The Behavior of Wolves

Abstract This research paper is on the behavioral characteristics of wolves and specifically the scent marking behavior. Almost all animals in nature have their own natural behavior which is unique to them. As for the case of wolves, the scent-marking territorial behavior comes about when a wolf urinates or defecates to mark their territory.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Behavior of Wolves specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is done such that the outsider wolves are barred from getting into other packs that they do not belong. The scent marking behavior is also a way through which wolves detect preys as well as enemies that want to attack them. However, the territorial issues are responsible for most of the deaths of wolves because of fights between packs or enemies. All in all, the scent-marking behavior is classified as an important aspect in wolves’ behavior as it is used as a form of commu nication. Introduction Wolves otherwise referred to as the grey wolves form the largest members of the Canidae family. They are descendants of a general ancestor common to all carnivores like dogs, bears and cats known as Creodont about a million years ago. Of all the canines, grey wolves are the largest and can weigh more than 100 pounds. â€Å"The further north the wolves are found the larger they will be, with males being 20% larger than females. A wolf can grow up to 5.5 feet long and 2.5 feet tall and on the average its tail grows from 15 to 19 inches† (Mech and Boitani 185). The wolf has gray fuzz with elongated tawny-colored legs and borders and a tapered chest. Wolves are extremely social predators existing in groups called packs. â€Å"Packs differ in sizes but on the average it has seven or less wolves depending on their population, availability of food and social factors affecting the pack. Hunting, travelling and resting is done together as a pack† (Mech an d Boitani 190). There is a highly structured hierarchy within each park. â€Å"It comprises of an alpha male and a female, a sole breeding pair, a lesser group of non-breeding adults with each having its individual position, a group of outcasts and immature wolves moving to the top† (Mech and Boitani 185). Younger wolves might move at times to find a territory and a new mate. This paper is therefore an in-depth analysis of the naturalistic observation of wolves and more specifically their territorial nature using scent. Several experiments have been conducted to find out how wolves scent-mark their territories and if at all this scent-marking behavior is of any significance to them. These experiments conducted will act as case studies in this report so as to exactly find out how the scent-marking occurs and its importance if any.Advertising Looking for term paper on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The behaviora l characteristics of wolves Just like most animals, facial expressions and body language is used by wolves as a wy of communicating with each other. communication with another. As a show of superiority the dominant ones will look at the others in the eye as a show of superiority. As a show of submission the inferior or the minority wolves encircle the dominant wolf with their noses raised up against to it. In the packs, the use of nose, ears and mouth are very significant in conveying feelings. When they want to alert of danger, wolves normally erect their ears and open their mouth wide. Wolves are mainly carnivores and thus feed on meat only, with their common preys being even large animals such as the deer. To hunt with ease, wolves strategize on preying the weak and sick animals. They easily target the sick, the elderly, the youthful and the less precarious species for the wolves. They also have unique ways of defending their prey like eating very quickly to ensure that no other animal can steal the food from them. â€Å"When they have a kill, they feast on the best parts first and return later for the remains. During scarce times wolves can survive on little scraps for weeks but in abundance they can feed on an average of 5-6 hours†(Mech and Boitani 89). On the other hand, â€Å"when left alone, they tend to eat worms, insects and berries. In summer, they feed on fish, birds and mice since all the targets have moved† (Haines 1). This is such that the indigestible parts of the prey such as bones are hid in the hairs so as to protect the wolf from injury. The allegations that wolves feed on humans have not yet been established empirically. The scent-marking territorial behavior of wolves The most notable thing about the wolves is their territorial nature which they do not share with animals that do not belong to the pack. Wolves converse and mark their territories using scent (Peters and Mech 1). Wolves display a very unique behavior of being t erritorial using scent to mark these territories. â€Å"The dominant wolves and especially the alpha male are usually responsible for urinating close to the edges of the territory, on logs, rocks and stumps that are surrounded by the territory† (Peters and Mech 1). Wolves can have an estimated home range of about 1,000 miles depending on the breed and where they inhabit. One wolf pack can take over an average of 77 square miles no wonder a number of them overlap with others. Their vast movements, coupled with their low population make it difficult for researchers to track them down for study purposes. A pack can cover 10% of the territory each day and they don’t remain idle for long.