P33928-B, Funder: Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant code: PP00P3_163850) NCCR Evolving Language, Swiss National Science Foundation Agreement #51NF40_180888, Funder: Hungarian Academy of Sciences via the János Bolyai Research Scholarship (BO/751/20) ÚNKP-20-5; ÚNKP-21-5 and ÚNKP-22-5 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund (ÚNKP-20-5-ELTE-337; 21-5-ELTE-1061; 22-5-ELTE-475), Domestication dramatically changes behaviour, including communication, as seen in the case of dogs (Canis familiaris) and wolves (Canis lupus). We tested the hypothesis that domestication may affect an ancient, shared communication form of canids, the howling which seems to have higher individual variation in dogs: the perception and usage of howls may be affected by the genetic relatedness of the breeds to their last common ancestor with wolves (‘root distance’) and by other individual features like age, sex, and reproductive status. We exposed 68 purebred dogs to wolf howl playbacks and recorded their responses. We identified an interaction between root distance and age on the dogs’ vocal and behavioural responses: older dogs from more ancient breeds responded longer with howls and showed more stress behaviours. Our results suggest that domestication impacts vocal behaviour significantly: disintegrating howling, a central, species-specific communication form of canids and gradually eradicating it from dogs’ repertoire.

Zerdava dogs are considered as one of the many native animal genetic resources of Turkey. However, the genetic characteristics of these dogs and detailed phenotypic studies related to them have not been reported yet. The aim of this study was to determine the morphological and genetic characteristics of Zerdava dogs. Blood samples (n = 100) were collected from Zerdava dogs. The morphological characteristics of these dogs were also taken. The mean live weights of Zerdava dogs were found to be 16.02±0.35 kg. The mean withers height, rump height and body length were measured as 48.20±0.21, 47.08±0.24 and 51.24±0.23 cm, respectively. According to the results of microsatellite markers, the mean FIS (inbreeding coefficient) value was documented as 0.0361±0.0003. Observed (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) values were found to be 0.708±0.091 and 0.694±0.077, respectively. In addition, the frequency of A018 (72%) and B001 (16%) haplotypes were high in Zerdava dogs. The mitochondrial DNA sequence results show that the majority of Zerdava dogs originate from two different maternal lines. According to the results, the phenotypic and genotypic variations of Zerdava dogs were low. Therefore, these results may suggest that Zerdava dogs may have been protected by local breeders and can be considered a separate breed. Zerdava köpekleri Türkiye’de birçok yerli hayvan gen kaynaklarından biridir. Ancak, bu köpeklerin genetik ve ayrıntılı fenotipik özellikleri hakkında çalışmaya rastlanılmamaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı, Zerdava köpeklerinin morfolojik ve genetik özelliklerini belirlemektir. Zerdava köpeklerinden kan örnekleri (n = 100) alınmıştır. Köpeklere ait morfolojik özellikler de incelenmiştir. Zerdava köpeklerinin ortalama canlı ağırlığı 16.02±0.35 kg olarak bulunmuştur. Ortalama cidago, sağrı yüksekliği ve vücut uzunluğu sırasıyla 48.20±0.21, 47.08±0.24 ve 51.24±0.23 cm’dir. Mikrosatellit işaretleyicilerinin sonuçlarına göre, ortalama FIS (nispi katsayı) değeri 0.0361±0.0003. Gözlenen (Ho) ve beklenen heterozigot (He) değerleri sırasıyla 0.708±0.091 ve 0.694±0.077 olarak tespit edilmiştir. Buna ilave, Zerdava köpeklerinde A018 (%72) ve B001 (%16) haplotiplerinin görülme sıklığı yüksek bulunmuştur. Mitokondriyal DNA sekans sonuçları çoğu Zerdava köpeğinin iki farklı anne soyundan köken aldığını göstermektedir. Mevcut sonuçlara göre, Zerdava köpeklerinin fenotipik ve genotipik varyasyonları düşük olduğu belirlenmiş olup bu köpeklerin yerel yetiştiriciler tarafından korunmuş olabileceği düşünülmektedir.

The ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is perhaps surprising how difficult it is to demonstrate spatial memory empirically. We present a cognitive analysis of movements of several wolves (Canis lupus) in Finland during a summer period of intensive hunting and den-centered pup-rearing. We tracked several wolves in the field by visiting nearly all GPS locations outside the den, allowing us to identify the species, location and timing of nearly all prey killed. We then developed a model that assigns a spatially explicit value based on memory of predation success and territorial marking. The framework allows for estimation of multiple cognitive parameters, including temporal and spatial scales of memory. For most wolves, fitted memory-based models outperformed null models by 20 to 50% at predicting locations where wolves chose to forage. However, there was a high amount of individual variability among wolves in strength and even direction of responses to experiences. Some wolves tended to return to locations with recent predation success—following a strategy of foraging site fidelity—while others appeared to prefer a site switching strategy. These differences are possibly explained by variability in pack sizes, numbers of pups, and features of the territories. Our analysis points toward concrete strategies for incorporating spatial memory in the study of animal movements while providing nuanced insights into the behavioral strategies of individual predators.

Background: Understanding the processes that lead to hybridization of wolves and dogs is of scientific and management importance, particularly over large geographical scales, as wolves can disperse great distances. However, a method to efficiently detect hybrids in routine wolf monitoring is lacking. Microsatellites offer only limited resolution due to the low number of markers showing distinctive allele frequencies between wolves and dogs. Moreover, calibration across laboratories is time-consuming and costly. In this study, we selected a panel of 96 ancestry informative markers for wolves and dogs, derived from the Illumina CanineHD Whole-Genome BeadChip (174 K). We designed very short amplicons for genotyping on a microfluidic array, thus making the method suitable also for non-invasively collected samples. Results: Genotypes based on 93 SNPs from wolves sampled throughout Europe, purebred and non-pedigree dogs, and suspected hybrids showed that the new panel accurately identifies parental individuals, first-generation hybrids and first-generation backcrosses to wolves, while second- and third-generation backcrosses to wolves were identified as advanced hybrids in almost all cases. Our results support the hybrid identity of suspect individuals and the non-hybrid status of individuals regarded as wolves. We also show the adequacy of these markers to assess hybridization at a European-wide scale and the importance of including samples from reference populations. Conclusions: We showed that the proposed SNP panel is an efficient tool for detecting hybrids up to the thirdgeneration backcrosses to wolves across Europe. Notably, the proposed genotyping method is suitable for a variety of samples, including non-invasive and museum samples, making this panel useful for wolf-dog hybrid assessments and wolf monitoring at both continental and different temporal scales. JH received funding from the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Emil Aaltonen Foundation. Laboratory analyses were cofounded by the (LOEWE) program (Landes-Offensive zur Entwicklung Wissenschaftlich-ökonomischer Exzellenz) of the German Federal State of Hessen. AvT received funding from the Karl und Marie Schack-Stiftung. RG was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, DL57/2016). The funding bodies played no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.

In Europe, decision-making power related to biodiversity conservation has been partly, and voluntarily, relinquished by countries to superior levels. In this hierarchical top-down scenario, the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive grant protection to a considerable number of taxa, and determine underlying conservation actions at (sub)national levels. The protection mandates emanating from these legal instruments are expected to be transferred effectively to lower levels, adapting general obligations to species-specific contexts. We assessed the implementation of general obligations from international agreements through local regulations, using as illustrative example the European requirement of protecting the breeding sites of protected species, and the conservation of grey wolves (Canis lupus) in Europe. After reviewing 43 wolf management and conservation plans across Europe, only 14% of wolf plans contained management guidelines issued to avoid wolf breeding site destruction or disturbance (this figure was 52% in the case of North America, n = 25 wolf plans). In Europe, we found only seven actions or guidelines designed to ensure breeding site protection/availability for wolves (from six countries). None of the plans contained a comprehensive set of measures to preserve breeding sites or guarantee their availability. Our results suggest that transposition of general obligations from international agreements into local legislation systems may be a critical point of weakness in the biodiversity conservation policy process. We recommend additional scrutiny to ensure that ambitious conservation goals are not diluted, but enforced, along its way from high-tier laws to local regulations, in accordance with the letter and spirit of international agreements.

