灰狼在中国地理分布的系统综述
The geographical distribution of grey wolves (Canis lupus) in China: a systematic review
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摘要: 灰狼(Canis lupus)是分布最广的陆生哺乳动物之一,其在欧洲和北美的分布和生态研究详尽且系统。然而,灰狼是否在中国南方有分布在西方科学界存在争议。数篇知名的西方文献宣称中国南方没有灰狼分布,但普林斯顿大学出版社出版的《中国兽类野外手册》中则指出灰狼分布在中国各地。由于家犬可能起源于中国南方的灰狼,有必要向西方科技界综述中国灰狼的地理分布研究。因此,我们系统地查阅了与动物资源调查有关的中文文献,找到一百多篇涉及灰狼在中国分布信息的科技文献和书籍。我们还调查了3个中国自然博物馆中的馆藏,在其中找到了26个分布在全国各地的灰狼皮张样本。此外,我们还研究了中国的考古记录,查找出25个包含了灰狼遗骸的考古遗址,其中也包括中国南方地区。综上,结合中文文献、博物馆样品和考古记录,我们认为灰狼确实分布在除大部分海岛以外的中国大陆所有地区,包括最南方的省份。Abstract: The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the most widely distributed terrestrial mammals, and its distribution and ecology in Europe and North America are largely well described. However, the distribution of grey wolves in southern China is still highly controversial. Several well-known western literatures stated that there were no grey wolves in southern China, while the presence of grey wolves across China has been indicated in A Guide to the Mammals of China, published by Princeton University Press. It is essential to solve this discrepancy since dogs may have originated from grey wolves in southern China. Therefore, we systematically investigated Chinese literatures about wild animal surveys and identified more than 100 articles and books that included information of the distribution of grey wolves in China. We also surveyed the collections of three Chinese natural museums and found 26 grey wolf skins specimens collected across China. Moreover, we investigated the fossil records in China and identified 25 archaeological sites with wolf remains including south China. In conclusion, with the comprehensive summary of Chinese literatures, museum specimens and fossil records, we demonstrate that grey wolves do distribute across all parts of the Chinese mainland, including the most southern parts.