Movements of Transient Coyotes, Canis latrans, in Urbanized Eastern Massachusetts

I document the movements of five transient (or nomadic) eastern Coyotes (Canis latrans) in heavily urbanized eastern Massachusetts. Linear movements from capture location to end location varied from 23.0 to 100.5 km and averaged 63.8 ± 52.0 km for two females and 38.7 ± 17.2 km for three males (t = 0.657, df = 1.15, P = 0.618). Transients ranged in age between 1-2 yr old. There was no relationship between Coyote body weight and dispersal distances (r = 0.389, P = 0.518). Coyotes travel long distances even in human-dominated areas, allowing transients to find vacant territories. Because of the ability of Coyotes to colonize and recolonize areas, I recommend that Coyote management efforts focus more on educating the public about actual Coyote behavior and their life history needs than on killing them

Observations of Coywolves, Canis latrans × lycaon, Crossing Bridges and Using Human Structures on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

I directly observed Coywolves (Canis latrans × lycaon; also called Eastern Coyote) successfully crossing over rivers/bays by traveling on paved (i.e., used by vehicles) bridges within their established territories. These data confirm that Coyotes/Coywolves use these narrow corridors in their travels, such as when colonizing new areas. I also report on breeding female, sick, and old Coywolves using human structures, including under overturned boats/canoes, under houses, and under sheds/decks. Breeding females (n = 3) used these sites as dens, and sick (n = 2) and old (n = 2) individuals used them for shelter

Eastern Coyotes, Canis latrans, Observed Feeding on Periodical Cicadas, Magicicada septendecim

Eastern Coyotes (Canis latrans) were observed feeding on Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada septendecim) during their once every 17 year emergence (for three weeks) in June 2008

Standing-Over in Captive Coywolves, Canis latrans × lycaon

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

Double-litters in Coywolf, Canis latrans × lycaon, Packs Following the Death or Disappearance of a Resident Territorial Male

Previous research on my Cape Cod, Massachusetts study site documented the killing of a breeding male Coywolf (Canis latrans x lycaon; also called Eastern Coyote) and a subsequent increase in local pack density one year later. This study documents double-litters produced in two packs following the death or disappearance of the original breeding male

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

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 km2. 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

Social and Play Behavior in a Wild Eastern Coyote, Canis latrans, Pack

I had close and consistent observations of a wild eastern Coyote pack (Canis latrans) from January 2000 to August 2007. During this time, I obtained 3156 radio-locations on a specific radio-collared breeding male (“Sill”) and observed him and/or members of his pack on 375 occasions. The average group size = 3.0 ± 2.3 (SD) Coyotes with 1.9 ± 1.2 (SD) being adults and 1.1 ± 1.9 being pups. Maximal group size involved 12 Coyotes (9 pups, 3 adults). During these observations, Coyotes most often behaved in a friendly manner toward each other as indicated by 80 of my observations involving play between pups, and 15 involving play among adult Coyotes. On the evening of 6 July 2007 I observed the breeding male (>8 yr old), his mate (>5 yr old), one of their full-sized probable yearlings, and five pups playing intensely for 33 minutes. This paper details social and play behavior from this pack, especially from the 6 July 2007 observation

Use of "Micro"-Corridors by Eastern Coyotes, Canis latrans, in a Heavily Urbanized Area: Implications for Ecosystem Management

We document the use of very narrow, linear corridors (termed “micro-corridors”) that facilitated movements by both a transient and a resident group of eastern Coyotes (Canis latrans) in a heavily urbanized area in north Boston, Massachusetts. Two corridors are discussed: one, a railroad line through downtown Boston; and two, a hole in a cemetery fence giving access to two separated cemeteries in a region of intense human development. Coyotes can be good subjects to illustrate the use of fragmented landscapes because they are common and thus are abundant enough to study yet are wary and avoid novel things and generally avoid people

Nomadic Behavior of an Old and Formerly Territorial Eastern Coyote, Canis latrans

We document the fate of a female Eastern Coyote on Cape Cod, Massachusetts that was a breeding resident of a ~30 km2 territory for at least six years (1998 – 2004) and then became nomadic. Her behavior dramatically changed in January 2005, when she was located on six occasions sleeping under sheds and/or decks in highly residential neighborhoods at the southeastern edge of her range. On 11 March 2005 she localized in a small area (95% MCP range = 5.85 km2) at the northeastern edge of her old territory, where she remained until 1 March 2006. After briefly associating with other Coyotes (late-February 2006), her movement patterns changed again. She used a much larger area (~200 km2) until she was shot dead in February 2007. Tracking data indicated that she lived in localized areas during this nomadic period, possibly to avoid resident Coyote packs

Record Size Female Coyote, Canis latrans

On 11 March 2004 we recaptured and re-radio-collared an 8-9 yr old, 25.1 kg (55.3 lb), 157 cm long (tip of nose to tail tip) female Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans) in the town of Barnstable on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that was originally captured in November 1998. This is believed to be the largest female Coyote ever recorded