SEROLOGICAL SURVEY FOR DISEASES IN FREE-RANGING COYOTES (CANIS LATRANS) IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

1997 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M. Gese ◽  
Ronald D. Schultz ◽  
Mark R. Johnson ◽  
Elizabeth S. Williams ◽  
Robert L. Crabtree ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Serological Survey ◽  
Free Ranging

scholarly journals Coyote, Canis latrans, Predation on a Bison, Bison bison, Calf in Yellowstone National Park

2009 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 260 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Sheldon ◽  
Gregory Reed ◽  
A. Cheyenne Burnett ◽  
Kevin Li ◽  
Robert L. Crabtree
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Bison Bison ◽  
Alpha Male ◽  
Complete Observation

We observed a single adult male Coyote (Canis latrans) kill a Bison (Bison bison) calf in Yellowstone National Park. The predation is, to our knowledge, the only direct and complete observation of a lone Coyote capturing and killing a Bison calf. The bison calf had unsuccessfully attempted to ford a river with a group and subsequently become stranded alone in the territory of a six-year-old alpha male Coyote.

Coyote foraging ecology and vigilance in response to gray wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 985-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Adam Switalski
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Large Carnivore ◽  
Continuous Source

Coyotes (Canis latrans) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) have lived in the absence of wolves (Canis lupus) for over 60 years. I examined whether wolf reintroduction in 1995 and 1996 in YNP influenced coyote vigilance and foraging ecology. From December 1997 to July 2000, my co-workers and I collected 1708 h of coyote activity budgets. Once wolves became established in the Park, they once again provided a continuous source of carrion in the Lamar Valley and we found that coyotes began feeding on carcasses throughout the year. Although we documented that wolves killed coyotes, it also became clear that surviving coyotes quickly adjusted their behaviors when wolves were present. When coyotes were near wolves or in areas of high wolf use, they fed on carcasses much more; however, they increased the amount of time spent in vigilance activities and decreased rest. There appears to be a trade-off in which wolf kills provide a quick source of food that is energetically advantageous to coyotes; however, attendant costs included increased vigilance, decreased rest, and a higher risk of being killed. Changes in the behavior of coyotes in response to the reintroduction of this large carnivore may ultimately have wide-ranging cascading effects throughout the ecosystem.

Foraging ecology of coyotes (Canis latrans): the influence of extrinsic factors and a dominance hierarchy

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 769-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M. Gese ◽  
Robert L. Ruff ◽  
Robert L. Crabtree
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Activity Budgets ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Time Activity

We examined the influence of intrinsic (age, sex, and social status) and extrinsic (snow depth, snowpack hardness, temperature, available ungulate carcass biomass) factors in relation to time–activity budgets of coyotes (Canis latrans) in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. We observed 54 coyotes (49 residents from 5 packs, plus 5 transients) for 2507 h from January 1991 to June 1993. Snow depth, ungulate carcass biomass, and habitat type influenced the amount of time coyotes rested, travelled, hunted small mammals, and fed on carcasses. Coyotes decreased travelling and hunting and increased resting and feeding on carcasses as snow depth and available carcass biomass increased. Age and social status of the coyote influenced activity budgets. During times of deep snow and high carcass biomass, pups fed less on carcasses and hunted small mammals more than alpha and beta coyotes. Pups apparently were restricted by older pack members from feeding on a carcass. Thus, pups adopted a different foraging strategy by spending more time hunting small mammals. Coyotes spent most of their time hunting small mammals in mesic meadows and shrub–meadows, where prey densities were highest. Prey-detection rates and prey-capture rates explained 78 and 84%, respectively, of the variation in the amount of time coyotes spent hunting small mammals in each habitat in each winter. Our findings strongly suggested that resource partitioning, as mediated by defense by older coyotes, occurred among coyote pack members in Yellowstone National Park.

scholarly journals Territorial defense by coyotes (Canis latrans) in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: who, how, where, when, and why

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 980-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M Gese
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Territorial Defense ◽  
Territory Defense ◽  
Minor Injuries ◽  
Access To Food

