Influence of wildfire and coyote presence on habitat use by collared peccaries

Abstract

Abstract Collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) occur in the southwestern United States where fires can severely damage slow-growing, drought-resistant vegetation. Collared peccaries are herbivores and depend upon vegetation for food and cover. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are sympatric with collared peccaries and, in some areas, are significant predators of collared peccaries. Coyotes can affect prey populations directly by killing individuals and indirectly by influencing behavior, habitat use, and activity patterns. We evaluated the habitat use of collared peccaries in burned and unburned areas without coyotes present in 1998 and both with and without coyotes present in 2000. Collared peccaries used vegetation associations in the enclosure nonrandomly (P<0.10), with less use of burned areas than unburned areas. However, coyotes did not appear to influence habitat use of collared peccaries in the enclosure.