We investigated the genetic, composition of six Canis remains from western Iberia, directly radiocarbon dated to 7,903-7,570 years (cal BP). They were identified as dogs via their qrchaeological and depositional context, osteometry, and a high percentage of aquatic diet shared with humans. For comparison, genetic data were obtained from an additional 37 Iberian dog remains from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity, as well as two Palaeolithic anda a Chalcolithic Canis identified as wolves. Previous data indicated that dog mtDNA haplogroup A (HgA) is prevalent in extant European dogs (>50%), in the Near East and Asia, but rare or absent (

A new species of tapeworm, Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea), is described from the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the main definitive host, and the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus and Capreolus pygargus), the main intermediate hosts, from Finland and Russia (Siberia and the Russian Far East). The new species was found once also in the wolf (Canis lupus) and the Eurasian elk/moose (Alces alces), representing accidental definitive and intermediate hosts, respectively. The conspecificity of adult specimens and metacestodes of Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. in various host species and regions, and their distinction from related species of Taenia, was confirmed by partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene. Morphologically, Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. can be separated unambiguously from all other species of Taenia by the shape of its large rostellar hooks, particularly the characteristically short, wide and strongly curved blade. If the large rostellar hooks are missing, Taenia lynciscapreoli may be separated from related species by a combination of morphological features of mature proglottids. It is suggested that Taenia lynciscapreoli has been present in published materials concerning the tapeworms of Lynx lynx and Lynx pardinus in Europe, but has been misidentified as Taenia pisiformis (Bloch, 1780). Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. has not been found in lynx outside the range of roe deer, suggesting a transmission pathway based on a specific predator–prey relationship. The present study applies a novel, simple approach to compare qualitative interspecific differences in the shape of rostellar hooks.

Background Carnivores are re-establishing in many human-populated areas, where their presence is often contentious. Reaching consensus on management decisions is often hampered by a dispute over the size of the local carnivore population. Understanding the reproductive dynamics and individual movements of the carnivores can provide support for management decisions, but individual-level information can be difficult to obtain from elusive, wide-ranging species. Non-invasive genetic sampling can yield such information, but makes subsequent reconstruction of population history challenging due to incomplete population coverage and error-prone data. Here, we combine a collaborative, volunteer-based sampling scheme with Bayesian pedigree reconstruction to describe the pack dynamics of an establishing grey wolf (Canis lupus) population in south-west Finland, where wolf breeding was recorded in 2006 for the first time in over a century. Results Using DNA extracted mainly from faeces collected since 2008, we identified 81 individual wolves and assigned credible full parentages to 70 of these and partial parentages to a further 9, revealing 7 breeding pairs. Individuals used a range of strategies to obtain breeding opportunities, including dispersal to established or new packs, long-distance migration and inheriting breeding roles. Gene flow occurred between all packs but inbreeding events were rare. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that characterizing ongoing pack dynamics can provide detailed, locally-relevant insight into the ecology of contentious species such as the wolf. Involving various stakeholders in data collection makes these results more likely to be accepted as unbiased and hence reliable grounds for management decisions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12898-017-0154-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a parasitic roundworm that causes a zoonotic disease known as dirofilariosis. Little is known about the role of wild carnivores serving as reservoirs in nature. Therefore, we examined 738 hearts and lungs of free ranging wild carnivores from Serbia to determine the presence of adult heartworms. During the period 2009–2013, the prevalence in golden jackals (Canis aureus) was 7.32 %, in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) 1.55 %, in wolves (Canis lupus) 1.43 %, and in wild cats (Felis silvestris) 7.69 %. No adult heartworm specimens were found in beech martens (Martes foina), stone martens (Martes martes), European polecats (Mustela putorius), badgers (Meles meles) or otter (Lutra lutra). The highest recorded prevalence was in 2013 (7.30 %) and the lowest in 2012 (1.6 %). In jackals, the prevalence was higher in males (10 %) than in females (4.06 %), while in foxes the prevalence was 1.75 % in males and 1.26 % in females. The most infected host was a wolf in which 37 adult specimens were found. Because of the potentially significant role in the life cycle of D. immitis, populations of wild carnivores in Europe should be further examined and tested for heartworm infections.

Locations of wolf ( Canus lupus ) dens in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota from 1969 through 1988 were analyzed in relation to winter territories. Dens situated within the central 60% of the territories were randomly located relative to territory centers. However, only 10.5% (2) of the dens were located within a 1-km-wide strip inside the territory boundaries, indicating possible avoidance of neighboring packs. A negative relationship ( r 2 = 0.27; P 1 year, and possibly the availability of a stable food source helped determine den location.