Urban Coyotes Never Stray: New Study Finds 100 Percent Monogamy

[xchrom]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120925142549.htm


Stan Gehrt, a wildlife ecologist at Ohio State University, inspects a coyote captured in the greater Chicago area as part of a long-running study on this increasingly common urban resident. (Credit: Photo courtesy of Stan Gehrt)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 25, 2012) — Coyotes living in cities don't ever stray from their mates, and stay with each other till death do them part, according to a new study.

The finding sheds light on why the North American cousin of the dog and wolf, which is originally native to deserts and plains, is thriving today in urban areas.
Scientists with Ohio State University who genetically sampled 236 coyotes in the Chicago area over a six-year period found no evidence of polygamy -- of the animals having more than one mate -- nor of one mate ever leaving another while the other was still alive.
This was even though the coyotes exist in high population densities and have plenty of food to eat, which are conditions that often lead other dog family members, such as some fox species, to stray from their normal monogamy.

[Jim__]

1. I wonder if that's true for coyotes in the wild, or if it's some type of adaptive behavior in urban

areas. If it's adaptive, I'd be curious as to how it came about.

[Eleanors38]

2. Following deer into cities as well. Pumas coming, too.

[longship]

3. They're all over the place here.

But I am adjacent to the Manistee National Forest. Lots of deer, turkeys, raccoons, opossums, skunks, porcupines, bear, bobcats, and -- I hear -- cougars. (among others)

[littlemissmartypants]

4. I just want them to stop

killing my cats. Nice post.