Stenlund, M. H. 1955. A field study of the timber wolf (_Canis lupus_) on the Superior National Forest, Minnesota. Minn. Conserv. Dep. Tech. Bull. 4, 55 p.
Verme, L. J. 1968. An index of winter severity for northern deer. J. Wildl. Manage. 32: 566-574.
THE POSSIBLE OCCURRENCE OF THE GREAT PLAINS WOLF IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA
The timber wolf (_Canis lupus_) of northeastern Minnesota occupies an area within the range given by Goldman (1944) for the eastern timber wolf (_C. l. lycaon_ Schreber). However, this area is within 150 miles of the eastern edge of the former range of the Great Plains wolf (_C. l. nubilus_ Say), and there is some question as to whether the Minnesota wolf is really an intergrade between these two subspecies. Writing of _nubilus_, Goldman (1944, p. 444) stated: "Specimens from eastern Minnesota and Michigan seem more properly referable to _lycaon_, but relationship to _nubilus_ is shown in somewhat intermediate characters."
In describing _lycaon_ as basically a gray wolf, Goldman made no mention of the occurrence of black or white color phases in that subspecies. However, in discussing _nubilus_, Goldman (1944, p. 442) wrote the following: "Many color variations are presented. Individuals may be nearly white at any season, except for a sprinkling of black hairs over the back, a small, narrow, but conspicuous, black patch over the tail gland, and a more or less distinctly black tip. Black individuals may occur in the same litter with those normally colored." Goldman also referred to _nubilus_ as "now probably extinct."
[Illustration: _Figure 1.--A few wolves observed in the study area were jet black. (Photo courtesy of L. D. Mech.)_]
In the eastern part of the range of _lycaon_, color phases other than gray appear to be rare as Rutter and Pimlott (1969, p. 188) attest: "The uniformity of the color of timber wolves in many areas is evidenced by the work in Algonquin Park, in Ontario. There, over the past eight years, dozens of packs have been observed from the air. However, we have never been able to discriminate between any of them on the basis of the color variation of individual animals."
Thus it seems significant to report on incidences of black and white color phases in wolves that we have observed in northeastern Minnesota during some 480 hours of flying associated with wolf research (Mech _et al._, p. 1). The observations took place in the Superior National Forest, in northern Cook, Lake, and St. Louis Counties during the winters of 1966-67, 1967-68, and 1968-69. A total of 309 sightings were made of wolves that could be classified by color; of these, 11 (3.6 percent) were jet black (fig. 1) and two (0.6 percent) were creamish white, with the cream color the most intense on the back. No doubt some of the grays, and perhaps the blacks and whites, were repeated observations, but the figures should provide a reasonable approximation of the incidence of these color phases in this area. All black or white animals except one were observed with gray wolves (table 1 and fig. 2).