Urocyon Cinereoargenteus Research Articles

Of microbes and mange: consistent changes in the skin microbiome of three canid species infected with Sarcoptes scabiei mites

BackgroundSarcoptic mange is a highly contagious skin disease caused by the ectoparasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Although it afflicts over 100 mammal species worldwide, sarcoptic mange remains a disease obscured by variability at the individual, population and species levels. Amid this variability, it is critical to identify consistent drivers of morbidity, particularly at the skin barrier.MethodsUsing culture-independent next generation sequencing, we characterized the skin microbiome of three species of North American canids: coyotes (Canis latrans), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). We compared alpha and beta diversity between mange-infected and uninfected canids using the Kruskal–Wallis test and multivariate analysis of variance with permutation. We used analysis of composition of microbes and gneiss balances to perform differential abundance testing between infection groups.ResultsWe found remarkably consistent signatures of microbial dysbiosis associated with mange infection. Across genera, mange-infected canids exhibited reduced microbial diversity, altered community composition and increased abundance of opportunistic pathogens. The primary bacteria comprising secondary infections were Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, previously associated with canid ear and skin infections, and Corynebacterium spp., previously found among the gut flora of S. scabiei mites and hematophagous arthropods.ConclusionsThis evidence suggests that sarcoptic mange infection consistently alters the canid skin microbiome and facilitates secondary bacterial infection, as seen in humans and other mammals infected with S. scabiei mites. These results provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of mange at the skin barrier of North American canids and can inspire novel treatment strategies. By adopting a “One Health” framework that considers mites, microbes and the potential for interspecies transmission, we can better elucidate the patterns and processes underlying this ubiquitous and enigmatic disease.

See what you've been missing: An assessment of Reconyx® PC900 Hyperfire cameras

ABSTRACTFor camera‐trap studies to produce accurate data, cameras should have reliable detection of animals within their field of view. We reviewed 1,503,330 pictures obtained from August–September 2016 and February–March 2017 in North Carolina, USA, using 36 Reconyx® PC900 HyperFire cameras (Reconyx, Holmen, WI, USA). We evaluated factors related to temperature, wind speed, and whether specific detection band(s) and zone(s) may have increased the probability of triggering cameras. We focused on 10 species to determine species‐specific reasons for not triggering the camera. The odds of triggering the camera increased when an animal was detected in more zones. Additionally, there were more triggers than expected if an animal was observed in both detections bands as opposed to none. Triggered events were species‐dependent, seeming to favor larger species. The Passive Infrared Motion Detector (PIR) missed 14–16% of the independent events of bears (Ursus americanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), and red wolves (C. rufus), and were overall ineffective at triggering for squirrels (92%; Sciurus spp.) and rabbits (80%; Sylvilagus spp.). Many (47–64%) of the independent events of gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and opossums (Didelphis virginiana) would have been missed if only the PIR function was used. The lack of detection of these species may underestimate occupancy and abundance estimates of these populations. Our results suggest that Reconyx HyperFire PC900 cameras have limitations as a broad, catch‐all system for monitoring wildlife as a result of the layout of their infrared detection zones. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

Activity patterns and temporal niche partitioning of dogs and medium-sized wild mammals in urban parks of Xalapa, Mexico

Free-ranging domestic dogs are the world most common exotic carnivore species that could negatively interact with the native wildlife as predators, competitors, and disease vectors. Their generalist habits have allowed them to be present in a large number of urban parks, which are the habitat for wild mammal species, some of these animals are restricted to these areas. Moreover, dogs can perform activities alone or in a group during day and night time, having a wide temporal niche. However, the issues related to activity patterns overlap and temporal niche breadth between dogs and wild mammals in urban parks are still poorly known and have not been studied in deep. In this investigation, we evaluated the activity patterns, the temporal niche breadth, and the activity patterns overlap between medium-sized wild mammals (MSWM) and dogs using trap cameras in five urban parks in Xalapa, Veracruz. Mexico. During March to August 2014, there were taken 928 photo-captures of MSWM and dogs (720 trap nights). The activity patterns of MSWM were bimodal (two activity peaks), being more active during night time. MSWM showed low temporal niche breadth versus dogs. Five species of MSWM overlap their activity patterns with dogs in five urban parks. Didelphis marsupialis and Urocyon cinereoargenteus were the species with the greatest overlap regarding dogs, finding some individuals of this species lifeless in the studied sites. Our results show the need to perform studies that assess the effect of this temporal overlap on the biology, behavior, and permanence of these species in urban parks.

