Examining the Intraspecies and Interspecies Communication Between Canid Species in Central Wisconsin
Adrienne Cohoon
Dutch Holland Wildlife Ecology and Management
Julian Dedow Wildlife Ecology and Management
Marna Andre (Not Pictured)
Lily Singers (Not Pictured)
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Kayla Allred (Not Pictured) Wildlife Ecology and Management
Katy Hermann (Not Pictured) Wildlife Ecology and Management
Howling is a stimulated response in canids used to distinguish territory. Species of the Canidae family tend to respond to other species via howling. Our primary target species are the gray wolf ( Canis Lupus ) and the coyote ( Canis latrans ). In our study, we compare which canid species would respond to each artificial species call/howl we used. We conduct howl surveys at two different sites, Buena Vista Wildlife Area and Mead Wildlife Area in central Wisconsin. There are three transects at Mead and five at Buena Vista. Each field night, we select our transect through a random generator. At separate points along the transect, each point one mile apart, we alternate between a male gray wolf and a male coyote call using the ICOtec Gen 3 Electronic Predator Game Call. At each of these points along the transect, we play the call for 30 seconds and wait two minutes after the call for a response. We call three times at one location facing 0°, 120°, and 240° respectively. At each point we record the date, location, road name, latitude/longitude, time of response, the species that is responding, compass bearing of the response, estimated distance to the origin of the response, number of adults heard, whether we heard pups, and ambient noises. We analyzed our data using a Chi-squared test to determine significant differences in response rates between species.
Advisors: Chris Yahnke, Ph.D.
Subject Area: Wildlife
Type: Poster
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UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources
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