Territorial defense and maintenance are an important facet of the social ecology of most carnivore species. From January 1991 to June 1993, we observed 54 coyotes (Canis latrans) for 2507 h in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, during which we observed 112 instances of territory defense. The identity of the coyotes involved in challenging and evicting intruding animals was known. Alpha coyotes were most likely to be involved in territorial evictions of intruding animals, followed by beta individuals; pups participated little in territory defense. Coyotes evicting intruders generally had a numerical advantage when challenging the intruders. Territory-defense rates were highest during and immediately after the breeding season and during the time of pup emergence from the den. All chases of intruders ended at the boundary of the resident coyote pack's territory. Physical contact between the intruding animal and resident pack members occurred with no intruders being killed or seriously injured. Physical contact consisted of fighting and ritualized behaviors, with only a few instances in which fighting led to blood being drawn or minor injuries to the intruder. Most encounters resulted in a hasty retreat from the area by the intruder(s). While indirect means of territory maintenance (i.e., howling and scent-marking) were utilized by resident packs, trespassing still occurred and direct confrontation was needed to enforce boundaries and assert occupancy against other resident packs, as well as against lone intruders seeking territory vacancies. Territoriality was advantageous in that territory holders generally had higher survival rates (except pups), contributed all the reproductive effort to the population, and had greater access to food resources. In contrast, nonterritorial animals had lower survival rates, did not breed, and had reduced access to food (ungulate carcasses) during winter.

scholarly journals Effects of 1988 Fires on Ecology of Coyotes in Yellowstone National Park: Baseline Preceding Possible Wolf Recovery

1989 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 174-182
Author(s):  
Robert Crabtree ◽  
Maurice Hornocker
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Pack Size ◽  
Direct Visual Observation ◽  
Fixed Station

Fifteen healthy coyotes (Canis latrans) were captured from 25 September through 25 October 1989 in the Lamar Valley and Blacktail Plateau areas of the northern range of Yellowstone National Park. Six males and nine females weighed an average of 14.1 kg. Only three of the 15 captured were six months-old which suggests low population productivity. After six weeks of radio-tracking all 15 were in the general vicinity of capture. Initially, 7-8 appear to be alpha breeding adults. Pack size appears large and initial minimum counts averaged four adults per group. Pilot studies of direct visual observation and fixed-station radio-telemetry appear very promising. Sixty-five miles of scat-survey transects have been laid out and plans to capture 15 more coyotes at carcasses in specific areas are underway.

Response of neighboring coyotes (Canis latrans) to social disruption in an adjacent pack

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (10) ◽  
pp. 1960-1963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M Gese
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Food Shortage ◽  
Alpha Male ◽  
Social Disruption ◽  
Social Unit ◽  
Spatial Response ◽  
The Social

Territoriality is an important mechanism by which social carnivores limit or exclude potential competitors from mates, food, and space. The response of neighboring conspecifics to social disruption in an adjacent social unit has been rarely documented, owing to the difficulty of observing secretive or nocturnal carnivores. We observed 54 coyotes (Canis latrans) from five resident packs, plus five transient animals, for 2507 h from January 1991 to June 1993 in the Lamar River Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. We documented the spatial response of three neighboring coyote packs to the social disruption in an adjacent fourth pack caused by the death of the alpha male and subsequent temporary abandonment of the territory by the alpha female. One of the three packs shifted its space-use pattern into part of the adjacent pack's territory and maintained occupancy of the newly acquired area even when the alpha female returned with a new mate. Neither food shortage nor prey availability was a contributing factor. The absence of the alpha pair maintaining territorial boundaries allowed the adjacent pack to take over part of the unoccupied area.

Abortion Caused by Brucella abortus Biovar 1 in a Free-ranging Bison (Bison bison) from Yellowstone National Park

1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack C. Rhyan ◽  
William J. Quinn ◽  
Larry S. Stackhouse ◽  
James J. Henderson ◽  
Darla R. Ewalt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brucella Abortus ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Bison Bison ◽  
Free Ranging

Ultrastructural Localization of Phycocyanin in the Acidophilic, Thermophilic Alga, Cyanidium Caldarium

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 462-463
Author(s):  
M. R. Edwards ◽  
J. D. Mainwaring
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Ultrastructural Localization ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Cyanidium Caldarium ◽  
Taxonomic Rank ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Standard Methods ◽  
Laboratory Cultures

Although the general ultrastructure of Cyanidium caldarium, an acidophilic, thermophilic alga of questionable taxonomic rank, has been extensively studied (see review of literature in reference 1), some peculiar ultrastructural features of the chloroplast of this alga have not been noted by other investigators.Cells were collected and prepared for thin sections at the Yellowstone National Park and were also grown in laboratory cultures (45-52°C; pH 2-5). Fixation (glutaraldehyde-osmium), dehydration (ethanol), and embedding (Epon 812) were accomplished by standard methods. Replicas of frozenfracture d- etched cells were obtained in a Balzers apparatus. In addition, cells were examined after disruption in a French Press.

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