UW Tacoma study finds when coyotes habituate to humans, their offspring become bolder too
A study published in Ecology and Evolution, led by University of Washington Tacoma professor Christopher Schell, found that coyotes can habituate to humans surprisingly quickly and that this boldness is passed from parents to offspring.
The research observed eight coyote families at a USDA facility in Utah over two breeding seasons. In the first season, adult coyotes were cautious around humans and their pups followed suit. By the second season, the same adults approached food immediately, even with researchers present, and their pups were bolder still. The most hesitant pup from the second litter was actually more fearless than the boldest pup from the first.
Schell notes that coyotes were largely confined to the Great Plains until the early 1900s, when wolves were hunted nearly to extinction. Without their primary predator, coyotes expanded their range and have been steadily moving into urban environments ever since. Understanding how and why they lose their fear of humans is key to preventing conflict.
Since joining UW Tacoma, Schell has launched the Grit City Carnivore Project with Point Defiance Zoo, using motion-capture cameras to track coyotes and raccoons in the region as part of the Urban Wildlife Information Network.
