Water Economy of Two Desert Canids: Coyote and Kit Fox

Golightly, Richard T.; Ohmart, Robert D.

doi:10.2307/1381199

Cited by 92 publications

(57 citation statements)

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“…About 55% of all photographs were of coyotes. Golightly and Ohmart (1984) reported that water needs for coyotes in deserts were greater during summer than winter (this was not true for kit foxes), and so the preponderance of coyote sign at our water sites could be even greater during summer.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…In years of high numbers, rabbits and hares are probably important prey, especially for coyotes, and may act to disperse predation away from water sites. Several researchers reported that free water is unnecessary for a variety of carnivores (Chevalier 1984, Golightly and Ohmart 1984, Green et al 1984. SchmidtNielsen (1964) believed that the diet of most carnivores provides them with the water they need for most physiological functions, except perhaps heat regulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Observations of predator activity at wildlife water developments in southern Arizona

DeStefano¹,

Schmidt²,

DeVos³

2000

REM

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Wildlife water developments have been constructed and maintained throughout the arid western United States to benefit big game and upland gamebird populations. There is debate, however, over possible detriments to wildlife from artificial water sources in deserts and other arid environments. One concern is that water developments attract predators, which then impact the prey populations that these developments are intended to benefit. To examine the extent of predator activity around water developments, we examined 15 paired water and non-water (random) sites for sign (scats, tracks, visual observations, animal parts such as feathers and bones, and carcasses) of predators and prey. Predator sign was 7x greater around water sites than nonwater sites (P = 0.002). Coyote (Canis latrans Say) sign accounted for 79% of all predator sign and was 7x greater near water than away from water (P = 0.006). Amount of sign for all prey species combined was not different between paired sites (P = 0.6), but results for individual species and groups of species was variable; passerine and gallinaceous bird sign was greater around water sites (P = 0.008), ungulate sign was not different between water and non-water sites (P 0.20), and lagomorph sign was almost 2x greater away from water than near water (P = 0.05). Predators were probably attracted to wildlife water developments to drink rather than hunt; without water developments, predators may be even more concentrated around the fewer natural water sites.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observations of predator activity at wildlife water developments in southern Arizona

DeStefano¹,

Schmidt²,

DeVos³

2000

REM

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“…the water present in the consumed meal) can make up a considerable portion of an organism's water intake. In fact, some species can heavily or fully rely on dietary water for maintaining water balance (Karasov, 1983;Golightly and Ohmart, 1984;Cooper, 1985;Nagy and Medica, 1986;Green et al, 1991;Nagy et al, 1991;Zhi-long et al, 1992;Nagy and Gruchacz, 1994;Znari and Nagy, 1997;Ostrowski et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meal consumption is ineffective at maintaining or correcting water balance in a desert lizard, Heloderma suspectum

Wright

Jackson

DeNardo

2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYMany xeric organisms maintain water balance by relying on dietary and metabolic water rather than free water, even when free water may be available. For such organisms, hydric state may influence foraging decisions, since meal consumption is meeting both energy and water demands. To understand foraging decisions it is vital to understand the role of dietary water in maintaining water balance. We investigated whether meal consumption was sufficient to maintain water balance in captive Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) at varying levels of dehydration. Gila monsters could not maintain water balance over long time scales through meal consumption alone. Animals fed a single meal took no longer to dehydrate than controls when both groups were deprived of free water. Additionally, meal consumption imparts an acute short-term hydric cost regardless of hydration state. Meal consumption typically resulted in a significant elevation in osmolality at 6h post-feeding, and plasma osmolality never fell below pre-feeding levels despite high water content (~70%) of meals. These results failed to support our hypothesis that dietary water is valuable to Gila monsters during seasonal drought. When considered in conjunction with previous research, these results demonstrate that Gila monsters, unlike many xeric species, are heavily reliant on seasonal rainfall and the resulting free-standing water to maintain water balance.

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“…Despite the absence of watering holes in the Gulf of California slopes, this carnivore is able to meet its water needs through the preys consumed daily, i. e., 175 g of food, which represent approximately two rat specimens (Neotoma sp. ; Golightly and Ohmart 1984;Olivas 2003).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Noteworthy record of the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) and its relation to physiographic characteristics in Baja California, Mexico

Escobar-Flores¹,

Sandoval²,

Delgado-Fernández³

2017

Therya

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The kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) lives in sandy and shallow soils of the Pacific coastal plains and the ecoregion of San Felipe desert. The reports of this species are scarce and in Mexico it is listed as a threatened species. The populations of V. macrotis tend to decrease due to the change in the habitat to agricultural land, which has been one of the causes of the disappearance of kit fox populations in Mexico. As part of the project "Characterisation of water bodies in Sierra Santa Isabel, Baja California", 12 camera traps were placed in six watering holes that are visited by wildlife from January to August 2015. Digital terrain elevation models were used to describe three variables: roughness, slope inclination and orientation; these variables are essential for the kit fox to build its burrows, catch its preys and escape from predators. The analyses were also carried out in localities where this carnivore had previously been recorded in Baja California. An analysis of variance was used to determine the existence of similarities or differences between the topographical characteristics of the historical localities and the new record. The first photographic record of the kit fox was obtained in one of the watering holes located within the Valle de los Cirios Flora and Fauna Protection Area. The analyses of variance confirmed that there are no significant differences between roughness (F (4, 780) = 0.11, P > 0.05), slope inclination (F (4, 1275) = 0.319, P > 0.05) and orientation (F (4, 15) = 0.41, P > 0.05), between the historical localities and the site where the new record was obtained. Other carnivores were also recorded in the watering hole, such as the cougar (Puma concolor), bobcat (Lynx rufus), coyote (Canis latrans) and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). The presence of the kit fox is likely occasional in the watering hole, because the slopes are greater than 10 degrees and, therefore, these sites are unsuitable for the construction of burrows. However, flat sites with sandy substrates that empty into the Gulf of California occur at a distance of less than 5 km from the watering hole, which are therefore suitable to be inhabited by the kit fox. The analysis of topographic variables of the historical records coupled with camera traps jointly confirmed that the site with the new record has characteristics that are suitable for the kit fox.La zorra norteña (Vulpes macrotis) habita en los suelos arenosos y pocos profundos de las planicies costeras del pacifico y de la ecorregión del desierto de San Felipe. Los reportes de esta especie son escasos y en México esta enlistada como una especie amenazada. Las poblaciones de V. macrotis tienden a disminuir por la transformación del hábitat a tierras agrícolas, la cual ha sido una de las causantes de la extirpación de poblaciones de zorra norteña en México. Como parte del proyecto "Caracterización de los cuerpos de agua en Sierra Santa Isabel, Baja California", se colocaron 12 cámaras trampa en seis aguajes que son visitados por la fauna silvestre de enero a agost...

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Water Economy of Two Desert Canids: Coyote and Kit Fox

Cited by 92 publications

References 0 publications

Observations of predator activity at wildlife water developments in southern Arizona

Observations of predator activity at wildlife water developments in southern Arizona

Meal consumption is ineffective at maintaining or correcting water balance in a desert lizard, Heloderma suspectum

Noteworthy record of the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) and its relation to physiographic characteristics in Baja California, Mexico

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