Field observations of a single male coyote: activity and space use in the rural landscape of Guanacaste Conservation Area, Costa Rica

Abstract

Throughout Central America, the coyote (Canis latrans) is considered an invasive mesopredator inhabiting disturbed habitats. However, current knowledge of coyote spatiotemporal behaviour is limited throughout Central America. This study aimed to report preliminary field observations of movements, habitat use, and activity patterns of a collared male coyote within the Guanacaste Conservation Area, Costa Rica. A single male coyote was chemically immobilized and fitted with a satellite telemetry collar in 2019. The device was programmed to track activity and geographic locations, in order to elucidate move- ment and activity information. We used both a 95% minimum convex polygon and a kernel density estimate to explore space use, as well as the Manly-Chesson selectivity index to determine habitat selection. After 62 tracking days, the collar stopped working. The area used by this coyote varied from 2,394 – 2,425 km2, depending on the estimation method, and it showed higher selection for disturbed habitats compared to natural areas. Regarding temporal activity patterns, this male coyote was active mostly during the night and showed variable activity levels related to the habitat selected. Hence, we hypothesised that this coyote selected human developed areas during the night in order to maximise foraging success of main prey and to avoid human presence. On the other hand, during the day it selected natural areas in order to avoid the heat of the day and avoid top predators such as the jaguar (Panthera onca).