scholarly journals Raccoon Vigilance and Activity Patterns When Sympatric with Coyotes

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
M. Colter Chitwood ◽  
Marcus A. Lashley ◽  
Summer D. Higdon ◽  
Christopher S. DePerno ◽  
Christopher E. Moorman
Keyword(s):  
Prey Species ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Circular Statistics ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Nonconsumptive Effects ◽  
Prey Behavior ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
High Degree

Nonconsumptive effects of predators potentially have negative fitness consequences on prey species through changes in prey behavior. Coyotes (Canis latrans) recently expanded into the eastern United States, and raccoons (Procyon lotor) are a common mesocarnivore that potentially serve as competitors and food for coyotes. We used camera traps at baited sites to quantify vigilance behavior of feeding raccoons and used binomial logistic regression to analyze the effects of social and environmental factors. Additionally, we created raccoon and coyote activity patterns from the camera trap data by fitting density functions based on circular statistics and calculating the coefficient of overlap (Δ). Overall, raccoons were vigilant 46% of the time while foraging at baited sites. Raccoons were more vigilant during full moon and diurnal hours but less vigilant as group size increased and when other species were present. Raccoons and coyotes demonstrated nocturnal activity patterns, with coyotes more likely to be active during daylight hours. Overall, raccoons did not appear to exhibit high levels of vigilance. Activity pattern results provided further evidence that raccoons do not appear to fear coyotes, as both species were active at the same time and showed a high degree of overlap (Δ = 0.75) with little evidence of temporal segregation in activity. Thus, our study indicates that nonconsumptive effects of coyotes on raccoons are unlikely, which calls into question the ability of coyotes to initiate strong trophic cascades through some mesocarnivores.

Predation risk increases intraspecific heterogeneity in white-tailed deer diel activity patterns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A Crawford ◽  
L Mike Conner ◽  
Gail Morris ◽  
Michael J Cherry
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Diel Activity ◽  
Intraspecific Interactions ◽  
Temporal Partitioning ◽  
Diel Activity Patterns ◽  
Predator Exclusion ◽  
And Control

Abstract Prey species often mitigate predation risk through alteration of spatiotemporal diel activity patterns whereby prey access high-quality resources in risky areas during predator downtimes. However, dominance hierarchies exist in some prey species, and temporal partitioning is a mechanism thought to reduce aggressive intraspecific interactions. How demographic-specific responses to predation risk influence intraspecific temporal partitioning in prey are largely unknown and could be key to understanding the effects of predators on intraspecific interactions in prey. To assess the effects of predation risk on intraspecific interactions in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), we monitored deer diel activity during the fawning season in four pairs of predator exclusion and control plots (~40 ha) from 2015 to 2018 using 16 camera traps. We examined the effect of predation risk on diel activity of males, females, and nursery groups by comparing the within-group coefficient of activity overlap (d̂) across predator exclusion and control plots. We then examined within-treatment activity overlap between groups in the predator exclosure and control plots. All groups maintained different diel activity patterns in safe and risky areas. Unconstrained by predation risk, all groups behaved more similarly, and interspecific group overlap was greater in the predator exclusion plots than control plots. Male-nursery group overlap exhibited the strongest treatment effect, increasing 24% in predator exclusion plots (d̂ = 0.91, confidence interval [CI]: 0.87–0.95) relative to control plots (d̂ = 0.67, CI: 0.57–0.76). Our results suggest predators increase heterogeneity in prey behavior and may be important drivers of behavioral processes, such as temporal partitioning, that minimize antagonistic intraspecific interactions of prey.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Human Disturbance on the Activity of Medium–Large Mammals in Myanmar Tropical Forests

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Giacomo Cremonesi ◽  
Francesco Bisi ◽  
Lorenzo Gaffi ◽  
Thet Zaw ◽  
Hla Naing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Circular Statistics ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Human Presence ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Status ◽  
Statistical Approaches

