In other
blog posts, we have discussed the viability of reintroducing wolves to the
Adirondack Park in an attempt to control unchecked herbivorous populations, but
maybe its niche has already been filled.
The eastern coyote has its origins in a 25lb mutt chasing rabbits, mice,
and insects around the Great Plains. In
the last two hundred years, however, this opportunistic canine has become
almost an entirely new species.
Ironically, the key to its success lies in the population pressures from
American pioneers settling the West. As habitats
fragmented, wolf populations plummeted. The
coyote populations, however, thrived.
Because of its faster breading time, varied diet, and scavenger
mentality, the coyote expanded into previous wolf habitats. With wolf populations at dangerously low
levels, lonely wolves bred with coyotes, yielding a larger and more capable
predator.
By the time they reached the east
coast in the mid-1900s, coyotes weighed in at 35lbs and hunted in pairs or
family groups. This “new” brand of
coyote gained some notoriety when it began taking down endangered woodland caribou
in Canada. Scientists were hesitant to
accept that coyotes were large enough to feed on such large prey, but studies
in the Adirondack park have shown that white-tailed deer makes up the majority
of the traditionally varied coyote diet.
If the coyote’s evolution continues to follow such a trajectory, there
may be no need to reintroduce wolves to the Adirondack Park. The coyote of two centuries ago could not
have hoped to compete with the wolf in the forests of the east, but today, the
coyote has found a place in the fragmented but recovering Adirondack Park.
Sources:
Sharon Levy, Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/rise-of-the-coyote-the-new-top-dog-1.10635
Brundige, G.C. 1993. Predation Ecology of the Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans var.) in the Central Adirondacks, New York. Ph.D. Dissertation, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, 194 pp.
No comments:
Post a Comment