First Mention of a Wolf-Pack with Black Phenotypes in Provence (Sainte-Baume, France): Genetic Investigation of a Suspected Hybridization Event
Abstract
We document the first appearance of a wolf pack with black individuals in France. Black-coated wolves are excessively rare in Europe and are usually suspected of being wolf x dog hybrids. Camera trapping (CT) was used to characterize the phenotypes of the wolf pack’s grey and black wolves. We used a detection dog to rapidly identify and noninvasively collect fresh wolf scats. The male wolf of the breeding pair exhibited the typical phenotype of a grey wolf, whereas the reproducing female was black-coated. Four of the six pups were black, and two were grey. Analysis of microsatellite markers, using French wolves genotypes as reference, revealed that none of the wolves were first or second generation hybrids. In accordance with previous studies, we conclude that atypical phenotypes makes it possible to suspect wolf x dog hybridization, but genetic analyses remain necessary to assign an individual canid to a genetic class.
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