The effects of human disturbance represent one of the major threats for wildlife conservation. Many studies have shown that wildlife avoids or reduces direct contact with human activities through changes in activity patterns, and by minimizing spatiotemporal overlap. In this study, we investigated the possible effects of human presence on the temporal activity of medium-to-large mammals using two areas in Myanmar that differ in the intensity of human disturbance. We monitored temporal segregation mechanisms using camera trapping data and with two statistical approaches: daily activity overlaps between humans and wildlife and circular statistics. We did not find a significant difference in overlapping activity between areas but, thanks to circular statistics, we found that some species show changes in activity patterns, suggesting temporal avoidance. We observed that the daily activity of five species differed between areas of Myanmar, likely adopting mechanisms to reduce overlap in areas highly frequented by humans. Interestingly, these species are all threatened by hunting or poaching activities, four of which have been described in literature as “cathemeral”, or species that are active through day and night. This study suggests that some species adapt their behavior, at least partially, to avoid human presence in habitats with higher anthropic occurrence and increase our knowledge on the status of medium–large mammals in a poorly studied country as Myanmar.

Cougar and jaguar habitat use and activity patterns in central Mexico

2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Octavio Monroy-Vilchis ◽  
Vicente Urios ◽  
Martha Zarco-González ◽  
Clarita Rodríguez-Soto
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Positive Response ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Activity Period ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Steep Slopes ◽  
Forest Habitats

AbstractIn this study the habitat use and activity patterns of the two of the largest cats of the Americas in central Mexico were studied. Three ways to detect felid presence were employed from August 2002 to May 2006: interviews, signs, and camera-traps. 478 records were obtained, from which 441 were from cougar and 37 from jaguar. These records included positive response in 118 of 140 interviews and 236 records of signs (mainly tracks and scats), and 124 photographs. Both felids preferred pine-oak forest habitats, with altitudes higher than 1800 m, distances between 3509 and 4377 m from roads, between 2329 and 4650 m from settlements, and distances to very steep slopes between 1048 and 2059 m, for jaguar, and for cougar lower than 1047 m. Jaguar activity was recorded mainly during nighttimes, between 0:00 and 6:00, whereas cougar was active between 4:00 and 6:00 and between 18:00 and 22:00 hours, avoiding the jaguar's principal activity period.

scholarly journals River Otter Distribution and Food Habits in Grand Teton National Park as Part of an Ongoing Project in the GYE

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 75-78
Author(s):  
Kelly Pearce ◽  
Tom Serfass
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Flagship Species ◽  
River Otter ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
River Otters

Grand Teton National Park is part of the known range of the North American river otter, however not much is known about this semi-aquatic mammal within the park. The results presented here are part of a larger project to investigate the potential of the river otter (Lontra canadensis) to serve as an aquatic flagship (species that engender public support and action) for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. River otters, known for their charismatic behavior have the potential to serve as an aquatic flagship species to promote conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective of this portion of the study was to identify river otter latrines on portions of the Snake River, between Flagg Ranch and Jackson Lake, and between Jackson Lake Dam and Pacific Creek, collect river otter scats to determine diet of the river otter, and employ remote cameras to determine activity patterns of the river otters. Between 20 June and 1 July 2015, 26 river otter latrines were identified during shoreline surveys, 186 river otter scats were collected, and cameras were deployed at 6 latrines between 7 July and 24 August 2015. River otter scats have been cleaned and prepared for analysis, but have not all been processed to date. Camera traps recorded 222 images, of which 7% (n = 14) were of carnivores, 70% (n = 155) were of non-carnivore mammals, and 9% (n = 22) were of birds. River otters were detected at 1 of the 6 latrines, a total of 5 independent times during the study.

scholarly journals Prey species and prey selection of dholes at three different sites in Thailand

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
KHWANRUTAI CHARASPET ◽  
Ronglarp - Sukmasuang ◽  
NORASET KHOEWSREE ◽  
MANANYA PLA-ARD ◽  
YUWALUK CHANACHAI
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Khao Yai National Park ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract. Charaspet K, Sukmasuang R, Khoewsree N, Pla-ard M, Chanachai Y. 2020. Prey species and prey selection of dholes at three different sites in Thailand. Biodiversitas 21: 5248-5262. The study of prey species and prey selection of Dholes at 3 different sites was conducted at Khao Yai National Park, Salak Pra, and Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries from 2013 to 2020. Information on Dhole prey at the sites was collected from the residues of dhole scats, from which the selection index, the relative biomass of the prey, and the relative amounts of the consumed prey were calculated. The data were collected simultaneously with the use of camera traps at each site. The study revealed that there were 13 species of Dhole prey with body weight over 5 kg. The result indicated that there were 7 species of even-toed ungulates. The relative biomass of even-toed ungulates ranged between 76.78 - 90.50% of the total biomass of all the Dholes’ consumed prey for all study sites. The dietary diversity index unveiled a similar index in all areas, which proved the adequacy of the analyzed scats. However, the Niche breadth index, which indicates the relevance of prey selection and prey species to the appearances of the prey at each site, was found to be high at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Khao Yai National Park, while the index was found to be low at Salak Pra Wildlife Sanctuary. The results revealed that Dholes consumed viverrid species and Malayan porcupine more often at the site where there were large carnivores. The recommendation from this study was the conservation and restoration of the ungulate populations, the main prey, as it greatly affects the conservation of the Dhole populations in Thailand.  Grassland and salt lick sites, water sources improvements are also important to promote prey population. The conservation of wildlife prey by releasing them to nature, as currently conducted, has an effect on the increase of Dholes’ prey species.

