Life Sciences Commons^™

Environmental Contaminant Concentrations In Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis) Muscle: Probabilistic Risk Assessment For Human Consumers, Katherine E. Horak, Richard Chipman, Lisa Murphy, John Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The issue of food insecurity affects millions of people in the United States every year. Often these people rely on soup kitchens, food banks, and shelters for proper meals, and these organizations often depend on donations to meet needs. One of the most limited food resources is meat. To help alleviate this problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services donates more than 60 tons of wild game (deer, moose, feral hogs, goats, geese, and ducks) to a variety of charitable organizations each year. Although commercially produced meat routinely undergoes screening for contaminants, potential exposure to environmental contaminants from eating …

Effects Of Spatiotemporal Resource Heterogeneity On Home Range Size Of American Beaver, L. F. Mcclintic, J. D. Taylor Ii, J. C. Jones, R. D. Singleton, G. Wang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Home range size of terrestrial animals may be influenced by spatiotemporal dynamics of resources. However, little is known regarding the effects of spatiotemporal resource availability on semi-aquatic central place foragers such as the American beaver Castor canadensis. From January 2011 to April 2012, 26 beavers at 11 wetlands at Redstone Arsenal in north-central Alabama, USA, were captured and radio-tracked using radio telemetry. The objectives of this study were to test the predictions of three hypotheses: (1) the resource dispersion hypothesis: more spatially dispersed resources throughout a landscape increase home range sizes; (2) the temporal resource variability hypothesis: more temporally …

The Spring Migration Of Adult North American Ospreys, Mark S. Martell, Richard O. Bierregaard Jr., Brian E. Washburn, John E. Elliott, Charles J. Henry, Robert S. Kennedy, Iain Macleod

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Most North American Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are migratory, breeding in northern latitudes and migrating long distances to and from their wintering grounds in the tropics. Although fall migration patterns of North American Ospreys have been described and studied, very little has been published about the spring migration of these birds. We used satellite telemetry to: (1) determine the characteristics (timing, duration, migratory routes) of spring migrations of Ospreys; (2) determine if differences in spring migration patterns existed between sexes and among three breeding populations (east coast, midwestern, and western); and (3) compare consecutive fall and spring migrations of …

The Influence Of Breeding Experience On Nest Success In Red-Winged Blackbird, George M. Linz, Richard S. Sawin, Mark W. Lutman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a polygynous species, and females are typically responsible for the majority of parental care. Despite their limited involvement, males can contribute to reproduction through nest defense and the feeding of nestlings. Some aspects of nest defense may be learned, and older males are more likely to feed young, suggesting that males with previous breeding experience may enjoy higher nest success than their naïve counterparts. We manipulated territory ownership on 10 wetlands in central North Dakota in order to examine the influence of breeding experience on reproductive success. We found no evidence that …

Modeling Black Bear Population Dynamics In A Human-Dominated Stochastic Environment, David L. Lewis, Stewart W. Breck, Kenneth R. Wilson, Colleen T. Webb

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many large carnivore populations exist in human-influenced stochastic environments where availability of natural food sources vary annually and anthropogenic food sources can supplement energetic demands, but at a potential demographic cost due to human–wildlife conflict and subsequent conflict management. Understanding how these competing factors influence a population is complex and difficult to study, but here we demonstrate the utility of using a stochastic projection matrix model and perturbation analysis to gain insight into this problem. We modeled a black bear population subjected to stochastic failures of fruiting and masting species, but with access to garbage in urban environments.We parameratized our …

Regulation Of Tree Squirrel Populations With Immunocontraception: A Fox Squirrel Example, Sara K. Krause, Douglas A. Kelt, Dirk H. Van Vuren, James P. Gionfriddo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Tree squirrels (Sciurus spp.) are highly successful immigrants to urban and suburban areas in North America and Europe, causing both economic and ecological damage. Control of such invasive populations is challenging but of increasing importance to local managers. We studied an invasive population of fox squirrels (S. niger) and applied an immunocontraceptive vaccine in an experimental study of demographic control. Here we integrate our data into a simple stage-structured population model to simulate population reduction under 2 treatment levels (60 and 80% of females, respectively) for vaccines lasting from 1 to 5 years. Contraception can be an …

