In Europe and wider in Eurasia between wolf researchers and in the circle of other wolf-related people (e.g. hunters specialising in killing wolves, wolf pup searches) there is a widely spread belief on wolf reproduction that wolves are strictly monogamous species with a certain way of breeding and family pattern of pack formation. Actually, in my study in Belarus since the late 1990s there have been found so many abnormalities in those, that I start to think about what actually prevails in the wolf reproduction and packing: the “rules” or “exceptions”. Such “abnormalities” occurring too often are a very interesting phenomenon and they need to be further investigated. Continue reading “Wolf breeding peculiarities”
The essential changes in my research establishment that happened in 2015-2017
For more than thirty years, till 2016 I had worked for the Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Science of Belarus. But with time I started noticing that my working time was more and more wasted on the continuous applying for projects, reporting and very time-consuming presenting of the results in scientific journals. There was not enough time for the study itself. But if even a quite successful zoologist neglects this applying-reporting-presenting chain, soon he will appear without a financial support. So it seems the only way for a reseracher to be employed as a zoologist with some financial resources is to stay at a computer screen. Such a system in zoology seems to act all around the world, when an experienced zoologist should spend the main working time like that. I got convinced that, at least, it is true for zoology of vertebrate animals, the field I have worked in for more than 30 years since 1984. Continue reading “The essential changes in my research establishment that happened in 2015-2017”
Investigation on the lynx population biology (general information)
Since the early 2000s I have paid more and more research attention to the lynx Lynx lynx. At that time there were not much known about the species in Belarus. Thus for the beginning I raised only regionally important questions of the lynx ecology, which had been investigated in other parts of the species range, … Continue reading “Investigation on the lynx population biology (general information)”
Since the early 2000s I have paid more and more research attention to the lynx Lynx lynx. At that time there were not much known about the species in Belarus. Thus for the beginning I raised only regionally important questions of the lynx ecology, which had been investigated in other parts of the species range, but seemingly they are not entirely answered still somewhere as well as in Belarus. Among the basic ecological questions I considered the most common ones such as the species population number and habitat carrying capacity, distribution of lynxes in its between-year and seasonal changes, home range and its structure, prey supply and foraging, diet in its between-year and seasonal changes, lynx predation impact on the prey populations, reproduction rate and mortality causes. Continue reading “Investigation on the lynx population biology (general information)”
Investigation of the wolf population biology (general information)
Since 1999 I have shifted own efforts on the study on the wolf Canis lupus population ecology. In 1996-1998 in Paazierre Forest (mainly in the Lovat terrain), the northern Belarus there were fulfilled studies on the wolf diet in relation to the dramatic changes in the preystock and on breeding in wolves. The research on the … Continue reading “Investigation of the wolf population biology (general information)”
Since 1999 I have shifted own efforts on the study on the wolf Canis lupus population ecology. In 1996-1998 in Paazierre Forest (mainly in the Lovat terrain), the northern Belarus there were fulfilled studies on the wolf diet in relation to the dramatic changes in the preystock and on breeding in wolves. The research on the question of the species breeding had been continued there until 2005. However, since 2000 the main study area on wolves has been replaced in Naliboki Forest and its rural-forest surroundings. The species reproduction and breeding behaviour have become the main pressing questions of my zoological study. Continue reading “Investigation of the wolf population biology (general information)”
Book about Naliboki Forest
Naliboki Forest is my love from my childhood and student-time. Since 1983 the terrain has been a study area for almost all my studies on vertebrate predators and their prey.
Naliboki Forest is my love from my childhood and student-time. Since 1983 the terrain has been a study area for almost all my studies on vertebrate predators and their prey. Continue reading “Book about Naliboki Forest”
Reading mammal activity signs
Since my childhood I have been very interested in tracks of mammals and in the entire variety of activity signs of mammals and birds on the whole. Within this my passion I tried to push forward not only identifying of mammal activity signs, but their usage in track-based research methods on population ecology as well as to reconstruct correctly the respective behavior of mammals from their activity signs. Continue reading “Reading mammal activity signs”
Analysis of predation in vertebrate community
In the period of 1993-2010 I led the Vertebrate Predation Research Group in the same research Institute of zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The group consisted of 3-12 colleagues (including PhD-students and Diploma-students) and was aimed to investigate vertebrate predators, mainly carnivores, but also owls, diurnal raptors and snakes. The studies took place in Paazierre Forest (the northern part of Belarus) and Naliboki Forest (the central-western part of Belarus), i.e. semi-natural terrains with transitional mixed forest within the European Forest zone. Continue reading “Analysis of predation in vertebrate community”
Study and conservation activity in relation to the European mink
Intensive study on population ecology of the European mink Mustela lutreola as a critically endangered species in the Lovat terrain, Paazierre Forest, northern Belarus in 1988-2000, particularly the researches in 1995-1997 in collaboration with Prof. Dr. David Macdonald and Dr. Hans Kruuk, were a serious school for me, and that advanced a lot my professional knowledge and skills. For those three years I was accepted as a member of Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) in the Oxford University and visited it several times per year. For the mentioned studies there were applied the whole variety of available research methods of mammal population ecology including a lot of telemetry. In total we radiotagged 38 European mink (18 inds were radiotracked for long enough), 69 American mink Neovison vison (35) and 19 polecats Mustela putorius (12). Continue reading “Study and conservation activity in relation to the European mink”
My zoological beginning
I was motivated by wildlife from my childhood that took place in the Haradishcha village nearby Miensk, Belarus. The countryside childhood with still rich wildlife in the village surroundings played an essential role for my further zoological way with a lot of study in the wild. More or less real zoology started for me since 1980, when I was a student of the Belarusian State University in Miensk. At that time I was mostly interested in the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra, minks (Mustela lutreola and Neovison vison) and wolf Canis lupus. Continue reading “My zoological beginning”
Zoology by Vadim Sidorovich 