scholarly journals Dieta, uso de hábitat y patrones de actividad del puma (Puma concolor) y el jaguar (Panthera onca) en la selva maya.

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Giovanii Estrada Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Panthera Onca ◽  
Lowland Forest ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
La Selva ◽  
Mayan Forest ◽  
Niche Components

RESUMEN: La Selva Maya es el bosque tropical de hoja ancha más extenso de Centroamérica, se extiende entre México, Guatemala y Belice. El jaguar y el puma, son los felinos más grandes de América. En esta zona viven simpátricamente por lo que se presupone segregación en alguno de los componentes de su nicho ecológico. En este estudio se analizaron y compararon tres de los componentes principales del nicho: dieta, uso de hábitat y patrones de actividad, con el objetivo de evaluar si existe segregación entre el jaguar y el puma. Para la obtención de los datos se colectaron excrementos de manera oportunista, y se utilizaron trampas de cámaras automáticas en cuatro áreas protegidas. Se analizo la zona de estudio, a través de sistemas de información geográfica para determinar las proporciones de distintos tipos de hábitat presentes, y se colectaron datos de abundancias de las presas. Se analizaron los patrones y en la dieta, en el hábitat utilizado y en el horario de actividad. Se determino que el jaguar tuvo una dieta diferente y mas amplia comparada con la del puma, así también que este consume en promedio, presas más pequeñas. Las presas preferidas por elpuma fueron, tres especies de venados y tepezcuintles. Para el jaguar fueron coches de monte, pizotes y armadillos. Ambas especies presentaron un patrón similar de uso de hábitat, donde el "bosque alto" fue utilizado proporcionalmente a su abundancia, y el puma evitó el "bosque bajo". En cuanto a los patrones de actividad, ambos prefirieron horas nocturnas para desplazarse, aunque el puma presento mayor variabilidad. Se observo que ambas especies no se segregan mutuamente, espacial ni temporalmente. La frecuente utilización del "bosque bajo" y su relación con las aguadas y arroyos, es un factor importante en el mantenimiento de poblaciones de grandes felinos en la Selva MayaPALABRAS CLAVE: Felidae, Panthera onca, Puma concolor, coexistencia, nicho ecológico, Selva Maya, segregación ecológica.ABSTRACT: The Mayan Forest is the largest tropical broad-leaf forest remainder in Central America which extends between Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Jaguar and puma are the biggest American wild cats. In this area both live sympatric which suggest segregation in at least one of its ecological niche components. In this study I analyzed and compared three of the principal niche components: diet, habitat use and activity patterns, with the main objective of assess if occurs ecological segregation among jaguar and puma. To obtain the data it was collected  jaguar and puma’s scats in an opportunistic way, and was used automatic camera traps in four protected areas. I analyzed the study area by geographic information system (GIS) to determine proportions of different habitat types, and also I used  previous collected prey abundance data. I analyzed patterns in diet, in habitat use and temporal activity. I found that jaguar had a wider prey spectrum than puma; jaguar took (in average) smallest preys, consequently, diets were significantly different. Puma preferred deer, brocket deer and paca as main prey; in contrast, jaguar preferred collared pecari, coati and armadillo. Both predator species presented a similar pattern in habitat usage, in which "highland forest" was used accordingly with its availability and puma avoided "lowland forest". About activity patterns, both were more active in the night time, however, puma was more variable in this aspect. Both species did not show segregation spatially or temporally. KEYWORDS: Felidae, Panthera onca, Puma concolor, coexistence, ecologic niche, Mayan forest, ecologic segregation.