Parenteral Administration Of Gnrh Constructs And Adjuvants: Immuneresponses And Effects On Reproductive Tissues Of Male Mice, Sameer Sharma, Ian Mcdonald, Lowell Martin, Lyn A. Hinds

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Two gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) constructs prepared by either chemical conjugation tokeyhole limpet hemocyanin (GnRH-KLH) or as an expressed recombinant fusion protein (Multimer) wereevaluated with or without adjuvants (immunostimulating complexes, ISCOMs, or cytosine-phosphate-guanosine oligodeoxynucleotides, CpG ODNs). After subcutaneous administration to Balb/c male mice atWeeks 0, 2 and 4, these preparations were assessed for induction of immune responses and effects onreproductive organs. GnRH-KLH plus ISCOMs formulation induced strong IgG immune responses fromWeek 4 through Week 12 resulting in consistent reproductive organ atrophy by Week 12 after sub-cutaneous administration. GnRH-KLH plus CpG ODNs generated immune responses but no atrophy ofreproductive tissues by …

Using Sterilization To Change Predation Rates Of Wild Coyotes:A Test Case Involving Pronghorn Fawns, Renee G. Seidler, Eric M. Gese, Mary M. Conner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Surgical sterilization of coyotes (Canis latrans) reduced their predation rate on domesticsheep. We investigated whether sterilizing coyotes would similarly change coyote pre-dation rates on pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) neonates. From May 2006 toMarch 2008, we radio-collared 71 pronghorn fawns to determine survival rates in south-east Colorado, USA. During the first year of the study, all coyotes were reproductively intact. During the second year, we surgically sterilized 15 coyotes from 10 packs in the southernhalf of the study area, while nine coyotes from seven packs in the northern half were givensham sterilizations (i.e., remained reproductively intact). In …

Diffusion Of Influenza Viruses Among Migratory Birds With A Focus On The Southwest United States, Matthew Scotch, Tommy Tsan-Yuk Lam, Kristy L. Pabilonia, Theodore Anderson, John Baroch, Dennis Kohler, Thomas J. Deliberto

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Southwest United States, including Arizona and New Mexico, has a diverse climate and is home to many different avian species. We sequenced the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of twenty influenza specimens for the years 2007–2009. This included four from Arizona, and sixteen from New Mexico. We analyzed the sequences and determined the following HA subtypes: H3, H4, H6, H8, and H11. For each subtype, we combined our virus sequences with those from a public database, and inferred phylogeographic models of influenza diffusion. Statistical phylogeography indicated that overall evolutionary diffusion of avian influenza viruses is geographically structured (p < 0.05). In addition, we found that diffusion to the Southwest was often from nearby states including California. For H3, H4 and H6, the intra-flyway gene flow rates were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than those of inter-flyway. Such rate difference was also observed in H8 and H11, yet, without statistical significance (p = 0.132, p = 0.190, respectively). Excluding any one flyway from the calculation generated similar results, suggesting that such barrier effect on gene flow rates is not exclusively produced by any single flyway. We also calculated the Bayes factor test for the significant non-zero rates between states and identified significant routes both within and across flyways. Such inter-flyway spread of influenza was probably the result of birds from four flyways co-mingling on breeding grounds in northern regions or marshaling on staging areas post breeding in Canada or Alaska, before moving south each fall. This study provides an initial analysis of evolutionary diffusion of avian influenza virus to and from the Southwest United States. However, more sequences from this region need to be generated to determine the role of host migration and other factors on influenza diffusion.