Biotic factors influencing the unexpected distribution of a Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis) population in a young coastal forest.

Pacific martens (Martes caurina) are often associated with mature forests with complex structure for denning, resting, and efficient hunting. Nonetheless, a small isolated population of the Humboldt subspecies of Pacific martens (Martes caurina humboldtensis) occupies a narrow strip of young, coastal forest (< 70 years old) but not inland mature forest in the central Oregon Coast Range. We examined factors contributing to this unexpected distribution of martens by 1) analyzing marten diets using DNA metabarcoding to assess 90 scats, 2) using camera traps to assess differences in the relative abundances of prey, competitors, and predators across a coastal to inland gradient of vegetation types, and 3) quantifying differences in extent of fruit-producing shrubs and vegetation structure within vegetation types. Diets of martens were diverse (12, 10, and 3 species of birds, mammals, and amphibians respectively), and most fall and winter scats contained fruit. Voles, mice, and varied thrushes (Ixoreus naevius) were dominant prey items. Voles, mice, and most birds, but not varied thrushes, were more commonly observed in the coastal shrub-dominated forest than in inland forest. The coastal shrub-dominated forest had the highest diversity of vertebrates and potential prey overall. Bobcats (Lynx rufus), a key potential predator, were more commonly detected in inland forest. Of potential competitors, western spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis) were more commonly detected in inland forest, with gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) detected almost exclusively in coastal forests. Vegetation in coastal forests appears to provide, at least seasonally, more prey and fruit, and more overhead shrub cover compared with inland forest. Remaining plausible hypotheses for the restricted distribution of marten to coastal forests include increased prey, fruit, and overhead cover, and reduced predation risk from bobcats.

Infection of eight mesocarnivores in New Hampshire and Vermont with a distinct clade of canine distemper virus in 2016-2017.

Three fishers (Martes pennanti), 2 gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), 1 mink (Neovison vison), 1 skunk (Mephitis mephitis), and 1 raccoon (Procyon lotor), from Vermont and New Hampshire, had lesions on autopsy consistent with canine distemper virus (CDV) infections diagnosed in a 12-mo period in 2016-2017. Lesions of CDV infection were most commonly noted in the lungs (8 of 8 animals), urothelium (5 of 8), biliary tract (5 of 8), gastrointestinal tract (4 of 7), and brain (4 of 6). Splenic lesions were seen in 3 animals. The diagnosis was confirmed via immunohistochemistry and virus isolation. Viral genotyping indicated that all 8 animals were infected with a distinct clade of CDV that has only been reported in wildlife in New England, and this clade of viruses is distinct from vaccine strains. During the 12 mo when these cases occurred, no other CDV clade was identified in any other wildlife or domesticated animal submitted from the 2 states.

Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology of the Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis)

Skull specimens from 836 kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) were examined macroscopically according to predefined criteria; 559 specimens were included in this study. The study group consisted of 248 (44.4%) females, 267 (47.8%) males and 44 (7.9%) specimens of unknown sex; 128 (22.9%) skulls were from young adults and 431 (77.1%) were from adults. Of the 23,478 possible teeth, 21,883 teeth (93.2%) were present for examination, 45 (1.9%) were absent congenitally, 405 (1.7%) were acquired losses and 1,145 (4.9%) were missing artefactually. No persistent deciduous teeth were observed. Eight (0.04%) supernumerary teeth were found in seven (1.3%) specimensand 13 (0.06%) teeth from 12 (2.1%) specimens were malformed. Root number variation was present in 20.3% (403/1,984) of the present maxillary and mandibular first premolar teeth. Eleven (2.0%) foxes had lesions consistent with enamel hypoplasia and 77 (13.8%) had fenestrations in the maxillary alveolar bone. Periodontitis and attrition/abrasion affected the majority of foxes (71.6% and 90.5%, respectively). Nine-hundred and fifty-eight (4.4%) teeth were fractured, a large proportion (41.8%) of which were characterized as complicated crown fractures. Sixty-six periapical lesions from 52 (9.3%) skulls were found. A considerable portion of foxes (5.9%) showed evidence of low-grade temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis. Overall, kit foxes share dental pathology similar to that of the grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus).