scholarly journals A sparse observation model to quantify species interactions in time and space

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadoune Ait Kaci Azzou ◽  
Liam Singer ◽  
Thierry Aebischer ◽  
Madleina Caduff ◽  
Beat Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Observation Model ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Imperfect Detection ◽  
Mobile Species

SummaryCamera traps and acoustic recording devices are essential tools to quantify the distribution, abundance and behavior of mobile species. Varying detection probabilities among device locations must be accounted for when analyzing such data, which is generally done using occupancy models. We introduce a Bayesian Time-dependent Observation Model for Camera Trap data (Tomcat), suited to estimate relative event densities in space and time. Tomcat allows to learn about the environmental requirements and daily activity patterns of species while accounting for imperfect detection. It further implements a sparse model that deals well will a large number of potentially highly correlated environmental variables. By integrating both spatial and temporal information, we extend the notation of overlap coefficient between species to time and space to study niche partitioning. We illustrate the power of Tomcat through an application to camera trap data of eight sympatrically occurring duiker Cephalophinae species in the savanna - rainforest ecotone in the Central African Republic and show that most species pairs show little overlap. Exceptions are those for which one species is very rare, likely as a result of direct competition.

scholarly journals Adaptations of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) to urban environments in Sydney, Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Gil-Fernández ◽  
Robert Harcourt ◽  
Thomas Newsome ◽  
Alison Towerton ◽  
Alexandra Carthey
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Sydney Australia ◽  
Site Types

Abstract With urban encroachment on wild landscapes accelerating globally, there is an urgent need to understand how wildlife is adapting to anthropogenic change. We compared the behaviour of the invasive red fox (Vulpes vulpes) at eight urban and eight peri-urban areas of Sydney, Australia. We observed fox behaviour around a lure and compared fox activity patterns to those of potential prey and to two domestic predators (dogs—Canis lupus familiaris and cats—Felis catus). We assessed the influence of site type, vegetation cover, and distance from habitation on fox behaviour, and compared the temporal activity patterns of urban and peri-urban red foxes. Urban red foxes were marginally more nocturnal than those in peri-urban areas (88% activity overlap). There was greater overlap of red fox activity patterns with introduced mammalian prey in urban areas compared with peri-urban areas (90% urban vs 84% peri-urban). Red fox temporal activity overlapped 78% with cats, but only 20% with dogs, across both site types. The high degree of overlap with cats and introduced mammalian prey is most likely explained by the nocturnal behaviour of these species, while pet dogs are generally kept in yards or indoors at night. The behavioural differences we documented by urban red foxes suggest they may adapt to human modifications and presence, by being more nocturnal and/or more confident in urban areas.

scholarly journals Ecological and Behavioral Drivers of Supplemental Feeding Use by Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus in a Peri-Urban Context

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2088
Author(s):  
Federico Ossi ◽  
Nathan Ranc ◽  
Paul Moorcroft ◽  
Priscilla Bonanni ◽  
Francesca Cagnacci
Keyword(s):  
Roe Deer ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Capreolus Capreolus ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Circular Statistics ◽  
Supplemental Feeding ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Feeding Site ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
Use Of Resources

Winter supplemental feeding of ungulates potentially alters their use of resources and ecological interactions, yet relatively little is known about the patterns of feeding sites use by target populations. We used camera traps to continuously monitor winter and spring feeding site use in a roe deer population living in a peri-urban area in Northern Italy. We combined circular statistics with generalized additive and linear mixed models to analyze the diel and seasonal pattern of roe deer visits to feeding sites, and the behavioral drivers influencing visit duration. Roe deer visits peaked at dawn and dusk, and decreased from winter to spring when vegetation regrows and temperature increases. Roe deer mostly visited feeding sites solitarily; when this was not the case, they stayed longer at the site, especially when conspecifics were eating, but maintained a bimodal diel pattern of visits. These results support an opportunistic use of feeding sites, following seasonal cycles and the roe deer circadian clock. Yet, the attractiveness of these artificial resources has the potential to alter intra-specific relationships, as competition for their use induces gatherings and may extend the contact time between individuals, with potential behavioral and epidemiological consequences.

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