V o l .l 2 l
r sv l s l t e sp a s t o lbec)enAcadie
:s cahiersde la
Socialand Play Behaviorin a Wild EasternCoyote,Canis latrans,Pack
JoN,qrunNG. Wnvl'2
Histury.1868ks.PE.l.PARO
: L c o d .D . D . b y
rscience
Departmcnt,BarnstableHigh School.74.1West Main Street.HyannisMassachusetts0260lUSAI e-ruail:jon@)eastern
coy()teresearch.com
rNlailingaddress:EasternCoyote Rcsearch.89 EbenezcrRd, Osterville Massachusetts
02655 USA
W a . vJ.o n i r t h i r n
G . 2 0 0 7 . S o c i a la n d p l a y b e h a v i o ri n a w i l d e a s t e r nC o y o t c . C u t t i sl o t n u t s .p a c k .C a n a d i a nF i e l d - N a t u r a l i s t
I 2 I ( , { ) :3 9 7 - 4 0 1.
I had close and consistcntobservationsof a wild casternCoyote pack (Cd[is /trlrzurs)tionr January 2000 ttt August 20t]7.
d r c c d i n gn a l e ( " S i l l " ) a n d o b s c r v e dh i n r a n d / o r
D u r i n gt h i s t i m e . I o b t a i n e d3 1 5 6 r a d i o - l o c a t i o nosn a s p c c r f i cr a d i o - c o l l a r e b
n e r r b e r so f h i s p a c k o n 3 7 5 o c c a s i o n sT. h c a v e r a g eg r o u p s i z e = 3 . 0 + 2 . 3 ( S D ) C o y o t c sw i t h 1 . 9+ 1 . 2 ( S D ) b c i n g a d u l t s
a n dl . l t 1 . 9 b e i n g p u p s .M a x i r n a l g r o u p s i z e i n v o l v e d 1 2 C o y o t e s( 9 p u p s . 3 a d u l t s ) .D u r i n g t h c s c o b s e r v a t i o n sC. o y o t c s
rnosroften behavedin a fiiendly manncr toward each other as indicated by ll0 of nry observatiitnsinvolving play between
p u p sa. n d I 5 i n v o l v i n gp l a y a r n o n ga d u l t C o y o t e s .O n t h e e v e n i n go f 6 J u l y 2 0 0 7 I o b s e r v e dt h e b r c c d i n gr n a l e( > l l y r o l d ) .
, n d l i v e p u p s p l a y i n g i n t c n s e l yl i r r 3 3 m i n u t c s .T h i s p a p e r
h i sr n a t e( > - 5y r o l d ) . o n e o f t h e i r t u l l - s i z e dp r o b a b l ey e a r l i n g s a
dct:rilssocial and play behavior fiom this pack, especiallyfhrm the 6 July 2(X)7obscrvatiott.
KeyWorcls:Cilni.\ l(Ltruns.easternCoyotc. amiable/affiliative intcractions.play behavior.Massachusetts.
Although not exclusivelya mammaliantrait. play parIs.However.f-cwstudieshave examincdthe play of
isan irnportantsocial activity fbr rnarnmals,and espe- Coyotesand Wolves in thc wild (Orlega1988:Mcch
19971
Packard2003).Ofthesestudies.all detailedplay
cirlly fbr carnivores(Bekoff |912.r, b, 1989: Ewer
by (l) fiiend- behaviorwas observedonly in pups.
1973:Rennicke2007).It is characterized
(or amiable) intentions;(2) more
For instance,Mech ( 1997:'75)watchedwild Wolf
lv. norr-aggressive
"firr about ,15nrinutesas the
and (3) a typical air pups in the Arctic play
energythan is strictly necessary;
ofeagcrness,
excitement,and cnjoynrentdr.rringinter- pups scrambledback and firrth acrossthe snowfield.
tackling.sliding.rolling,skidding.
rctions(Ewer 1973;Beko111974a,b, l9ti9).Although chasingone another,
and carryingon to a degreeI havc neverseennor helrd
playis not unknownin adults.it is displaycdmore corlof pupsplaymonlyin young animals(BekofTlc)7tl),and providcs of befirrefirr any spccies."Observations
themeansof doing all the things the centralnervolrs ing is a commonthemein studieson play behaviorin
systemis preparedfbr without any of the risks inher- canids,and despitesomc authorsclaiming that adult
"real" (e.g.,hunting.fighting)situation(Ewer' canidsplay (c.g..Bekoff 1989:Lehner 1978;Packard
entin a
ol-playin canids 2003).thereis scarrtevidenceol'this in thc wild. pos1973).Hypotheses
aboutthe fr.rnction
havebeen reviewedby BekofT(1974a)and Packard sibly duc kr their need firr conscrvationof energy,
i1003)and include( I ) the ability to learncounter-tac- ccrtainlyin harshclimales.In this paperI describea
obscrva
ticsdurin-eplay that may providea basisfirr learning social,anriahle,wilcl Coyotcpack.inclr,rding
later in lif'c:(2) physical tionsol'thc olderaciultsin the pack playing.
