Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala

Although well studied in other regions of North America, coyotes are severely understudied in Central America. In this region, we recorded a series of videos that can inform coyote feeding ecology and interactions with other sympatric predators. Camera traps were placed to monitor terrestrial biodiv...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Reyes, Gabriel, Serech-Gomez, Elvis Natanael, Cotto-Guzman, Elian Jacobo, Joachín, Emilio, Soto-Shoender, Jose R.
Formato: Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/13797
_version_ 1854965450386964480
author Reyes, Gabriel
Serech-Gomez, Elvis Natanael
Cotto-Guzman, Elian Jacobo
Joachín, Emilio
Soto-Shoender, Jose R.
author_browse Cotto-Guzman, Elian Jacobo
Joachín, Emilio
Reyes, Gabriel
Serech-Gomez, Elvis Natanael
Soto-Shoender, Jose R.
author_facet Reyes, Gabriel
Serech-Gomez, Elvis Natanael
Cotto-Guzman, Elian Jacobo
Joachín, Emilio
Soto-Shoender, Jose R.
author_sort Reyes, Gabriel
collection Repositorio CATIE
description Although well studied in other regions of North America, coyotes are severely understudied in Central America. In this region, we recorded a series of videos that can inform coyote feeding ecology and interactions with other sympatric predators. Camera traps were placed to monitor terrestrial biodiversity in the Agua Volcano, a mountain forest ecosystem in Guatemala. We captured a sequence of videos of a female coyote carrying and then feeding on a white-nosed coati (Nasua narica). Additionally, our camera traps recorded a subsequent sequence of two free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) scavenging on the remains of the coati left by the coyote. On a separate occasion, what appears to be the same coyote is captured walking in front of our camera traps and a pack of three dogs seem to follow the coyote several minutes later. These events provide basic information on coyote feeding ecology in mountain ecosystems of Central America and suggest that coyotes in this ecosystem may be interacting with free-ranging dogs by facilitating scavenging opportunities. Additionally, our records also suggest there is potential for other types of interactions such as interference competition and/or intraguild predation with free-ranging dogs. This is cause for concern as coyotes may be subsidizing free-ranging dogs, thereby exacerbating their negative impacts on native biodiversity and human well-being. We recognize the speculative nature and small sample size of our observations; however, these reports provide initial observations of coyote ecology in the region and suggest important new avenues of research to better understand current and future threats to coyotes posed by free-ranging dogs in biodiverse mountain ecosystems of the Neotropics.
format Artículo
id RepoCATIE13797
institution Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling RepoCATIE137972025-08-28T00:51:05Z Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala Reyes, Gabriel Serech-Gomez, Elvis Natanael Cotto-Guzman, Elian Jacobo Joachín, Emilio Soto-Shoender, Jose R. Agua volcano Central America Coyotes Free-ranging dogs Guatemala Mountain ecosystems Scavenging Oficina Nacional Guatemala ODS 11 - Ciudades y comunidades sostenibles ODS 12 - Producción y consumo responsables ODS 13 - Acción por el clima ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres Although well studied in other regions of North America, coyotes are severely understudied in Central America. In this region, we recorded a series of videos that can inform coyote feeding ecology and interactions with other sympatric predators. Camera traps were placed to monitor terrestrial biodiversity in the Agua Volcano, a mountain forest ecosystem in Guatemala. We captured a sequence of videos of a female coyote carrying and then feeding on a white-nosed coati (Nasua narica). Additionally, our camera traps recorded a subsequent sequence of two free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) scavenging on the remains of the coati left by the coyote. On a separate occasion, what appears to be the same coyote is captured walking in front of our camera traps and a pack of three dogs seem to follow the coyote several minutes later. These events provide basic information on coyote feeding ecology in mountain ecosystems of Central America and suggest that coyotes in this ecosystem may be interacting with free-ranging dogs by facilitating scavenging opportunities. Additionally, our records also suggest there is potential for other types of interactions such as interference competition and/or intraguild predation with free-ranging dogs. This is cause for concern as coyotes may be subsidizing free-ranging dogs, thereby exacerbating their negative impacts on native biodiversity and human well-being. We recognize the speculative nature and small sample size of our observations; however, these reports provide initial observations of coyote ecology in the region and suggest important new avenues of research to better understand current and future threats to coyotes posed by free-ranging dogs in biodiverse mountain ecosystems of the Neotropics. Global Environmental Facility (GEF) United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) 2025-08-26T19:52:38Z 2025-08-26T19:52:38Z 2025-06-04 Artículo https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/13797 restrictedAccess en Journal for Nature Conservation https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2025.126982 3 páginas application/pdf Elsevier
spellingShingle Agua volcano
Central America
Coyotes
Free-ranging dogs
Guatemala
Mountain ecosystems
Scavenging
Oficina Nacional Guatemala
ODS 11 - Ciudades y comunidades sostenibles
ODS 12 - Producción y consumo responsables
ODS 13 - Acción por el clima
ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
Reyes, Gabriel
Serech-Gomez, Elvis Natanael
Cotto-Guzman, Elian Jacobo
Joachín, Emilio
Soto-Shoender, Jose R.
Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala
title Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala
title_full Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala
title_fullStr Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala
title_full_unstemmed Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala
title_short Camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free-ranging dogs in mountain forests of Guatemala
title_sort camera traps provide insights into coyote feeding ecology and potential intraguild interactions with free ranging dogs in mountain forests of guatemala
topic Agua volcano
Central America
Coyotes
Free-ranging dogs
Guatemala
Mountain ecosystems
Scavenging
Oficina Nacional Guatemala
ODS 11 - Ciudades y comunidades sostenibles
ODS 12 - Producción y consumo responsables
ODS 13 - Acción por el clima
ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
url https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/13797
work_keys_str_mv AT reyesgabriel cameratrapsprovideinsightsintocoyotefeedingecologyandpotentialintraguildinteractionswithfreerangingdogsinmountainforestsofguatemala
AT serechgomezelvisnatanael cameratrapsprovideinsightsintocoyotefeedingecologyandpotentialintraguildinteractionswithfreerangingdogsinmountainforestsofguatemala
AT cottoguzmanelianjacobo cameratrapsprovideinsightsintocoyotefeedingecologyandpotentialintraguildinteractionswithfreerangingdogsinmountainforestsofguatemala
AT joachinemilio cameratrapsprovideinsightsintocoyotefeedingecologyandpotentialintraguildinteractionswithfreerangingdogsinmountainforestsofguatemala
AT sotoshoenderjoser cameratrapsprovideinsightsintocoyotefeedingecologyandpotentialintraguildinteractionswithfreerangingdogsinmountainforestsofguatemala