Endoparasites of Arctic Wolves in Greenland

Abstract

Fecal flotation was used to evaluate the presence of intestinal parasites in 423 wolf feces from Nansen Land, North Greenland (82 55 N, 41 30 W) and Hold with Hope, East Greenland (73 40 N, 21 00 W), collected from 1991 to 1993. The species diversity of the endoparasitic fauna of wolves at this high latitude was depauperate relative to that at lower latitudes. Eggs and larvae of intestinal parasites were recorded in 60 feces (14%): Nematoda (roundworms) in 11%; Cestoda (flatworms of the family Taeniidae) in 3%. Four genera were recorded: Toxascaris, Uncinaria, Capillaria, and Nematodirus. Eggs of taeniids were not identifiable to genus, but likely represented Echinococcus granulosus and Taenia hydatigena. The high prevalence of nematode larvae may be a consequence of free-living species' invading the feces. The occurrence of taeniids likely reflects the reliance of wolves on muskoxen for primary prey. This is the first quantitative study of the endoparasites of wolves in the High Arctic.