cornplexsocialrelationships
relatedto acrobicconditioning:(3) devclopexercise
rnenlof musculzrrroutines;(,1) prlcticc of instincts Methods
Rcscarchwas conductedin an urbanizedarea(town
Lrsctirl
fbr hunting later in lif'e;(5) a dcnronstrationthat
"animals
that plly togcther.tendto staytogether"li.c., ol Barnstableon Capc Cod) in easternMassachusctts
socialcohesion;and (6) an indicationthat it rray sim- (seeWay et al. 2001. 2(X)2a,200:l).Averagehuman
rtndroad
ply be l.unand a pleasurable
densityon the sludy site was 29o people/krnr
experience.
ln thc vast rrajority o1'studieson Coyotes(Crutr.' densitywas;1.66krn of rouduuv ncr knrr (CupeCod
l99U:::).
Obset'vations
beganotr lll Janr-r[tirun.s)(and on clrnivorcs in gcneral),play behavior Cor.r.rrnission
"Sill" (lD # 0(n3). a 16.8kg
hls occurrcd with juveniles in captivity where ary 2000whcn the Covote
researchers
can casily observetheir study subiccts 9-monthold rnaleCoyotc was capturedin a box trap
lundquantify behavioralobservationsin a controlled ( m o d e l6 1 0 8 , l - 5 2 . 4c r n x 5 0 . 8c m x 6 6 . 0 c m . T o n r a sctting(tsekofl l,912r. 197{b. l97ll. l9lt9l Way et al. hawk Livc Trap Co.. Tonrahawk,Wisconsin.USA:
1006).Packard(2(X)3)notcd that our unclerstanding Way ct al. 2002b)in Cotuit (within the torvnol Barnand radio collaredas part of'
of Wolf (Curtis lultu.s)social bchavior will aclvattcc stablc).Massachusetts.
on Capc
stuclyol'casternCoyoteec<tlttgv
an on-9oir"r1]
nrolerapidly whcn we integratethe inlirrnrationfhrn
bothcaptivcand fielclpopulations.as lon-uls we takc Cocl(Way ct al. 2(X)24.200,1).Sill was trackcdon his
"Kctt." Il) # 91J05.u'as also
gfcatcare to recognizethc linritationsof each pct-- natal range (lris fnther.
until January2(X)l when ltc dislrclsccl
the u,holcas tl.tcstttil01thc r-adio-collarccl)
spectivc
and to understand
391
398
T H I C , r N , t l l l , q NF I E L D - N A T I R A L l s l
Vol.l2l
2A)1
pasCoyutc pupsolten pl
eviclenceof social investigationclr ot agontsttcor
and settledinto a vacantterritory to the immediatceast
observationbouts(rr =
bv e h a v i o r s o n t h e p a r t ot fh c n l e r n b e r s
s
i
v
e
s
u
b
m
i
s
s
i
(
s
e
c
w
a
y
o f h i s n a l a lr a n g e i n F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 0 l
which consistedof cha
playing.althoughtheseactiorrsmay occur [s dcrived
He was the dominantmaleof
2007,.fbr more cletails).
(Way et al. 2006).It was
during a play
subrnission
(e.g.'
passive
play
auiing
pack)
".ti
l\4ills
-19'/i'.'
in Marstons
rharnew pack (Newt.wn/l3og
playing becauserole re
Bekofl'
2006)
et
al'
1911a',wav
Beioff
(within the t.wn of e"*riu'bt") t'rorn 2002 to 2007. bout
srnall pups pinncdlarge
when the stuclYended.
(2)
nicke 2007). Also. cha
sequencesl
temporal
unpriclictable
by Way et tnntt*t' into
Trackingprotocolswere fully clescribed
cclmbinations
of chase
signal(e'g ' play
nictac.'rmunicative
by-a
preceded
Elec(Custoni
al. (2002a,2004). Portablereceivers
observations
indicated
o
in
irn
actions
pcrttrnrred
(3)
and
repeated
initiation)l
tronics.Urbana.lllinois, USel ,n.t hand-held3-clelaxed rrouths.ln all obs
of being
(4)
appearance
ancl
manner;
exaggerated
rnentYagi tntennas were used t6 radio-trackCoyotes
my stLldents,
0r thegene
e'g a play facc (wide
to the participants.
pleris"urable
both .n foot and from a vehicle. Animals were typif}om
a
main
road and 1
play
were
in
lncluded
irpen.!awrandeyes)is apparent.
of
cally homed in on usingtne l.udest-signalnethoi
observe
with
nte)
agree
coydominant
morc
wherc
reversals
nurllerolrsrole
raclio_tracking(Sprrnger istgJ. r app"roached_.racliorathcr than anotherbeh
to pin them to the
coyotes
lanked
r
lowe
allowed
otes
disturbcollaredCoyotesas closelyas possiblewithout
occasions.I observeda
during agonistic
groundlthis was neverclocunrented
ing thcm. I useclbinocul".r, i5-45 x spottingscopes
another.Thesewcrc tiec
(Way
2006)'
a1
et
displays
vitteoUSA). and
chasesor wrestlingmat
igi rfr""f f . OverlandPark. Kansas.
