The intrepid urban coyote: a comparison of bold and exploratory behavior in coyotes from urban and rural environments.

摘要: Coyotes (Canis latrans) are highly adaptable, medium-sized carnivores that now inhabit nearly every large city in the United States and Canada. To help understand how coyotes have adapted to living urban environments, we compared two ecologically evolutionarily important behavioral traits (i.e., bold-shy exploration-avoidance behavior) contrasting environments rural urban). Boldness is an individual’s reaction a risky situation exploration willingness explore novel situations. Our results from both tests indicate bolder more exploratory than within populations there individuals vary across spectrums. Bolder behavior emerged over several decades speculate on possible processes (e.g., learning selection) site differences could be playing role this adaptation. We hypothesize factor people treat coyotes; area were regularly persecuted whereas rarely sometimes positively rewarded close proximity of people. Negative consequences adaptation become bold enough occasionally prey pets or attack humans.