Salmon is on the menu for Lake Clark’s wolves

University collaboration shows what and when wolves eat

Deep within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, staff at a remote ranger station on the north shore of Telaquana Lake noted something amiss. Wolves, a mighty apex predator of the park, were seen scraping fish carcasses from the ice.

Though odd, the observation made sense. Wolves are opportunists and Lake Clark, situated at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, is flush with fish. Likewise, salmon make a relatively safe dinner. While moose fight back and can break a wolf’s legs, salmon simply flop or freeze.

Still, as one of the park’s top predators, wolves affect the balance of everything in the ecosystem. Seeing a wolf scrounging for salmon in an ice block raised a few eyebrows about the ecological balance of the park. Read more.