Food use by an insular population of coyotes
O'Connell AF, Harrison DJ, Connery B, Anderson KB. 1992. Food use by an insular population of coyotes. Northeast Wildlife. 49:36-42
FIELD WORK: 1989-1991. 'Coyote (Canis latrans) food use was studied on Mount Desert Island (MDI), Maine, and compared with the diet of a nearby mainland population. The most common coyote foods on MDI were white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), small mammals (Cricetidae, Soricidae, Zapodidae) and fruits; whereas fruits, snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), deer, and small mammals were most commonly used on the mainland. Compared to the mainland, coyotes exhibited greater dietary diversity on MDI despite lower faunal diversity. Raccoon remains occurred in 8.0%, 18.4%, 38.9% and 47.5% of coyote scats from MDI examined during summer, winter, spring, and autumn, respectively. In contrast, raccoons occurred in less than 1% of coyote scats from the mainland site, and have not been identified as a significant food item in other portions of the coyote's range. Consumption of raccoons on MDI may have been a result of low relative abundance of more preferred foods, and illustrates the potential for coyotes to expand their niche breath in response to insular environments.' /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /MOUNT DESERT ISLAND
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- O'Connell, Allan; Harrison, Daniel; Connery, Bruce; Anderson, Karen
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Food, Mount Desert Island, Scat