Behavioral Traits And Airport Type Affect Mammal Incidents With U.S. Civil Aircraft, Kristin B. Schwarz, Jerrold L. Belant, James A. Martin, Travis L. Devault, Guiming Wang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife incidents with aircraft cost the United States (U.S.) civil aviation industry >US$1.4 billion in estimated damages and loss of revenue from 1990 to 2009. Although terrestrial mammals represented only 2.3 % of wildlife incidents, damage to aircraft occurred in 59 % of mammal incidents. We examined mammal incidents (excluding bats) at all airports in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Wildlife Strike Database from 1990 to 2010 to characterize these incidents by airport type: Part-139 certified (certificated) and general aviation (GA). We also calculated relative hazard scores for species most frequently involved in incidents. We found certificated airports had …

Shedding Of A Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus In A Common Synanthropic Mammal – The Cottontail Rabbit, J. Jeffrey Root, Susan A. Shriner, Kevin T. Bentler, Thomas Gidlewski, Nicole L. Mooers, Terry R. Spraker, Kaci K. Vandalen, Heather J. Sullivan, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Cottontails (Sylvilagus spp.) are common mammals throughout much of the U.S. and are often found in peridomestic settings, potentially interacting with livestock and poultry operations. If these animals are susceptible to avian influenza virus (AIV) infections and shed the virus in sufficient quantities they may pose a risk for movement of avian influenza viruses between wildlife and domestic animals in certain situations.

Methodology/Principal Findings: To assess the viral shedding potential of AIV in cottontails, we nasally inoculated fourteen cottontails with a low pathogenic AIV (H4N6). All inoculated cottontails shed relatively large quantities of viral RNA both nasally ( …

Influence Of Habitat Structure And Food On Patch Choice Ofcaptive Coyotes, Sharon A. Poessel, Eric M. Gese, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Increasing urban development can have significant effects on wildlife species, includingcarnivores. Some carnivore species have been able to adapt to and even thrive in urban envi-ronments, including coyotes (Canis latrans). The presence of carnivores in urban areas cansometimes lead to conflicts with humans and their pets. Although coyotes may frequentlyuse urban areas, they also inhabit natural areas surrounding urban development. Under-standing the various factors affecting patch choice of urban coyotes may assist wildlifeofficials in managing human-coyote conflicts. Both sex and behavioral profile can influ-ence patch choice; bold individuals are more likely to be exploratory than shy animals,which can …

Short Report: Antibody Prevalence Of Select Arboviruses In Mute Swans (Cygnus Olor) In The Great Lakes Region And Atlantic Coast Of The United States, Kerri Pedersen, David R. Marks, Dustin M. Arsnoe, Sarah N. Bevins, Eryu Wang, Scott C. Weaver, Randall M. Mickley, Thomas J. Deliberto

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Mute swans (Cygnus olor) are an invasive species in the United States. The dramatic increase in their populations in localized areas has led to various problems, among them competition with native species and attacks on humans by aggressive swans. However, very little is known about the ability of these swans to transmit pathogens to humans, domestic birds, or wildlife or participate in enzootic maintenance. To learn more about select pathogens that mute swans may harbor, a survey was conducted from April of 2011 to August of 2012 in the Great Lakes region and localized areas of the Atlantic …

European Starling Feeding Activity On Repellent Treated Crops And Pellets, Shelagh K. Tupper, Scott J. Werner, James C. Carlson, Susan E. Pettit, John C. Wise, Catherine A. Lindell, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The varied diet of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris L.) can present challenges when working with starlings in experimental testing and holding situations and should be taken into account when testing repellents applied to food. Our purpose was to evaluate an anthraquinone-based repellent (Arkion Life Sciences, New Castle, DE, USA; active ingredient 50% 9,10-anthraquinone; hereafter anthraquinone) and SucraShield^TM (Natural Forces, Davidson, NC, USA; active ingredient 40% sucrose octanoate esters) repellent for non-lethal protection of specialty crops (i.e., fruit, sweet corn) and grains. Our objectives were to evaluate (1) laboratory efficacy of anthraquinone applied topically to blueberries and sweet …