Bate(Marlin
and
sampling
aninlal
i ttsedcontinutlus
cameraswhen observrngb..ry.,"r',,r.'fen and renclez
involved.The onlvnega
son 1986)to recordcoyote activity and recordedthe
vons sires(way et at. zodt. zoor). and spotlighting
between
adultsu'aswhen
collCoyotes
t.nany
as
of
sa'rpling)
(via
scan
when fbll.wi'g Cnynt., at'nighl with behavi.r
anclhcacllights
another(l = 9 obscn'at
a v e h i c l e ( W a y e t a 1 . 2 0 0 2 a . 2 0 0 . 1 ) . C u r r e n t l y a s l c o t r l d cnotebtxrk
l u r i n g narrd
r y ovideo-carnera
b s e r v a t i olor
n s . I r e c o r dgressive
.
actsdirectedtov
ed clatainto a licld
collarcd coyotcs were ofien seenwith untagged
back" but on firur occas
analysis'
later
sites
.n,ttp,iniun(rl.especiallywhen at rendezvous
pinned arrother(probabl
(Way 2003). A detaileddescription(e g" sizc' colsubrnission
posture.
Bas
markingi,anclbehavior)of thc Results
oration,distinguishrng
these
Coyotcs
were
like
observed
and
tln
Sill
raclio-locations
| obtained3156
anit'nalswas madecluringeverydirectobseruncollarecl
Sill was a verv dilise
times (>4 hours
pack
375
his
of
mcmbers
and/or
him
were
vation.ln thls manner,the unmarkeclCoyotes
the rendezvous
sitcsthro
apart) fiorn January.2000to August 2007' The averbascclon ,pp"rr"n.., as describedby way
iclcntifiec.l
obscrvationsconsisted
o
375 sightingswas
the
dr'rrir.rg
size
group
Coy'rte
agc
rs
ct al. (2002a)andWay tZtliill Ovc*ll, Iidcntiiied
adults)rcturningfrompa
+
adults
j.:
2
being
l
l
9
with
(Sb)
Coyotcs
:.0 t
rrany Coyotesas possiblefiom Sill's pack.as well as
to .ioining other Co)'ot
size obarld l'l + l c) being pups M.rirnrl grotrp
frorn other groupswithin it-t. rtuay area.I classitied
fLrll-sizcd
pLrps).
Duringt
Coyotes
l2
irrvolved
.bscrvati.n
rn
scrveclduring
C.y.tcs as aclults", prpr):r*"ii",t'. A.'lrltr.*"r..lrrwhen I positivell,ident
(9 pups' 3 aiLrlts)'whilc tw. sightingsinv.lved l0
sifieclasallfull-sized(iryotesandotienincludeclyearI rnoreofien sau'Sill (80
pups wcre c,ryoicr (3 aclultsand 7 pups)and eight sightingstnlingsthat renraincdon their natalterritory.
volrs
sites(JLrly-Octob
2
7
a
n
d
v . i v e d 9 C o y . t e s ( r a n g i n gf r o m 2 - 7 a d . l t s
horninApril(Wayctal.t00l)andwereclariifi.d",
(-60% of si-ghtin
back
Coyote
castern
o1'other
*as
typical
pups).This pack
sr.rchuntil october. when rhey approachedfnll boJy
a
c
t
e
d
s u b m i s s i vteo S i l l
sill
i.that
iu.i"t gt..,up.(sceway et al.2(x)2a'2o03)
size and becameinairringuiril"tiJ ti.,,nradult, wne'n
rarcly interactecl
u'ith t
identilied
p.sitively
("Mange-back"'.
had a maie
obscrvcclin the field. Due t. the logistic difliculties
pi5'sitty
lamiliarity '"vithoneano
distinct
a
having
2007'
to
2004/2005
lion
()f kceping track Of largc groups (>5) of .coyotes
i n g s )a n d p u p s( r r= 7 5 )r
ol'fur. on.the top o1'her ncck ancla'largesottitt th(]sametrrne(especiallywhcn they tclll- patch
obscrvccl
sr-rbmission
postureu'h
leti
lib
hcr
on
bleached-likclooking tnat-k
irall-sizccl
por.arilyseparutedanc.lwere all viiible at the santc
ol' his nrouth with erag
an
on
splotch
blondc
clistinct
a
like
which ltxlked
tirnebut only one ttbserverwils thelc ttl tntlnittlrthenl
intencledrecipicnt(Wav
i n s e p a r a t e l o c a t l o n s ) ' l t w a s l l c c e s s a r y t o b e g a n w i t h t r t h e r w i s e b r o w renlaining
n b o d y t l t nadr'rlts
d t h t rappearcd
s e t u ' r r cttr
t l l l l p r i s e d rcgr,rreitated
the
(r = lG12
the
brecclingpair whilc
this sirnplec0dingschemc(pupsor adult-s).
s
o
l
i
c
i
t
e
d
.