Temporal coexistence in a carnivore assemblage from central Mexico: temporal-domain dependence

Species coexistence at a given locality generally implies segregation along one of the three resource dimensions of the ecological niche: spatial, trophic or temporal. Temporal activity patterns of species are ecologically important as they expose how species exploit their environments. Using camera traps, we evaluated the temporal activity patterns and temporal overlap for a mammalian carnivore assemblage from Sierra Nanchititla Natural Park, central Mexico. We characterized and compared temporal activity patterns and temporal overlap between species pairs using circular statistics. Temporal overlap was analyzed using three temporal domains (full diel, diurnal, and nocturnal), and null models were used to contrast the empirical assemblage-wide temporal overlap in relation to randomly generated distributions. We found that pair-wise temporal overlap comparisons among species were quite heterogeneous and dependent on the temporal domain used for the analyses. Two major inferences can be derived from pair-wise analyses and the null model: (a) most of the carnivore assemblage show a nocturnal activity pattern in common and (b) most of the pair-wise comparisons indicate temporal segregation among species. The highest temporal overlap at the assemblage-wide level was found when only the nocturnal domain was evaluated and we found coincident temporal activities at the full domain level, independent of the temporal resolution used. Overall, our results suggest that carnivores with distinct trophic and habitat use like the margay (Leopardus wiedii) and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) had temporal overlapping activity patterns to full diel and nocturnal domains, and species with similar trophic and habitat use always presented temporal segregation (gray fox and white-nosed coati, Nasua narica). Finally, species with predator-prey relationships (white-nosed coati and cougar, Puma concolor) showed segregation during the day but overlap at night. Our results indicate that species temporal activity patterns likely change in relation to different interspecific interactions such as predation and competition to allow species coexistence within this carnivore assemblage.

Ecology of a versatile canid in the Neotropics: gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in Belize, Central America

Gray foxes are successful habitat generalists within the temperate zone of their geographic range, exploiting a wide variety of habitats, including human-dominated landscapes. However, little is known of their use of tropical habitats or their ability to exploit landscapes with human activity. Here, we report the first study to explore the ecology and behavior of gray foxes within the tropics. Extensive camera-trap data (23,598 trap nights) across two different landscapes in Belize, combined with telemetry data on three collared individuals, showed a preference for more open and drier habitats over tropical moist broadleaf forest which is the dominant habitat type in the region. Although foxes did not use the interior of the broadleaf forests, they were detected at the edges and readily exploited areas that had been converted to support human activities (e.g., tourist centers). Home ranges of collared individuals were relatively large (3–7 km2) compared to those of temperate gray foxes, suggesting that they occupy a less productive landscape than those studied further north. This study found that although tropical gray foxes readily exploited human-altered landscapes, just as they do in the temperate zone, they are not the habitat generalists as previously thought and seem unable to fully exploit tropical moist broadleaf forest, the regions’ most dominant and productive habitat type.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infections and associated factors in sheep from Costa Rica

The presence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum were analyzed in 392 sheep sera from ten Costa Rican ovine flocks using indirect immuno-enzymatic assays. Additionally, general information about sheep management, environment, and clinical reproductive disorders was assessed through a questionnaire to inquire factors related to these apicomplexan parasites. A total of 161 (41.1%) serum samples reacted positive to T. gondii, 43 (10.9%) to N. caninum and 26 (6.63%) to both parasites. Toxoplasma gondii serorreactors were detected in all the analyzed flocks (100.0%), meanwhile N. caninum antibodies were found in nine flocks (90%), from the six Costa Rican regions. Factors associated with T. gondii were the co-presence of cattle (OR = 5.06; C.I.95%; 2.08–12.30; p: <0.001), grey foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and opossums (Didelphis marsupialis) (OR = 2.44; C.I.95%; 1.50–3.95; p: <0.001) inside or around the farms, and the presence of peccaries (Tayassu sp.) (OR = 0.35; C.I.95%; 0.16–0.74; p: 0.0058) was a variable associated with N. caninum seropositivity. The obtained results of T. gondii and N. caninum infections in sheep flocks from Costa Rica should be considered for the proper prevention and control strategies against these apicomplexan abortive parasites.

