Class
Article
College
S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources
Department
Wildland Resources Department
Faculty Mentor
Sara Freeman
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Understanding the importance of social dynamics and how olfaction in coyotes (Canis latrans) is used as the primary form of communication between individuals, this communication is often regulated by the diversity of personality types that occurs between individuals. We exposed four adult pairs of captive coyotes (2 males, 2 females) at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center’s Predator Research Facility in Millville, Utah to coyote odor attractants (1 mL urine) from siblings, pair mates, and strangers. One pair contained individuals born in 2016, and the other contained individuals born in 2022. Each coyote was placed in a separate enclosure with two PVC bowls (eight bowls) that are 22 feet apart from each other and are equal distances from the gate of the enclosure. Additionally, each enclosure was equipped with two motion-activated cameras (eight cameras) placed at chest height and directed at a bowl. The individual coyotes would be separated for a duration of 10-days, 4-days for habituation of the new enclosures, and 6 days for the presentation of paired scent stimuli. Each coyote underwent two rounds of testing for each stimulus type: stranger, sibling, pair mate, and self. This approach resulted in six combinations: stranger-sibling, stranger-pair mate, stranger-self, sibling-pair mate, sibling-self, and pair mate-self. We then used BORIS, an online ethogram program, to quantify behavioral responses to each pair of stimuli. Our ethogram included frequencies of visual vigilance, urination, scratching, digging, and olfactory investigation as a duration. Repeated scent-marking and olfactory cues were individual-specific, resulting in fluctuations between individuals. We analyzed the data using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA, revealing that there were no significant differences between males and females. There were however two trends toward sex differences in behavior: urination frequency and olfactory exploration. This study is a subset of a larger study that will investigate the impacts of the breeding season, sex, and pairing status on behavioral responses to social odors, so larger sample sizes will be used in subsequent analyses as future behavioral trials are completed.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-12-2023 12:30 PM
End Date
4-12-2023 1:30 PM
Included in
Evaluating Sex Differences in Behavioral Responses to Social Scents in Coyotes
Logan, UT
Understanding the importance of social dynamics and how olfaction in coyotes (Canis latrans) is used as the primary form of communication between individuals, this communication is often regulated by the diversity of personality types that occurs between individuals. We exposed four adult pairs of captive coyotes (2 males, 2 females) at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center’s Predator Research Facility in Millville, Utah to coyote odor attractants (1 mL urine) from siblings, pair mates, and strangers. One pair contained individuals born in 2016, and the other contained individuals born in 2022. Each coyote was placed in a separate enclosure with two PVC bowls (eight bowls) that are 22 feet apart from each other and are equal distances from the gate of the enclosure. Additionally, each enclosure was equipped with two motion-activated cameras (eight cameras) placed at chest height and directed at a bowl. The individual coyotes would be separated for a duration of 10-days, 4-days for habituation of the new enclosures, and 6 days for the presentation of paired scent stimuli. Each coyote underwent two rounds of testing for each stimulus type: stranger, sibling, pair mate, and self. This approach resulted in six combinations: stranger-sibling, stranger-pair mate, stranger-self, sibling-pair mate, sibling-self, and pair mate-self. We then used BORIS, an online ethogram program, to quantify behavioral responses to each pair of stimuli. Our ethogram included frequencies of visual vigilance, urination, scratching, digging, and olfactory investigation as a duration. Repeated scent-marking and olfactory cues were individual-specific, resulting in fluctuations between individuals. We analyzed the data using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA, revealing that there were no significant differences between males and females. There were however two trends toward sex differences in behavior: urination frequency and olfactory exploration. This study is a subset of a larger study that will investigate the impacts of the breeding season, sex, and pairing status on behavioral responses to social odors, so larger sample sizes will be used in subsequent analyses as future behavioral trials are completed.