e
s
p
e c i a l lwyh e
olltheir
llost likely
or pack associatcs'
be yearlin-us'
Most ()f thc lerrgthysightingswerenradeat two sets
sites
from
surrounding
l
there
year
given
any
On
year'
previotts
tiom the
bog cornpleies12:-3bogsat eachloc.itti.n; 'p'ing
o1'crarrbcrr.y
tivc ( a-r:orristic
) intcract
(incluclingass.ciates/ycarlings)
aJults
5
t.
wcre-3
rnj
c.t.nplcxeswerc I ktrl "ptttii*rtttJcljstant^(-.:100
growleclilt pcrsistcnt
pu
pack and fottr or mole pups Sill's group wlts especiall)'
vicwing rvaspossiblc(way 2003.2007'r')..Sill's
lr'ho repeatecllltricd to I
li.tlm 2()03t() 2t)07
year.s
a
half
ancl
liltrr
filr
the
visiblc
the
bcganusing thescbogs in ,.,''''"r. 20()3lilllowing
in-u hir-n to regurgitat
their tcrritoryto includetwo conlwhen thcy ad.ir-rstcd
cleathol an .lcl i'emalcioyote ("Molc" #01 l0) in thc
herein inclicatedthatSil
lirrmerlyttsed
cach'
bogs
cranberry
o1'"sevcral
plexcs
pack to theit'inmcdiat" ,inrth.rrt (Way anclStlauss
lar-ue.r'crv successlir;
i,y " pr.k to thcir northcast.Although nranv ol'the
tr.. w"y
lb iwoiclar.rt.correlilion
2(X!l: way 2(X)7,r.).
pack.
coyotes
o
r
t
w
o
(
c
'
g
'
o
n
e
t
e
l
l
l
p
o
l
'
l
t
l
'
y
w
c
l
e
q se r c s c p a r a t ebc yl > . 1 l i f r o m s i g h t i n g s
e t a l . 2 0 0 , 1 )s. i - s h t l n - w
T h e e v e n i n go l 6 J u l r.
,rir.ruJ.l for l-2 sec whilc clossinga t'oaclat night)'
cach Other.Typically this meiurtthat covotes rverc
orablcobscrrationsof ar
at l'cn(lcr\'otls
occutred
(12'1lcl
observlrtiol]s
l(to
clay
givetl
cluringclawn and/or clusk otl I
obser.r,ecl
t h i s p u c k .F o r 3 3 r n i n u t
bout
t 3L't (SD) nrin (maxil.t.tttt.n
sitcsavcraging,l'1.-5
(rr -2-5t.
obscrvations
u,ithoccasionalclnytirr-re
o1'firurin thc packat the
sitc obsetretldezvotts
Thcse
=
iricluration.
rnini
l-12
pcrtirrntcd
wirs
play r.vas
delineclastilc'bchavior.thtt
pack lorreof u hichuas I
of thc obscrvationsol' pllr
in u,hichthcrcrvas".l"araar. vittiolls procltlceclall
sociallntel'itctrons
clr.[.ing
2 0 J L r 1 1 ,i n
) .c l L r d i nSgi l lr
bcltlrv
clctailcd
no
atlcl
irt social tlistartcelretwecttthc itlteritctatrts'
tirre ). Mangc-back(like
V r l .l 2 l
ilstlcor pashe members
lr asderiYed
lurin-la play
)06).BekofT
trngvanous
lucnces;(2)
r l ( e . g .p. l a y
rctionsin u.t
ce ol being
y tace(wide
in playwere
minantCoyl themto the
.ngrgorristic
1inandBaterecordcdthe
Coyotesconrns.I rccordr-culera firr
andobserved
res(>:l hours
J7.The aver;ightingswas
beingadults
'oup size obI l2 Coyotes
; i n v o l v c dl 0
r sightingsindultsand 2 7
rsternCoyote
) 3 )i n t h a tS i l l
:ly identifiecl
stinctnissing
I a llrge softon her leli rib
\plotch on an
thc
comprised
ts rppeareclttr
ikclytheirot1lvenverl'tnel'e
i ngs)
rtcs/ycarl
wasespccially
n 2001ro 2007
:ludetrvocott.tfirrntct'lyused
h n r a n yo f ' t h c
rf two CloYotcs
roirdat night).
at tcnde.tv0r-ts
Inaxllllt-llllDoLll
i o L r ss t t e o b s c l ' irtions of' Plitv
2{n1
W,qv: Socrnl AND PLAy BnHavtoR IN A CoyorE PActK
"White-band"(1irra white band running
Coyote pups often played with each other during male nar.ned
=
(n
laterally
his
tail just posteriorto the base)that was
on
observationbouts
80) at the rendezvoussitcs,
which consistedof chasing,wrestling.and self-play the samc size as Sill. They were at the northern-nrost
(Way et al. 2006).lt was very apparentwhen they were areaof the two renclezvous
sites(north of the site trom
playing becauserole reversalsoften occurred where Way 2003).At 20:15, I arrivedat thc rendezvoussite
srnallpups pinned larger.more dominantones(Ren- and irlmediatelysaweight Coyotesabout250 nt N\{'
nicke 2007). Also, chasingofien involved difl'erent of rny krcationon Bog Road in MarstonsMills. Thcy
combinationsof chaser(s)and chasee(s)where close were at thejunction betweenthe norlhwestpart of thc
observations
indicatedopen (sometimespanting).re- east bog and northcastpart of the rniddle bog (thrce
someof
bogscomprisedthis areawestof Bog Road)in an open
colleagues,
Iaxedmouths.In all observations,
"Olivia's"(O) flats
my students.or the generalpLrblic(l usually observed sandflat (about2-5x 20 rr) dubbed
walking
trail
that
leadssoutheast
peoplc
stopped
to
fbr
a
homeowner's
ficquently
fiorr a main road and
observewith rre) agreedwith my rssessmcntof play to this location-7-5m ti'ornher house.