Wild Canid Distribution and Co-existence in a Natural–Urban Matrix of the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts

Although development and urbanization are typically believed to have negative impacts on carnivoran species, some species can successfully navigate an urban matrix. Sympatric carnivorans compete for limited resources in urban areas, likely with system-specific impacts to their distributions and activity patterns. We used automatically triggered wildlife cameras to assess the local distribution and co-existence of Canis latrans (Coyote), Vulpes vulpes (Red Fox), and Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Gray Fox) across the Pioneer Valley, MA, in relation to different levels of human development. We placed cameras at 79 locations in forested, altered, and urban land-use areas from September to November 2012 and accumulated 1670 trap nights. We determined site characteristics and detection rates for 12 other wildlife species for each camera location to develop a generalized linear model for the local distribution of each focal canid species across the study area. We also compared diel activity patterns among Coyotes, Red Foxes, and Gray Foxes, and calculated coefficients of overlap between each pair. The local distribution of Coyotes was positively associated with the detection rates of their prey and not associated with detection rates of sympatric carnivoran species. Red Foxes and Gray Foxes had negative relationships with the detection rate of Coyotes, and none of the 3 canid species showed a positive correlation with increased levels of urbanization. There was a high degree of temporal overlap in diel activity patterns and limited spatial overlap of our focal species, which suggests that any competition avoidance across our study area occurred at the spatial level. Coyotes fill the role of top predator in the Pioneer Valley, and likely have a negative impact on the local distributions of smaller canids, while their own local distributions seem to be driven by prey availability.

Demonstrated Spatial Irrelevance of Gray Fox at Contaminated Sites: Are Ecological Risk Assessments for Mammals Necessary?

Demonstrated Spatial Irrelevance of Gray Fox at Contaminated Sites: Are Ecological Risk Assessments for Mammals Necessary?

Assessing the natural circulation of canine vector-borne pathogens in foxes, ticks and fleas in protected areas of Argentine Patagonia with negligible dog participation.

We collected blood and/or ectoparasites from 49 South American grey foxes (Lycalopex griseus) and two Andean foxes (L. culpaeus) caught in two National Parks of southern Argentine Patagonia (Bosques Petrificados, BPNP; and Monte León, MLNP) where dogs are nearly absent (density < 0.01 dog/km2). Common ectoparasites were the flea Pulex irritans (88% prevalence) and the tick Amblyomma tigrinum (29%). Conventional PCR and sequencing of 49 blood samples, 299 fleas analysed in 78 pools, and 21 ticks revealed the presence of DNA of the following canine vector-borne pathogens: in grey foxes, Rickettsia sp. (3%), hemoplasmas (8%), including Mycoplasma haemocanis, and Hepatozoon sp. (50%); in P. irritans, Bartonella spp. (72% of flea pools from 76% of foxes), mostly B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii but also B. rochalimae, Anaplasmataceae (Wolbachia sp.; 60% and 54%), and M. haemocanis/haemofelis (29% and 18%); and in A. tigrinum, Hepatozoon sp. (33% of ticks in 4 of 7 foxes). No piroplasmid DNA was detected in any sample. Andean foxes were negative for all tested pathogens. Two different Hepatozoon haplotypes were detected: the most prevalent was phylogenetically associated with H. felis, and the other with H. americanum and related sequences. Amblyomma tigrinum and Hepatozoon sp. were more abundant and/or prevalent in BPNP than in colder MLNP, 300 km southwards, perhaps located close to the limit for tick suitability. Bartonella v. berkhoffii was also significantly more prevalent in fleas of foxes in BPNP than in MLNP. This study provides novel information about natural host-pathogen associations in wildlife, markedly extends the distribution area in South America of arthropods and vector-borne pathogens of veterinary and public health interest, and contributes preliminary evidence about the potential role of A. tigrinum and P. irritans as vectors, respectively, for potentially new species of Hepatozoon from Lycalopex spp. and for M. haemocanis that should be further investigated.

Intercanine width measurements to aid predation investigations: a comparison between sympatric native and non-native carnivores in the Mexican wolf recovery area

Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) share their range with a number of sympatric carnivores, many of which are a concern to livestock producers because they can prey on livestock. Determining which predator species is responsible for killing livestock is important for determining appropriate management actions and for the conservation of Mexican wolves. A variety of information can be used to decipher which carnivore species was responsible for making a kill, and mandibular (upper) and maxillary (lower) intercanine width measurements (i.e., bite mark analysis) can aid this process. No research has been conducted to validate the usefulness of bite mark analysis; thus, we used dentition measurements from Mexican wolves, coyotes (Canis latrans), feral dogs (Canis familiaris), bobcats (Lynx rufus), mountain lions (Puma concolor), and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and an overlap coefficient to evaluate the degree of overlap in intercanine width between these species. We found that larger carnivore species had greater overlap than smaller carnivores, feral dogs overlapped widely with all the medium-to-large carnivores, and upper and lower intercanine width measurements provided similar information. Our data indicated that when investigating livestock depredations for Mexican wolves, bite mark analyses should be evaluated along with additional forensic evidence due to the overlap between many of the carnivore species, and that measurements between 28 and 35 mm have the greatest uncertainty because this range overlaps with feral dogs, mountain lions, and coyotes.