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Behavior of Wolves specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Wolves have a territory that is regarded as the core, usually at the heart of the radius of their array or extremely close to it and half of a particular wolf pack’s time will be used up there. They feel very secure in that area and as a result they always ensure that hideouts where the mothers deliver are very near to the core. Wolves issue alert signs by means of barking and howling. They also shun being close on one another in the same locality except when they are struggling for food which is insufficient. The fight is meant to increase their influence on that territory in addition to taking control over the food that is in the same locality. In a study conducted by Zubiri and Macdonald on scent-marking and territorial behavior of Ethiopian wolves, it found out the wolves deposit scent marks after urinating while raising one leg then scratching the ground (Zubiri and Macdonald 356). The scent-marks were noted to be common along territories and boundaries such that an outsider wolf is able to know occupied and unoccupied areas. At the same time, the scent marking behavior gives them the ability to sense food as well as their enemies thus taking early precautions. Previous research has shown that wolves are able to detect their prey even at a distance of about 3 kilometers. Another study conducted by Paquet indicated that the male adults of the wolves were the main scent-markers although the dormant members of the packs also played part (Paquet 1). The most amazing thing concerning the scent-marking territorial behavior of wolves is that, it is responsible for over 90 per cent of the deaths among wolves. This happens as a result of fights that crop up due to territorial issues (Paquet 1). The occurrence of the fights is two-fold with the first cause being fights between different territories of the wolves such that the stronger or larger pack wins. The second type is as result of attack by foreigner, for instance, a lion is able to get access to many of the wolves when they are in a pack rather than when they are a lone. As a result, some of the wolves have decided to be lo ners despite of their territorial behavior for fear of attacks. Implications of the Research The studies conducted on the scent-marking behavior shows that this is one way through which wolves communicate with each other (Haines 1). This is because, the wolves are able to know where to find its pack and also be deterred from entering a different pack. This becomes of essence when they have detected an enemy or they want to share a hunted prey. As a matter of fact, it used as a survival tool.Advertising Looking for term paper on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Limitations of the Research In most of the studies conducted, the actual chemical found in the urine or faeces to bring about the unique scent has not been identified thus making it difficult to justify. It is also not explained as to whether the other animals other than wolves are also in a position to detect the wolves’ scents. Conclusion The behavioral characteristic of scent-marking in wolves is one important asset that the wolves have been endowed with. This is because in addition to marking their territory and acquiring preys, they are able to notice when an enemy is near thus taking early precautions. It can thus be described as a way of communication in the wolf family. It is recommended that more research is conducted on the scent-marking behavior of wolves to find out what exactly is the reason behind this unique characteristic. Works Cited Haines, John. The Wolf Pack. 2011. Web. Mech, David and Boitani, Luigi (2003). Wolves: Behavior, Ecology and Conservation. Univ ersity of Chicago Press. Paquet Paul. Scent-marking behavior of sympatric wolves (Canis lupus) and coyotes  (C. latrans) in Riding Mountain National Park. 1991. Web. Peters Roger and Mech David. Scent-Marking in Wolves. 1975. Web. Zubiri Claudia and Macdonald David. Scent- marking and territorial behavior of Ethiopian wolves Canis Simensis. 2006. Web. This term paper on The Behavior of Wolves was written and submitted by user Felix I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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Richard Neustadt's Studies Presidental Power Essay