Spatial Epidemiology Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Dairy Cattle In Relation To Night Roosts Of Sturnus Vulgaris (European Starling) In Ohio, Usa (2007–2009), A. L. Swirski, D. L. Pearl, M. L. Williams, H. J. Homan, G. M. Linz, N. Cernicchiaro, J. T. Lejeune

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The goal of our study was to use spatial scan statics to determine whether the night roosts of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) act as point sources for the dissemination of Escherichia coli O157:H7 among dairy farms. From 2007 to 2009, we collected bovine faecal samples (n = 9000) and starling gastrointestinal contents (n = 430) from 150 dairy farms in northeastern Ohio, USA. Isolates of E. coli O157:H7 recovered from these samples were subtyped using multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Generated MLVA types were used to construct a dendrogram based on a categorical multistate coefficient and unweighted …

Responses To Canopy Loss And Debris Deposition In A Tropical Forest Ecosystem: Synthesis From An Experimental Manipulation Simulating Effects Of Hurricane Disturbance, Aaron B. Shiels, Grizelle González, Michael R. Willig

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Hurricanes, cyclones, or typhoons are intense and broad-scale disturbances that affect many island and coastal ecosystems throughout the world. We summarize the findings of the articles that compose this special issue of Forest Ecology and Management, which focuses on a manipulative experiment (the Canopy Trimming Experiment, CTE) that simulates two key aspects of hurricane effects in a wet tropical forest. Although previous studies of tropical and subtropical forests have documented changes resulting from hurricanes, it is not clear which of the two simultaneously occurring direct effects of hurricanes—canopy openness or debris deposition—most influence responses. In the Luquillo Experimental Forest …

Trait-Based Plant Mortality And Preference For Native Versus Non-Native Seedlings By Invasive Slug And Snail Herbivores In Hawaii, Aaron B. Shiels, Martin K. Ennis, Laura Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Non-native herbivores may alter plant communities through their preferential consumption of seedlings of different species. We assessed seedling herbivory by two invasive gastropod species in Hawaii, the giant African snail (Achatina fulica) and the Cuban brown slug (Veronicella cubensis). We hypothesized that six native species would suffer greater gastropod herbivory than four non-native species, and that species with short stature, thin leaves, and lacking physical defenses would suffer the greatest mortality from gastropods. Herbivory was measured during 13-day preference trials using enclosures that each contained four different woody species (two native, two non-native) and were assigned …

Understory Fern Community Structure, Growth And Spore Production Responses To A Large-Scale Hurricane Experiment In A Puerto Rico Rainforest, Joanne M. Sharpe, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Ferns are abundant in most rainforest understories yet their responses to hurricanes have not been wellstudied. Fern community structure, growth and spore production were monitored for two years before and five years after a large-scale experiment that simulated two key components of severe hurricane disturbance: canopy openness and debris deposition. The canopy was opened by cutting branches above 3 m and the fallen leaf and woody debris was either added to or removed from the forest floor resulting in four treatments that were replicated three times in a factorial design. Of the 16 fern species observed during the experiment 12 …

Efficacy Of Plastic Mesh Tubes In Reducing Herbivory Damage By The Invasive Nutria (Myocastor Coypus) In An Urban Restoration Site, Trevor R. Sheffels, Mark D. Sytsma, Jacoby Carter, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The restoration of stream corridors is becoming an increasingly important component of urban landscape planning, and the high cost of these projects necessitates the need to understand and address potential ecological obstacles to project success. The nutria (Myocastor coypus) is an invasive, semi-aquatic rodent native to South America that causes detrimental ecological impacts in riparian and wetland habitats throughout its introduced range, and techniques are needed to reduce nutria herbivory damage to urban stream restoration projects. We assessed the efficacy of standard Vexar® plastic mesh tubes in reducing nutria herbivory damage to newly established woody plants. The study …

An Efficacy Test Of Cholecalciferol Plus Diphacinone Rodenticide Baits For California Voles (Microtus Californicus Peale) To Replace Ineffective Chlorophacinone Baits, Gary W. Witmer, Rachael S. Moulton, Roger A. Baldwin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

