Social and Play Behavior in a Wild Eastern Coyote, &lt;em&gt;Canis latrans&lt;/em&gt;, Pack

Way, Jonathan

doi:10.22621/cfn.v121i4.511

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Eastern coyotes are social, intelligent, family-oriented animals (Way 2007c) that are important for ecosystem health (Stolzenberg 2009). And they more or less regulate their own numbers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 km/hr in neighborhoods which is approximately human jogging pace). With large daily movement patterns, resident pack members could potentially be located anywhere within their home range at any given time, as data revealed that one pack (3-5 individuals; Way et al 2002a, Way 2007c could cover a combined 75-100 km per night, in a territory averaging 20-30 km 2 (Way et al 2004). …”

Section: Resident Movement Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eastern Coyote/Coywolf (Canis latrans x lycaon) Movement Patterns: Lessons Learned in Urbanized Ecosystems

Way

2011

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Activity and movement patterns represent a fundamental aspect of a species natural history. Twenty four-hour movements of eastern coyotes or coywolves (Canis latrans x lycaon; hereafter eastern coyote for consistency purposes) ranged up to 31.9 linear km and averaged 23.5 + 7.3 (SD) km from 5-14 radio-fixes during each 24 hr monitoring period. Coyotes moved mostly at night and through altered open areas (e.g., powerlines, dumps) more than expected when compared to residential and natural areas. Coyotes inhabiting urbanized areas generally use residential areas for traveling and/or foraging. With large daily (or more aptly, nightly) movement patterns, resident coyotes can potentially be located anywhere within their large home ranges at any given time, as data revealed that one pack (3-4 individuals) can cover a combined 75-100 km per night, in a territory averaging 20-30 km 2 . Transient movements from capture location to end location varied from 23.0-100.5 km and averaged 63.8 km for two females and 49.3 km for four males. Eastern coyotes travel long distances even in human-dominated areas, allowing transients to find vacant territories. Because of their ability to move through urban areas and to colonize and recolonize areas, management efforts should focus more on educating the public about actual coyote behavior and their life history needs than on killing them.

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“…Eastern coyotes are social, intelligent, family-oriented animals (Way 2007c) that are important for ecosystem health (Stolzenberg 2009). And they more or less regulate their own numbers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resident Movement Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eastern Coyote/Coywolf (Canis latrans x lycaon) Movement Patterns: Lessons Learned in Urbanized Ecosystems

Way

2011

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“…Such patterns were observed in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, where the presence of Coyotes increased the foraging activity of songbirds, likely as a result of top-down impacts on feral cats (Adley and Warren, unpublished data). Research similar to ours conducted at larger spatial and temporal scales may provide improved insight into Coyote/Coywolf space-use dynamics and allow for a better understanding of why control programs have historically been inefficient and ineffective (Parker 1995) as well as potentially inhumane and unethical, given the social, intelligent, playful nature of Coywolves (Way 2007a).…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Radio-collared Coywolves were often seen with untagged companion(s), especially when at rendezvous sites (Way 2003(Way , 2007a. A detailed description (e.g., size, coloration, distinguishing markings, and behavior) of the animals without radio-collars was made during every direct observation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coywolf, Canis latrans × lycaon, Pack Density Doubles Following the Death of a Resident Territorial Male

Way¹,

Timm

Strauss

2009

Can Field Nat

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We studied a subset of four radio-collared individuals that were a part of a larger study documenting Coywolf (Canis latrans × lycaon; Eastern Coyote) ecology in an urbanized landscape (Cape Cod, Massachusetts), and report on the territory of a typical sized pack that was subdivided roughly in half following the death of the breeding male from the original ("Centerville") pack. The original residents lived in a winter pack size (i.e., after pup/juvenile dispersal) of three or four individuals in a 19.66 km2 territory and a density of 0.15-0.20 individuals/km2, as determined by radio-tracking and direct observations, with their territory bordering that of other monitored packs. Following the death of the breeding male, two other radio-collared Coywolves (a young male from the original Centerville pack and a young female from a bordering pack) shifted their respective territories to overlap the majority of the original Centerville pack's territory. These two groups were the same size as the original pack (three or four individuals each) but occupied smaller territories (5.28 km2 and 12.70 km2) within the previous pack's territory. The combined density for the two new packs was estimated at 0.33-0.45 individuals/km2 or 2.2 times greater than the former pack's density and was 2.5 times (0.38-0.50 individuals/km2) greater when accounting for the slight (12%) overlap between the territories of the two new packs. Our results suggest that local Coyote/Coywolf density (i.e., at the pack level) may increase following the death of the breeding male of a given pack, probably because of the reduced (or lack of) protection of territorial boundaries. This finding has particular relevance to Coyote/Coywolf management programs aimed at reducing local densities via removal of individuals from these populations. Further implications exist for enriching our understanding of the trophic dynamics of urbanized habitats.

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“…Some animals, like Coywolves (Canis latrans × lycaon) (also called Eastern Coyote; Way et al 2010), are elusive and are rarely observed for extended periods in the wild (although see Way 2003 and2007a); therefore, it is likely that there are aspects of the behavior that have previously not been reported. Many of the constraints of observing Coywolves in the wild can be rectified by observing them in captivity (e.g., Way et al 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

Standing-Over in Captive Coywolves, Canis latrans × lycaon

Way¹

2009

Can Field Nat

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I documented standing-over behavior in a captive Coywolf (Canis latrans × lycaon, Eastern Coyote) pack from April 2002 to October 2003. Standing-over involves an individual positioning its inguinal area over a recumbent (i.e., lying) individual's head. While all five Coywolves in my study pack performed standing-over, the dominant female was responsible for the vast majority. Thus, standing-over appears to be primarily female-oriented, as has previously been reported for Wolves, Canis lupus, and may involve two functions: (1) to advertise the reproductive state of the animal doing the standing-over and (2) to assert dominance via a low-intensity agonistic interaction.

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Social and Play Behavior in a Wild Eastern Coyote, <em>Canis latrans</em>, Pack

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

Eastern Coyote/Coywolf (Canis latrans x lycaon) Movement Patterns: Lessons Learned in Urbanized Ecosystems

Eastern Coyote/Coywolf (Canis latrans x lycaon) Movement Patterns: Lessons Learned in Urbanized Ecosystems

Coywolf, <em>Canis latrans</em> × <em>lycaon</em>, Pack Density Doubles Following the Death of a Resident Territorial Male

Standing-Over in Captive Coywolves, <em>Canis latrans</em> × <em>lycaon</em>

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