Richard Neustadt's Studies Presidental Power - Essay Example Neustadt starts his book with a sober appraisal of the American Presidency. He states that the American people tend to rate a President "from the moment he takes office . . . we are quite right to do so . . . his office has become the focal point of politics and policy in our political system" (Neustadt, p.1). He also argues that "we often make our judgments upon images of office that are far removed from the reality" (Neustadt, p.1). It is this discrepancy between image and reality which is one of the most important elements of Neustadt's book. Neustadt also argues that while it is perhaps natural to concentrate on the President as a single individual, a more accurate portrayal would consider the "presidency" as an institution that includes "two thousand men and women" (Neustadt, p.1). The overall argument that Neustadt makes is that Presidents who lead by persuasion rather than relying upon Constitutional power are more successful. While there are complex reasons for this, the over arching reason is that the President is innately weak under the US Constitution according to Neustadt. How can President Clinton be viewed through the prism of Neustadt's theory of the Presidency Bob Woodward's The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House takes a very close and unsparing look at the first one hundred days of the Clinton presidency. While a convenient figure, the first 100 days also has historical importance because it was within the first 100 days that President Roosevelt introduced the major elements of the New Deal and swept into existence a whole range of government programmes. This achievement is perhaps an impossible target for any President, but it is the one that inevitably seems to be made. In The Agenda Woodward paints a portrait of a President who was essentially nave, but who nevertheless had good intentions. The idea that Clinton should use persuasion rather than constitutional powers to actualize his agenda is seen perhaps within the surprising fact that Clinton appears to have been greatly influenced by the Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan. Although much older, a staunch conservative and possessed of a distinct lack of charisma (and thus the opposite of the new President), Greenspan and Clinton actually got on very well and the Fed Chairman soon persuaded the Democratic President of the need to take bold action in order to reduce the national deficit. It was the economic success that would ultimately be Clinton's most powerful achievement and one that was based upon constitutionally derived powers rather than charisma. Clinton had attempted to use charisma, persuasion and a Democratic Congress in order to push through a comprehensive healthcare plan that would have introduced universal coverage to American for the first time. Based upon a moral certainty that this was the only ethical course for America, Clinton ignored the practical problems of getting the legislation through Congress when very powerful interests (the healthcare industry) were laid out against it. The picture that Woodward paints is of a President who is often torn between what he wants to do ideologically and what he can do pragmatically. For example, the following occurred during one early Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet was discussing fiscal policy and the two sides of Clinton, the Liberal idealist and the Conservative