When I arrived.I immediatelyset up my tripodand
ratherthan anotherbehavior(e.g.,agonistic).On l5
occasions,I observedadult Coyotes play with one spotting scope as the pups werc particularyactive
another.These were frecluentlygamessuch as grolrp- and running back and ttrrth playing. both play chaschasesor wrestlingmatcheswhere pupsalsobecame ing and play wrestling (scc Way et al. 2006). At
involved.The only negativeinteractionsthat I observed 20:20.Sill walkedwcst about50-75 nr and beddcdin
betweenadultswas when one probableyearlingpinned sitl alertposition(Way et al. 2006)on a small (l.-5rl
ol'sand,ncxt to a srnallshed/pur.nphousc
I did not observcany ag- high) nror,rnd
another(r = 9 observations).
"MangegressiveactsdirectedtowardSill or his mate
.iLrstnorth of the northcentralprrl of thc central bog.
back"but on fbur occasionsMange-backaggressivcly He sat alerl and watchedthc other sevenCoyotesl'r'onr
pinncdanother(probablef'emale)Coyotc into a passive a distanceuntil 20:25,wherrMange-backlcd thc five
submissionposture.Basedon subscqucntobservations, pLrpsto thc sandrnoundwhereSill was sitting.T()get
the pups thcre.she turnedaroundand fnccd the pups
theseCoyoteswere likely her ycarlingdaughters.
and took a f'ew stepstoward thcm until they firllowed
Sill was a very diligcnt f:rtherand often returnedto
her.I was ttxr 1ariLwayto hcar if shecalledthem over'
the rendezvoussitesthroughoutthe year.Many of my
observations
consistedofhim and l-2 others(usually or if thcy .justfirllowed her. but shc dicl that two or
adults)retr-rrning
fi'om patrollirrgtheir territory at night three times belirrecomplctingthe short trip. Whiteto joining other Coyoteswaiting at thesesites (i.e.. bandftrllowcdthe group west to the sandmound.
pups).During the surnmersof 200-5to 2(X)7.
After trottingto that krcation(-l-5-20sec.)the plrps
fLr1l-sized
re-engagcd
in interrse
boutso1'playchas
when I positivelyidentiliedMange-backas his mate. irnrnediately
I moreoficn saw Sill (80% of sightings)at thc rendez- ing and play wrcstling.Sill greeteda couple of thc
volrssitcs(July-October)with the pLlpsthan Mange- pups by licking them but mostly stooclup whcn thc
back (-60% of sightingsinvolvedher). All Coyotes group arrivcdand then pnrceededto watch them. At
the pr-rps
actedsubmissivcto Sill exceptfi)r Mange-back.who ca. 20:30.Mange-back,which was watcl'rirrg
rarely interactedwith him. likcly bccauseof their play lirr ca. 2 3 min, got irrkrthe gamesby pinninga
Shc had a noticeablyrelaxedplay lacc
lamiliality with one another.Yearlings1n = 20 sight- coupleof pLrps.
ings)and pups(rr = 7-5)oftengreetcdSill in an active (Bekoli'1914n. 1974b.Lehnerl97lJ)ancljumpcd back
chasedaficr her.Sill and
submissionpostlrrewhich involvedrepeatedlicking and fbrth as a coupleo1'pr.rps
of his rnouth with exaggeratedtail wagging by thc White-bandwatchedthe actionsri-qhton the rnouncl
his
intendedrecipient(Way ct al. 2006). Sill fiequently and despitepupsbLrmpinginto Sill. he rnaintairrecl
to pups when vigilanceby surveyingthc areafirr danger.
regulgitatcd(l = l0-12 observations)
At 20:32Sill becarne
active.He gilthercda cottplcof
solicited.especiallywhen returningto the rendezvotts
sitesfrom surroundingareas.In fact, the only nega- pups.thentrottedeastbackto thc O flats.Man-ge-hack
uponaptive (agonistic)interactionsI obscrvcdwas wherrSill and Whitc-bandfirllou'eclhinr. Inrmecliatcly
g r o w l e da t p c r s i s t e npt u p s ( n = l 0 - 1 2 o b s e r v a t i o n s ) pmachingthe O flats.hc did a play bow (Way et itl
to try stimulat- 2006) to initiatc play fl'orn the two pLrps.Thc plrps
uho rcpeatcclly
tried to lick his r.r.routh
by chasinghirn and he. like
ing hirn to regurgitate.All of thc firctors detailecl irrmcdiatclyrcspondecl
stayeclcontained
Mange back on the sanclr.nouncl.
