Wolves of Isle Royale, The [Paperback]

L. David Mech (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2002

Mech's landmark study of wolves and moose on Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior. The author lived among them during the three-years of his research. Isle Royale is an isolated wilderness ecosystem which is perfect for scientific study. Dr. L. David Mech is the best-known and most highly regarded wolf researcher in the world. He works with the Biological Services Division, U.S. Geological Survey, and is also the author of several other books on wolves. He has studied wolves and their prey full-time since 1958, except for a four-year period when he studied radio-tracking. During this record-long career as a wolf biologist, he has published numerous books and articles; this book was originally published by the National Park Service in 1966. "Mech is the foremost expert on wolves in this country, possibly in the world, hands down." - Smithsonian magazine

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: University Press of the Pacific (September 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410202496
• ISBN-13: 978-1410202499
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,806,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outdated but an interesting piece of scientific history, October 14, 2007

By 

Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wolves of Isle Royale, The (Paperback)

David Mech is the "alpha male" of wolf scientists, and Isle Royale is one of the most important locations for the study of wolves. This book is essentially his doctoral dissertation, based on field research under Durward Allen in 1959-1961.

Both Mech and wolf research have come a long way since then. As a result, this book provides an interesting snapshot of how little leading scientists knew in the 1960s. Note to skeptics: science really does advance.

That's not to say that there are any big mistakes here, just that Mech often comments that he didn't know something and that future research needs to figure it out.

Of more lasting value, his appendix includes 71 summaries of wolf-moose interactions (successful and unsuccessful hunts) drawn directly from his field notes. These could be incorporated into any future study you like.