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Critical Thinking and Ethics - Essay Example This is because what can be seen as ethical in a particular situation may be viewed as unethical in a different context. Location or culture of communities also illustrates significant roles in understanding the ethical considerations relevant to that situation. This process is greatly improved through critical thinking applications. To give an instance in business ethics, a practice or product acceptable in one culture can be totally unacceptable in a different culture. Also, some cultures ethically embrace women in the workplace, but other cultures discriminate at women at the workplace. Critical thinking application, enable individuals understand situation so as to develop appropriate ethical considerations in a particular context (Moore, 2012). Critical thinking is connected to ethics through diverse thinking of individuals in relation to approaching ethical issues or practices. Individual eliminate the most probable approaches; this is until (s) he reaches or settles on the most appropriate approach for the given situation (Moore, 2012). Critical thinking is also linked to ethics through considerations of approaches individuals utilize in differentiating personal ethical concepts with organizational ethical concepts. Individuals have unique ethical considerations; they must separate these from organization’s concepts. Ethical decision making is important regardless of adherence to rule of logic. This is because ethical issues differ from one context or environment to another (Solomon, 2004). Decisions should be made in accordance to the acceptable practices of the applicable or relevant organization and

Calcium Chloride Essay Example for Free

Calcium Chloride Essay The temperature should be kept at the same throughout the experiment to create a set of fair and even results.   The volume of Hydrogen peroxide must be kept the same otherwise the alginate balls would travel different distances.   The shape of the measuring cylinder must be kept the same otherwise the alginate balls would travel different distances. The size of the yeast beads must be kept the same. The height I drop the beads at must remain the same otherwise the distance that the bead has to travel will be faster for different beads. Independent Variable: During the experiment, I changed the concentration of both hydrogen peroxide and water. Concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide (%) Concentration of Water (%) Dependant Variable: I measured the time it took for the bead, after being dropped into the hydrogen peroxide and water solution, to sink to the bottom of the test tube and rise again to the top. The bead rises due to the production of Oxygen (O2) bubbles surrounding the bead. Apparatus: Diagrams: Making the beads Timing the rising of the beads List:   Alginate   Water. First of all I placed 3ml of alginate preparation into a small beaker.   I then added 3ml of well stirred yeast suspension. This means that the yeast-alginate solution was 1:2.   After that I mixed the contents of the beaker very thoroughly using a glass rod.   In a further beaker, I placed enough calcium chloride solution to give a depth of 3 ml. Using the glass rod, by holding it level with the rim of the beaker, I was able to drop some of the yeast-alginate mixture into the calcium chloride solution.   Following that I produced a bead of 5ml which lied at the bottom of the beaker.   I stirred the yeast-alginate mixture continuously with the glass rod, then I repeated this procedure to produce about 32 beads.   I examined the beads that I made.   I then removed and discarded any which were obviously different in size, distorted in shape, or which floated. The beads were picked up with a pair of tweezers. Method of the timing of the beads: First of all I set up the apparatus shown in the second diagram.   I then drop each bead in to the hydrogen peroxide and water solution (10ml).   As soon as the bead is dropped from the tweezers I start the stop watch and stop it again when the bead reaches the surface.   I will repeat each experiment 4 times and at 10 different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and water.   Each time, I will change the concentration of the solution by 10%. Prediction I predict that if I halve the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide the time taken for the alginate balls to rise will double. I think this because of the particle collision theory, which states that if there are twice as many particles there is twice the probability that the particles will collide. Therefore if there are half as many there is half the probability that the particles will collide. Results Table Concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide (%) Concentration of Water (%) Time (s) Conclusion/Analysis I think that my results turned out like I predicted in my prediction, but at the end of the results the alginate balls take longer than I predicted. By looking at the graph I have drawn you can see that if you take a point on the X axis (e. g. 40) then follow it along to the Y axis and read the result and then do the same twice as far up the X axis (e.g. 80) the number you get on the Y axis should be double the previous number. I have highlighted this on the graph to show that the results are correct to my prediction. The results turned out this way because of the particle collision theory that states that if there are twice as many particles there is twice the probability that the particles will collide. Therefore if there are half as many there is half the probability that the particles will collide. I could make this experiment better by making more accurate measurements. For example if I measured every alginate ball and weighed them to make sure all the balls are the same the results are likely to be more accurate. Also if I repeated the results many more times I would get a more accurate set of results. Another important factor to consider is that Human accuracy in measuring the time is not terribly accurate. You could make your results more accurate by using light gates to sense the alginate balls passing certain points (Top and bottom). By looking at my graph I think you can see that my results are good enough to support my conclusion.

Trapped :: essays research papers

Crash, Swish, Roar. The lonely empty silence is overpowered by a wall of foam rushing towards me. Wheels of sand are churning beneath my feet. My golden locks are flattened and hunched over my head to form a thick curtain over my eyes. Light ripples are printed against my olive stomach as the sun beams through the oceans unsteadiness. I look below me and can’t see where the sand bank ends; I look above and realize it’s a long way to the top. Don’t panic Kate, you’ll get through this. I try to paddle to the top but am halted by something severely weighing me down- My board. That’s what got me in this mess in the first place. I can see the floral pattern peeping through the sand that is rapidly crawling over it. I quickly rip apart the Velcro of my foot strap and watch my board float to the surface effortlessly as I attempt climbing through the water to reach the surface. The fin of my board becomes more visible to me as I ascend. Finally, an alleviating sensation blasts through my mouth. Air. Crash, Swish, Roar. Just as I get a breath, the powerful monster swallows me once more. It finally hits me that I’m going to be under a long time. These are 20 ft waves, I think to myself. There is no way I am getting out of here the easy way. I feel the blood surge to my head as the paranoia sets in. When I was 5 years old, Dad woke me up one morning and informed me that he was finally going to teach me how to surf. I was ecstatic. I used to watch my brothers in envy as I crouched on the damp sand with my head between my hands resting on my knees, sulking at the fact that I wasn’t allowed to surf until I was 5. Well, that time arrived when Dad was taking me, and nothing was going to hold me back. I watched Dad approach me as he returned from a blue and white hire tent with a long (well what seemed long at the time), bright yellow foam board. It had a small white fin sticking out its rear. We stayed shallow and like any impatient 5 year old I began to suffer from frustration as I continuously nose dived into the sand at my efforts to stand up.

