Genetics study shows why some Yellowstone wolves dodge mange
From The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington:
BILLINGS – After 25 years of inbreeding, Yellowstone National Park’s wolves are becoming genetically more similar, researchers have found.
“They’re still a really healthy population,” said Alexandra DeCandia, who looked into wolf genetics for research she recently published. “It’s not anything we’re worried about.”
In fact, genetic similarity can help Yellowstone’s wolves fight a common enemy – mange, a skin disease caused by parasitic mites.