California voles cause damage to pastures and rangelands, orchards and nurseries, and a wide variety of field crops, including artichokes. The anticoagulant rodenticides (chlorophacinone and diphacinone) typically used for voles are becoming less effective in controlling their populations. Consequently, there is a need to identify new rodenticides that will have a high efficacy on California voles so that agricultural production losses to rodents can be substantially reduced. We tested a new formulation containing two active ingredients (cholecalciferol and diphacinone) as a control method for California voles. Both a pelleted bait and an oil-coated artichoke bract bait were very palatable and …

Responses By Wild House Mice (Mus Musculus) To Variousstimuli In A Novel Environment, Gary W. Witmer, Nathan P. Snow, Rachael S. Moulton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

House mice (Mus musculus) pose a threat to the native flora and fauna on islands, and cancause significant damage wherever they have been introduced. Methods used to eradicateinvasive rodents, like house mice, at high population densities may not be appropriate forintercepting them at lower densities. A better understanding of the immediate behavior ofhouse mice when first introduced to a novel environment would help managers developeffective biosecurity techniques to protect against new invasions. To address this problem,we conducted a controlled laboratory experiment that simulated an invasion by wild housemice into a novel environment. We quantified and compared the immediate …

Prevalence And Diversity Of Babesia, Hepatozoon, Ehrlichia, And Bartonella In Wild And Domestic Carnivores From Zambia, Africa, Brianna M. Williams, Are Berentsen, Barbara C. Shock, Maria Teixiera, Michael R. Dunbar, Matthew S. Becker, Michael J. Yabsley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A molecular survey was conducted for several hemoparasites of domestic dogs and three species of wild carnivores from two sites in Zambia. Three Babesia spp. were detected including Babesia felis and Babesia leo in lions (Panthera leo) and a Babesia sp. (similar to Babesia lengau) in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) and a single lion. All wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) and domestic dogs were negative for Babesia. High prevalences for Hepatozoon were noted in all three wild carnivores (38–61 %) and in domestic dogs (13 %). Significantly higher prevalences were noted in hyenas and …

Perceived Impacts Of Wild Turkeys And Management Techniques For Wisconsin Ginseng Production, Scott J. Werner, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Julie L. Elser, Katy N. Kirkpatrick, Susan E. Pettit, Jason Suckow, Robert C. Willging, Jim A. Tharman, Joe Heil

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The restoration of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; Viellot) within Wisconsin has successfully populated the central counties which account for 95% of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) production. In response to perceived and emerging conflicts, the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, Inc. conducted producer surveys in March 2006 and 2012 to determine the extent and timing of wild turkey damage experienced among all Wisconsin ginseng producers, and the methods used to minimize wild turkey damage. We summarized 47 and 63 completed surveys in 2006 and 2012, respectively. Most survey respondents reported that wild turkeys were present and …

Synergistic Effect Of An Ultraviolet Feeding Cue For An Avianrepellent And Protection Of Agricultural Crops, Scott J. Werner, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Susan E. Pettit, Anna M. Mangan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Application strategies for avian repellents are needed to maintain efficacious repellentconcentrations throughout the period of needed crop protection. We investigated the repellency of an ultraviolet (UV) feeding cue in the absence of postingestive consequences, thecombination of the UV feeding cue and an UV-absorbent, postingestive repellent (i.e., arepellent that causes negative postingestive consequences), and a non-UV feeding cue com-bined with the UV-absorbent, postingestive repellent in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaiusphoeniceus). In the absence of negative postingestive consequences, 0.2% of the UV feed-ing cue (wt/wt) was not aversive relative to untreated food (i.e., baseline preference test; P = 0.1732). Relative to the …