Public Health P1. P2

Public Health – Unit 12 – Petra P1 Public health is â€Å"the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals† (1920, C. E. A. Winslow). This therefore infers public health is the preventing and controlling of disease within communities, to prolong life and promote health through organised society.The keys aspects of public health †¦ -Monitoring the overall health status of the population, this involves the recording of any changes of health in the population and alerting people to potential risks, for example the higher levels of smoking within a population. -Identifying the health needs within a population, which involves establishing patterns and trends of health problems within to identify implications service users may be at risk of, for example in relation to smoking, assessing the likely increase in need for cancer support services. Developing programmes to reduce the risk and screening for diseases earlier on, which refers to the attempts of reducing the levels of illness, by introducing new programmes which inform people that they are at risk of certain conditions and aiding them into trying out new preventative programmes? For example if a doctor identifies someone at risk from cancer due to smoking, they may enrol them on a programme to help stop smoking, or even provide them with medication to stop them smoking. -Controlling of communicable disease.This is the reduction of the impact of infectious disease, through immunisation and other control methods. For example, vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella, it may also include food hygiene in restaurants and other food suppliers preventing food poisoning. – Health promotion to the population. This can be done by events and activities which reduce health implications. For example, for people suffering with obe sity, it may involve campaigns to encourage people to be more active and eat a better diet, like the 5 a day campaign. Planning and evaluating the provision of health and social care, which involves assessing health services and whether or not they are having enough impact on the initial problem, for example in the case of obesity, it may involve the question of, can local services meet the demand of weight management advice, or are the services being successful in helping people to reduce their weight and endure that change. P2 Public health has grown and improved since its creation in the 19th century.It was created from the Poor Law system and the Victorian sanitary reform movement. The Poor Law was in place, to ensure people of the lower working class(poor people) were being housed properly, whether it were in workhouses or their own homes, it also ensured they were appropriately clothed and fed a sufficient amount of food. In a lot of workhouses, children were also schooled a l ittle, and in return for this treatment, the working class would be obliged to work for several hours a day.During industrialisation and the fast growth in cities, standards began to fall, which led to many concerns involving poor housing, dirty water supplies and air pollution ‘bad air’ and the immense impacts this had on the health of the work population all together. Origins of the public health policy in the UK from the 19th Century to present day†¦ The nineteenth century;- The first national Public Health Act 1848 This was created and put into place, due to a man known as Edwin Chadwick. He was an active campaigner on many public health issues, such as the poor working/housing conditions and the sanitary reform.His report in 1842 included a massive amount of evidence supporting the link between environment, poverty and ill health. He recommended that each local authority required an expert medical and civil engineering advice, to administer all sanitary matter s. It took six years until the Public Health act was passed and the first Board of health was established. John Snow and the Broad Street pump John Snow was a man whom believed that the water pollution was the main cause of ill health within the population of London in the 19th Century. He linked the common illness cholera to people whom drank from the wells.He observed those getting ill and which areas and pumps they drank from and recorded it on a map, he was then able to establish all those getting ill were in fact drinking from the same pump, and consequently in 1854 John Snow removed the handle of the Broad Street pump and ceased the epidemic of Cholera in Soho, London John Simon and the 1866 Sanitary Act John Simon was professionally a physician, but he became famous for him dramatic reforms of the public health system. He was the first medical officer in the UK’s central government, and he influenced public health by improving public vaccination systems.He also was the founder of the water supply cleaner and made sewers more effective. The twentieth century The Beveridge Report 1942 William Beveridge was a man whom was asked by government to write a report on the best and most effective ways to help those on low incomes. This was after the Second World War when people felt they needed rewarding, which the government responded to by promising to create a more equal society. In Beveridge’s report in December 1942, he proposed that all people of a working age should contribute, which would benefit people who were sick, unemployed, retired, or widowed.The National Health Service (NHS) The NHS was created on the back of the Beveridge report. This allowed free care to those who could not afford it. It provided hospital services, primary care (doctors- family clinics) and community services such as health visitors, midwives, ambulance services and many more. Acheson Report into inequalities in health 1998 He comprised a report that pointed out 39 recommendations and highlighted 3 crucial areas of which would need concentrating on, which are; 1) all policies that are likely to have impact on health should be evaluated in terms of their impact on health inequality. ) Priority to the health of families with children. 3) Further steps should be taken to reduce the income inequalities and improve the standards of poor households. Our Healthier Nation 1999 This strategy was released by the labour government after their election in 1997, it has very clear links with the Acheson report and attempted to tackle the root causes of ill health such as pollution, unemployment, low wages, crime and poor housing.Choosing Health: Making Healthy Choices Easier 2004 This white paper acknowledged the changing nature in society, and an increased emphasis on health and well-being. The strategy had three key underpinning principles: informal choice, personalization and working together. Its main priorities were: to reduce the number of people who smoke, reduce obesity and improve diet and nutrition, increase exercise, encourage support of sensible drinking and the improvement of overall sexual health.