Roads do not increase carrion use by a vertebrate scavenging community

Wildlife-vehicle collisions introduce a considerable amount of carrion into the environment, but scavenger use of this resource has not been extensively investigated. Scavengers may use roads for reliable foraging opportunities, but might also use roads for other purposes and encounter carrion opportunistically. We examined scavenging of carrion along linear features by placing 52 rabbit carcasses in each of three treatments in forested habitat during winter (Dec 2016-Mar 2017) in South Carolina, USA: roads, power line clearings (linear feature with fewer carcasses than roads due to lack of road kill), and forest interior. We used motion-activated cameras to compare arrival times and presence of vertebrate scavengers among treatments. There was no difference in proportion of carcasses scavenged or scavenger arrival time across treatments. No species arrived at roads quicker than other treatments. Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) and coyotes (Canis latrans) scavenged equally across treatments, whereas gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) scavenged along roads and power lines, but not in forests. We suggest that scavenger use of carrion near roads at this location during winter relates to factors other than carrion availability. Because some scavengers readily consumed carrion on roads, this resource has the potential to influence the ecology of these species.

Seroprevalence for the tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia turicatae among small and medium sized mammals of Texas.

BackgroundIn low elevation arid regions throughout the southern United States, Borrelia turicatae is the principal agent of tick-borne relapsing fever. However, endemic foci and the vertebrate hosts involved in the ecology of B. turicatae remain undefined. Experimental infection studies suggest that small and medium sized mammals likely maintain B. turicatae in nature, while the tick vector is a long-lived reservoir.Methodology/principal findingsSerum samples from wild caught rodents, raccoons, and wild and domestic canids from 23 counties in Texas were screened for prior exposure to B. turicatae. Serological assays were performed using B. turicatae protein lysates and recombinant Borrelia immunogenic protein A (rBipA), a diagnostic protein that is unique to RF spirochetes and may be a species-specific antigen.Conclusions/significanceSerological responses to B. turicatae were detected from 24 coyotes, one gray fox, two raccoons, and one rodent from six counties in Texas. These studies indicate that wild canids and raccoons were exposed to B. turicatae and are likely involved in the pathogen’s ecology. Additionally, more work should focus on evaluating rodent exposure to B. turicatae and the role of these small mammals in the pathogen’s maintenance in nature.

Survival and cause‐specific mortality of desert bighorn sheep lambs

ABSTRACTJuvenile recruitment in desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) is highly variable, yet the mechanisms influencing neonate survival are not well understood. Because few studies have equipped desert bighorn sheep lambs with telemetry collars, definitive data on cause‐specific mortality, and lamb survival estimates are lacking. Our objectives were to estimate lamb survival rates and determine cause‐specific mortality for desert bighorn sheep lambs during a period of mountain lion (Puma concolor) and coyote (Canis latrans) removal in southwestern New Mexico, USA. We captured pregnant adult females each fall and fitted them with a telemetry collar and a vaginal implant transmitter to aid with neonate captures. We captured and radio‐collared 12 desert bighorn sheep lambs in 2012 and 14 in 2013 within 48 hours of parturition in the Peloncillo Mountains, New Mexico. We estimated lamb survival to 6 months of age. Across both years there were 14 mortalities, 12 of which were due to predation. Mountain lions killed 5 lambs (2 in 2012 and 3 in 2013), coyotes killed 4 lambs (all in 2013), a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) killed 1 lamb in 2012, and 2 lambs were killed by unknown predators in 2013. Staged‐based survival estimates indicated the highest mortality rates occurred in the first week post birth; 5 of 14 lamb mortalities occurred before 7 days of age. Lamb survival to 6 months was substantially lower in 2013 (0.20 ± 0.11 [SE]) than in 2012 (0.71 ± 0.14) with the differences in survival attributed to increased coyote predation in 2013. We did not detect differences in body mass at birth between years or differences in body mass, chest girth, or neck circumference at birth between lambs that were killed by predators and those that survived. Coyotes, mountain lions, and the gray fox killed lambs &lt;8 weeks of age, but only mountain lions killed lambs &gt;8 weeks old. Predator removals focused around the parturition period of desert bighorn sheep may be more likely to influence lamb survival rates than removals outside of the lambing season. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Purging of Strongly Deleterious Mutations Explains Long-Term Persistence and Absence of Inbreeding Depression in Island Foxes

