Ecological and social drivers of Mexican Wolf home range size across spatiotemporal scales.

This article investigates the ecological and social factors influencing home range size of the endangered Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) across four biologically relevant time frames—annual, denning, post-denning, and non-denning—within Arizona and New Mexico between 2017 and 2021. Using GPS collar data from 22 wolf packs and Brownian Bridge Movement Models, the study found that home range size was inversely related to ungulate biomass during annual and post-denning periods, while larger pack sizes corresponded to larger home ranges during denning and post-denning seasons. Litter size negatively influenced home range size during denning, and snow depth was inversely related to home range size during the non-denning season. These results highlight the seasonal and scale-dependent roles of both ecological (prey availability, snow depth) and social (pack and litter size) factors in shaping Mexican Gray Wolf spatial ecology, providing insights relevant for conservation and management efforts.