The Wolves of Mount McKinley [Paperback]

Adolph Murie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1985

In the time of Lewis and Clark, wolves were abundant throughout North America from the Arctic regions to Mexico. But man declared war on this cunning and powerful animal when cattle replaced the buffalo on the western plains, reducing the wolf's range to those few areas in the Far North where economic necessity did not call for its extinction. Between 1939 and 1941, Adolph Murie, one of North America's greatest naturalists, made a field study of the relationship between wolves and Dall sheep in Mount McKinley National Park (since renamed Denali National Park) which has come to be respected as a classic work of natural history.In this study Murie not only described the life cycle of Alaskan wolves in greater detail than has ever been done, but he discovered a great deal about the entire ecological network of predator and prey. The issues surrounding the survival of the wolf and its prey are more important today than ever, and Murie helps us understand the careful balance that must be maintained to ensure that these magnificent animals prosper. Originally available only in government publications which are long out-of-print, this account of a much maligned animal is now available in its first popular edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Murie's work is still one of the most frequently cited references on wolf biology today."-Choice

About the Author

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Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press (July 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295962038
• ISBN-13: 978-0295962030
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Than the Title Suggests, January 21, 2004

By 

WILLIAM H FULLER (SPEARFISH, SD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wolves of Mount McKinley (Paperback)

The title of Murie's book is far too restrictive to represent the full range of its contents. While the longest single chapter of the book is, indeed, devoted to the habits and ranges of wolves, including their interrelationships with other species inhabiting the huge national park surrounding Mt. McKinley (or Denali, as it is more popularly known in Alaska), other chapters deal with many other animals native to the region. Among those studied rather intensively are Dall sheep, caribou, moose and fox. Two rather brief chapters give sketches of grizzly bear and golden eagle as well. A more inclusive title for this study might have been "The Fauna of Mount McKinley."

First published in 1944, this book is a record of observations made by an astute naturalist bent upon discovering how the animals live, what they eat, where they range, when they give birth, and, most importantly, how they feed upon one another to maintain a healthy and natural population balance. Not a few myths about prey and predator are dispelled by Murie's objective observations, which include examining the contents of scats and stomachs.

Murie does not preach environmentalism, but a careful reading of this book should leave the reader with new insights into the natural world and may make him or her just a little more hesitant to intrude destructively into what is actually a highly complex interrelationship among many species inhabiting the few wild spaces left to them. Murie's approach to his study is highly objective and non-judgmental, however, and another reader could probably come away with insights different from mine. Still, I can scarcely conceive of any reader's coming away from this book with no new insight of some sort!

If one is particularly intrigued by the great grizzly bear, I recommend that he also read Murie's work entitled "The Grizzlies of Mount McKinley," for it goes into far more detail than does the single chapter on grizzlies in this book. Before investing the purchase price and the reading time in either book, do understand that these are not "story books" and that they are in no way sentimental or emotive approaches to their subjects. They are highly descriptive, scantily illustrated with old black and white photos from the early 1940's, and, at times, recite fairly dry statistical observations. Overall, however, they are well worth the investment by anyone who has an interest in the wild creatures that still inhabit the less-traveled areas of North America.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfied, July 10, 2010

By 

George (New Mexico, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wolves of Mount McKinley (Paperback)

This is just what I wanted, in the condition stated, and delivered in a timely manner. I would recommend this vendor.

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent field biologist's account of Mt. McKinley National Park's wildlife., March 15, 2010

By 

Richard J. Vielbig "One-who-enjoys-a-story-we... (Auburn, California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wolves of Mount McKinley (Paperback)

This book give an accurate, though sometimes "dry", account of wildlife which inhabits what we call today Denali National Park. The records may be dated, but they are factual and more-than-likely still true to fact. It presents a real picture of the interaction of the Park's wildlife species and how each copes with enviornmental and predatory conditions of everyday life.