hereinindicateclthat Sill was the breedingmale ol' l
large.very successl'ul.
ancl at'uiablceastern(ioyotc within a localizedarea (the O llats) instcadof rurrdiclto get awar
pack.
ning frorn the pups rs hc sonrctitnes
clr"u'ing
this
of 6.lLrly2(X)7produccdthe nrosttnenr- l'romthcnr.ln othcr rvords.it rvasobvior-rs
Thc evenirr-g
particularobservationthat hc was purposclirllyplarorableobservations
o1'anriable
and play irchaviollilttt
I obsclvcclthrceaclults(out ing r"'iththc pLrps.
thispack.For 33 rnirrr,rtes
For the rrextl0 nrin.Sill cnga-uctl
in l igot'ousbouts
of firur in tl-rcpack at thc time)arrdfive pupsl'rtrl thc
pack(onc of which was laterhit and killed bf ir car on o1'plavchasingrvith gloupsofnvo to thfeepLlpsat a
l 0 J u l y ) .i n c l u c l i r rSgi l l { l l 1 ' c a r s3. r n o n t h so l d l t t h c tinre.altcr thc othcrthrcc pupsreturnedto thc lrcl ls
'Ihc
(likell'>5 ycarsoltl).anclir ycarling r.i'cll.
action occurrcdouicklv. hLrtI bclicvc that
tirnc).Mange-back
V o l .1 2 l
THp, C,q,Na,nteN FIELD-NATURALIST
'l'h"Y:l::-::
bvtheend
pups
a'five
with
heprayed
:::*iiliJl]:'Jil,:::';o'?3l.]r:):HTl1:iliH;
i r n d -c t ) n
c()n\tantly changing direcli.ns
playing'
;;;'-;;t-
srrcificswith whichtt't1,i"ti'"itJ'il;il
easilysee whentheirpetdogsare
e'tnn (i?::-1",r]:'l;llJ[::;']ll'llit"''ffi1 il;
-d hi;';';;t-hopen
11drerixed''
s'it|stailwagging
tI
crues
tr'e-v^1'ralef,
t* i, ,''"vvierd
'i*'il*, ir."?Lpi*r'."
?119iY,l ;:$"1ilT"1'J;i'i,i;;;;.
2A)1
\
Documents Ciled rrrrrrk
l99
Cape ('od Commission.
l l n d c e ( ) l l { ) l n irc' l t r r u r t c r i ' t t
nrissionB
. a r n s t a b l cM. a s s a
W a 1 . J . G . 2 0 { } 1T. h c c r \ t ( ' r nu (
of one ol'CaPeCttd'snewes
spectives.thc onlinejourna
o l l h c S r t i c t Yl i ' r C o t l \ e r \ J
org/epublicationsisPring2
Way, J. G. 2007. Suburbanho
r)le in urbiln Mlt\\Jehu\cl
a n a p o l i s l.n d i a n ah t t P : / / u '
-while
Sill' it wasdillicult
watching
::lilli:::,'.lii,T1i'l'3:,t*!i:mil:jl'"i','"itJi
i:,i,,l".,::.i:ll,;iru'um!"Sii]iiilleano'h.
!'t-'i*ntinn'
nt)l
aia
*iirn
iv'rrii"-i,""a
to mrsrntertbr
except
observer)
an
as
aitivity
their
i" tr" pup'tancr
folrre
to initiatc play'
in plavon'h^' p"nl(r;;;;;r'i,iif ;tt;i.1'3'3'engage
pt"isiri'' intentio's trorrrplay bowing
may hane dlt
2007 ancl
sat rhe pups durrng summer
I ii.l .br..u"
,n.t-e"iiortr**g',
t*,em
the 'eed to watch
pups that su.mmer).
the
with
playing
rinres
4
>
him
a
angle) posturewhen he
t,, ,, ,r-.,o."serious(tail at 45'
(when none o1 the
J.fo,t"a firr h.is nightly travels
southweston;;;;;fiJ::
pace
atl steadv
Sintrdtecl
At20:42
Literature Cited
Bekoff, NI. 1972a.The deve
p l l r 1 .a n d t n t l r t e o t t l n t u n i e
p c r \ n e (t i \ c . Q u r r t e r l rR d i
extremely
and
being mature older adults
;;;i.6y
Bekoff, M. 1972b.An etholo
rhenorth:,iC:.:;
coy2007'r')'thesetwo
ofihccanal (-200m)fr."ppr"r.f.,f
ol social interactlonsln ca
familiar with the area(seeway
;;;.-,10 kg r-,,tr.a.r)
challengedby their
geiting
a privare propcrty ,hrr ;irl
observed
dissertation.WashingtonUr
.;i;;;;tt.;*tr
mix t"rntr"l,*ir1t
Bekoff, M. 197'la.SocialPla
coltlen rerrieverDonresticDog
bog
i",..;;Ji;v';r.wringl"u q,,.\- v"llq"':l::i:.:ll""i.'"'J.'ilil:t;f,:'1,i."
cranberry
e a n i d . .A m e r i c r nZ r r r I r ; i s
hecornmonry
which
ll lu
B e k o f f , M ' l ( ) 7 + h .S ( ) e i i P
B i o S c i e n c e2 ' 1 :2 2 5 - 2 3 0 .
l l e k o f f ' N l . 1 4 7 8 .B c h l r i r t r r
c u \ l c r nc ( ) )( ) l c s .P r g e '9 7 -I
i ( l r i t n d l l l i l n i l : : e r n c nEt .1 i
alpacksin nry study,area'
oih"'
nn".''''
