A camera trapping survey reveals a melanistic Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) in an unusual habitat in Turkey (Mammalia: Carnivora)

Abstract

Apparently as a consequence of persecution from humans, Grey Wolves (Canis lupus) are confined in Turkey to mountainous regions, mostly above 600 m a.s.l. In the course of a camera trap survey carried out between April and July 2013 in the Marmaris region in western Turkey, I could confirm the presence of this species in coastal areas at an altitude of 215 m a.s.l. The species lives there quite secretly and its presence is unknown to local people. The records include a melanistic individual, which is the first such record in Turkey. Because of the aggressive relationship between wolves and sheep dogs all over Western Anatolia, I am considering that this individual is the result of a natural combination of coat colour determining alleles and not the result of hybridisation with a melanistic domestic dog, as had been suggested for other parts of the distribution area.