Human–Osprey Conflicts: Industry, Utilities, Communication, And Transportation, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Although often perceived as a species of remote settings, Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are highly adaptable and currently are abundant in many urban and suburban landscapes. Living in close proximity to humans, Ospreys often come into conflict with people and several important issues require the attention of and management by natural resource professionals. These include effects on: (1) industry (e.g., foraging at aquaculture facilities), (2) utilities (e.g., nesting on electric utility power poles and transmission towers), (3) communication networks (e.g., nesting on cellular towers), and (4) transportation systems (e.g., risks posed to human health and safety due to Osprey–aircraft …

Right Place, Wrong Species: A 20-Year Review Of Rabies Virus Cross Species Transmission Among Terrestrial Mammals In The United States, Ryan M. Wallace, Amy T. Gilbert, Dennis Slate, Richard Chipman, Amber Singh, Cassie Wedd, Jesse D. Blanton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction: In the continental US, four terrestrial mammalian species are reservoirs for seven antigenic rabies virus variants. Cross species transmission (CST) occurs when a rabies virus variant causes disease in non-reservoir species.

Methods: This study analyzed national surveillance data for rabies in terrestrial mammals. The CST rate was defined as: number of rabid non-reservoir animals/number of rabid reservoir animals. CST rates were analyzed for trend. Clusters of high CST rate counties were evaluated using space-time scanning statistics.

Results: The number of counties reporting a raccoon variant CST rate >1.0 increased from 75 in 1992 to 187 in 2011; counties with …

The Chemical Senses In Birds, Larry Clark, Julie Hagelin, Scott J. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

7.1 CHEMICAL SENSES

The chemical senses generally fall into three categories: chemesthesis (irritation and pain), olfaction (smell), and gustation (taste). Traditionally, the emphasis in describing responsiveness to chemical stimuli has been placed on taste and smell. The reality is more complex. For example, the sensory afferents for chemesthetic perception are in close proximity with olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity and with gustatory receptors in the oral cavity. Because external chemical stimuli can be processed by multiple sensory systems, there has been a great deal of confusion in the literature on the importance of individual sensory modalities. Generally, the principal …

Disease Risks ·Posed By Wild Birds Associated With Agricultural Landscapes, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There are over 1,400 cataloged human pathogens, with approximately 62% classified as zoonotic (Taylor et aI., 2001). While most evidence of direct transmission of pathogens to humans involves domestic and companion animals, the reservoir for most zoonoses is wildlife, yet there are relatively few well-documented cases for the direct involvement of transmission from wildlife to humans (Kruse et aI., 2004). In part, this absence of evidence reflects the mobility of wildlife, the difficulty in accessing relevant samples, and the smaller number of studies focused on characterizing wildlife pathogens relative to the human and veterinary literature (McDiarmid, 1969; Davies et aI., …

Efficacy Of Ropel® As A Coyote Repellent, Elizabeth A. Miller, Julie K. Young, Scott Stelting, Bruce A. Kimball

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We examined the repellency of a commercially available animal repellent to determine the efficacy of its application to objects that are attractive to coyotes (Canis latrans). Specifically, we aimed to both prevent chewing behavior by coyotes on a nylon-like strapping material, which is used to construct barrier-arresting systems on military airstrips, and determine the ability of the solution to prevent the animals from repeating the undesired behavior. We mixed Ropel® Animal and Rodent Repellent with a liquid latex sticker to form a 2% latex and 98% Ropel solution. We used a 2% latex and 98% water solution as …

Memory-Based Quantity Discrimination In Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Salif Mahamane, Kevin L. Grunig, Joseph Baker, Julie K. Young, Kerry E. Jordan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Previous research has shown that the ratio between competing quantities of food significantly mediates coyotes‘ (Canis latrans) ability to choose the larger of two food options. These previous findings are consistent with predictions made by Weber‘s Law and indicate that coyotes possess quantity discrimination abilities that are similar to other species. Importantly, coyotes‘ discrimination abilities are similar to domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), indicating that quantitative discrimination may remain stable throughout certain species‘ evolution. However, while previously shown in two domestic dogs, it is unknown whether coyotes possess the ability to discriminate visual quantities from memory. …