;"
P r c . : . C a l r l u e l l .N c r r J e r r
;k;;;;
ti.' r..rit.if
have'similarsocial
tio,r.,r,t#*;,"i'rr.ti"g
ior I observed
Bekoff, M. 1989.Behaviora
il;;;; it;t visibleon theaveragc'
ntl'rd"
p.n
u,,r"rl,.rr,,i',h";.i,h
He rhenproccected
rli\ ()re\. PilsL'\8')-I l-l irl C
where
b t l g c t l m p l e x . c l i s p l a y r n g a n o l i cwas
c a bprilylng
l y d i l l ' e r arTriable
e r r t a ns,cenlritx
clunitsa
n d * .aclults
, " n , .were
o ' i n seen
n a l lplaying
y o b i e with
r v c c l i n c o m p a r ar \bo lluet i ( ) n .f , / i 1 , , /h r J L '
i n l l A s s o ei J l c \ .( o r n c l lU n
seriousdispositioithan when he
way 2001':'andwa'Y2007t')'
,r-rtire
"n.t*"--.i one an.ther(e'g' sce
';;;'*gt.
o,,
. ,tirl ert3
*"0,'n,,
B
c
k o f f , M . l c t t ) 9S
He
tiiendliness/plavincludwirhthepups.
Manyofthe'ettbservationiof
*.rrlAt.20,il'
like Sit'
inlirrmation on the run.Er
which.
radio-collared)
very alerranctrense,,;";;; i,rui"
aourt,tu.u"tty
t.ott"i ed.,,icler
Bekoff, M. l(t{ll Mintlinr '
to therr
unclwhit.rb.,nor"iiir''" pup. "n.'l
Mange_back
pro:l!-'9 siabilitvanclexperience
;;J;II
a l t eh
l t r t t l .( ) r l i r r J I r r i r c r '
crnnature
throughthe centralbog in the *"""'1 !I].:|,:llJ
coYote'sfarnily{rier.rtecl
eastem
rhe
pact'
M. 1007 Thc ctnot'
Bekofl',
..,uni"rl
I havecven
of Sill. buttakinga mgle norll:lly
ln one it.tstance'
dir.ection
be understated'
not
: c i e t t t i r el x P l r r r eust t i n t aj
aJ,',tis
three
All
Kota.
pups
pack raising
likelyio ivoicl
Loutc,
clockwise
. cuW
u h l t h e l t n r t l c rN
,)ilt"t"ta two adultsin a C.yote
pr., ,rt tr-l.*".i
killcd whenthe
was
'radc rhcrr;; ;,,),L ,.r.',,r'r
f'ernile
C. tA'el
N{.
and
M.,
uraclually
brcecling
Ilekoft,
older'
tn
t,.."."'"u-"' *rt"n
.u.n,u"iry
oni
n,,i
Bog
i
e
r
t
t
i
l
iA
etlrcr
of
S
e
(wav
20021)'
west
e
(
r
\
o
l
c
\
.
bos
pupswerevoung
20:5ttliJiis typicallyrraligned
Camenzind, l'. .1.lqlx. Be
coyote
tire
tliiticult r() scear 20,1; ;iiir';ig,r"r t,it
success.
its
kr
Due
r.acl
s.uth.cr.sseda sec.ndary
thc nationalelk rcfuge.Ja
asvcrmin.orpestsby
thathc continued
catecl
andis ottentreatecl
nv tr* q.'.911t
.,l,li
t*n
tt.,.
nt
south
agenttle
iri CoYotes:biologv.beha
*.nt-i,,
control/pest
(RiverRoacl)."na
ancv.ranimal
siatewilclliie.a*enties
i" w"y-2;ill
M. Bekotl. BlackburnPre
soctal'
highly
arc
,."n,r"r.unur'rii"r'ii.f"ri"a
coy.tes
bog
bcrry
tit' tw"y 2007'r)H.wever'
( ' r a b t r e e , R . 1 . . .i r n d, 1 .W '
ilti'
o
thc
1978:
,",".i".J'"r."ncl
(Carncnzind
pups
. rhc
animais
Meanwhile
r ( ' l c( ) l e ( ) ) ( t l er5r nY e l l r r
ttt. *.,u,'..t p"itt.' i""tify t"i""t"d',caring
heading".il;;;i'l;,;
eventually
s t o n eS c i c t l c c7 : I 5 - l ' 1
E u c r . R . l . l ( ) 71 l h e t r r n i
ttr
ihis stucly).Once thor-rght
arexat 20:50at dark.
Ithica. New York.
eachorhcr (way 2607'r':
body ol'litcraturc
growing
a
is
E. M., R. 1.. Ruff' an
Gese,
therc
'''tbicctir'e'
te tou
2002'
Bekol'f
(t'g"
see
n u l r i t i ( ' n Jl li r e t r ' rl \r
n
l
l
J
statcr.t.t"ni
Discussion
in a r.ernarkably iitu.'"tpports-this
. n i m a lB e
d e n t c o v o t e sA
paperrluarding this or.repack
Coyote social group behavccl
l""iil,T:l] i:i$*"J'[:"1]"ti;:
ge.
dMan
nrvSi' an
;;;;;,'.,,i
j;#ill
hiil:ili'iilll-r;
lll*
;i":l*
;i:l;igslili*
16q?d;
c"v'""
bre
mc''or.
.el[:"Xl\liiil;;; ;''ne
:ffi|:lf[*l;l,"ltli::$"iil';ff
tllliii..l
v1,.r.(5,"?'
"ag"orKota's
:igil;-;;f*iilt;X;ii:ll'$,i"J$:.tj'/i#:i
Sirappr.achecrtr'"
when
excepiobe'he
ll"X,li;i;;it'i,g,nup
l':l'"1:.li
illi;ii1
l;
runlmh:*:
in:**ti
r'iar..r'p"'r.-ti"lil
.un''"'"tv'"i;;"'r
thcv
where
l*:kl*,i*,liij]'rh:ii:11i:?l;ii":Ti:
This
,i,rt,it
"n.r ,;n,'iru,'t..,
'.iencllyr''nner u,*".a-,rr!',,n.liir",.
that thcv
than
l;;'w,;i;;;.;Gr
has becn clescribcit
ztxlrl. unti tt'ttt t''t,,ttthis
to 2007)' providcs
stucliccl..ver cight u""ti i:tttttl
,"*.1:":ij'ill,ll,":i",1:i,,ll*r;:lhf
;;y;;.;"
i';':',:-*in;[;iH:,11"::l::".;'l.,lfil'"'"''"u
o t h er h l t t n a n f ( x ) d ' a l
ii,r*.L,rr,"rrathertha. lal{e..)llgllat:'
l'::.Y-':ii:
iiilf -:l;;;;;
::,'::,:*:liJ2.:ilftl],"*-1l,ll
ttttn
pl"y"d'."' tlcttronsttatccl'n'l
Acknowledgments
'Maric
rara)'
rvire
nr-v
rit,.nt-viu,,'irrii"p"i"'v
lJostonCollegc'atlclBartl-
fftt"tt"t E'it St'^''i" ancl
ing I'r'rn\\hcn thcy
tot'r"HigttScho.l tirrhelpi.gmewithvariottsaspccts
p.ovided
as a pliry l'ace.tail-waggi"g.'"'-,:;;;;
char.rctcrisrrcs
Two an.nynt.us reviewcrs
jtU
;..;';,;;fi.
*f-'t.fr
,,Jti'iii.,
i.,i
,t*""t..n'
c-ngagingi,-,.',ttiti..,tiui
lrclpl'ttlcotlitncnts'
pr", iu.tol'l' lc)721. 197.1b:
n()flcd irs rloutrng ,,rr-,j'
Vol. t2l
)6).Suchcanidplay char_
cognrzabie
to dog owners
Ing.
at socialplay may pro_
:'e(x anlmalntinds than
i. tu rt ntayyield clues
o understand
one anoth_
i n gS i l l .i t w a s d i l l i c u l t
n observer)
to misinter_
r bowingto initiateplay,
angle)posturewhen he
els (when none of the
). It is hightylikely that
waspredicatedon the
mainlySill andMange_
adultsand extrcn-relv
2007'r,).
thesetwo Coy_
ng challenged
by their
lnng.
e opcn cranbcrry bog
te nternorablcCoyote
ns of Coyotepups fbr
;;ee
Way2(X)3,2007't).
Iroupto bc the excep_
rn my study area.al_
{e. havesinrilarsocial
servedin comparable
vercsL'L.n
playirrgwith
tt '
t
.rnd wlt) 2(Ntj l.
endtrness/play
includ_
lared)
u,hich,Iike Sill,
l expenencekr their
y-oriented
na{Llre
can*
stancc.I have even
le pack r.aisinepups
waskilled when thc
istypicall_v
rnaligncd
is.verrnrn
or peslsby
lal control/pest
agen_
tcsarchighlysocial.
(Curenzind l97ll;
ai. I996; Crabtree
evenenjoylif'eancj
I). Oncethoughtlo
rr bociyol'literaturc
. secBekolf 2002.
arcltng
thisonepack
tu 2007).proviclcs
t c s o c i l l i t yi.n c i u c l _
.rchasplay.
t llrfc Tunr),Mar.ie
lirllcge.anclIlarn_
vithvarious
aspects
e\rtcwcrsproviclccl
2W7
Way: Soclal AND pLAy
BtsavloR tN A
CoyorE PACK
101
Documents
Cited r"
'"x":::*:ji:*'-1[i,:.ffiilTt,,;frl;ji:ir:
'
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