The recovery and persistence of rare and endangered species are often threatened by genetic factors, such as the accumulation of deleterious mutations, loss of adaptive potential, and inbreeding depression [1]. Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis), thedwarfed descendants of mainland gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), have inhabited California's Channel Islands for >9,000 years [2-4]. Previous genomic analyses revealed that island foxes have exceptionally low levels of diversity and elevated levels of putatively deleterious variation [5]. Nonetheless, all six populations have persisted for thousands of generations, and several populations rebounded rapidly after recent severe bottlenecks [6, 7]. Here,we combine morphological and genomic data withpopulation-genetic simulations to determine the mechanism underlying the enigmatic persistence of these foxes. First, through analysis of genomes from 1929 to 2009, we show that island foxes have remained at small population sizes with low diversity for many generations. Second, we present morphological data indicating an absence of inbreeding depression in island foxes, confirming that they are not afflicted with congenital defects common to other small and inbred populations. Lastly, our population-genetic simulations suggest that long-term small population size results in a reduced burden of strongly deleterious recessive alleles, providing a mechanism for the absence of inbreeding depression in island foxes. Importantly, the island fox illustrates a scenario in which genetic restoration through human-assisted gene flow could be a counterproductive or even harmful conservation strategy. Our study sheds light on the puzzle of island fox persistence, a unique success story that provides a model for the preservation of small populations.

Spotted skunks (Spilogale angustifrons) photo-captured following gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in tropical dry forest in central Mexico

During a 4-year monitoring investigation of a mammalian community in a tropical dry forest in central México, we photo-captured southern spotted skunks (Spilogale angustifrons) following gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in 5 occasions. We were interested in disentangling why spotted skunks moved behind with gray foxes. Our objective was to determine activity patterns and distribution of sympatric gray foxes and southern spotted skunks, explore the frequency and timing of their co-occurrences, and infer about the circumstances of this previously unreported association. Camera trapping took place in Mount Tepetroja, within Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve. From 1 May 2013 thru 30 April 2017, with sampling effort of 18,282 trap-days, we obtained 1089 fox records and 21 skunk records; 5 of these records were of a skunk following a fox. Foxes were crepuscular and nocturnal and skunks nocturnal. Peak activity for foxes was μ = 23:17 h (95% CI = 23:01 to 23:32, r = 0.559), whereas for skunks μ = 1:36 h (95% CI = 00:46 to 02:26, r = 0.876). Our results suggested that skunk activity peak was subordinated to fox activity. We inferred that spotted skunks follow gray foxes maybe as an opportunistic behavior to facilitate mitigation of predation risk and enhance foraging.

Serosurvey for Influenza Virus Subtypes H3N8 and H3N2 Antibodies in Free-Ranging Canids in Pennsylvania, USA.

Canine influenza virus (CIV) subtypes H3N8 and H3N2 are endemic among domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris ) populations in the northeastern US. Infection of free-ranging carnivores with influenza virus has been sporadically reported. Generalist mesocarnivores that exploit anthropogenic, peri-urban habitats share a wide interface with domestic dogs that allows for the transmission of infectious disease. To investigate the potential exposure of free-ranging canids to CIV in Pennsylvania, US, serum samples were obtained from freshly killed coyotes ( Canis latrans, n=67), grey foxes ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus, n=8), and red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes, n=5) from 24 counties. Animals were harvested during the January-February 2017 hunting season. We failed to detect antibodies to CIV subtypes H3N2 and H3N8 by using hemagglutination inhibition assays validated for domestic dogs. Results suggest CIV was not endemic in free-ranging canid populations in Pennsylvania or that prevalence was too low to be detected by our limited sample size.

Dietary analysis of red foxes, gray foxes, and coyotes in eastern Pennsylvania

Abstract We performed a dietary analysis on 65 red foxes, 10 gray foxes, and 18 coyotes collected by hunters and trappers in Northampton County, PA, in the fall and winter of 2010–11 and 2011–12. Stomach contents were sorted into categories and frequency of item occurrence and dry mass for each category were determined for each sample. We used the Levins index of dietary breadth, the Shannon index for dietary diversity, and the Pianka index of dietary overlap to compare the diets of these three species. Although our results were generally consistent with other dietary analyses, we found a higher percentage occurrence of mammals for all three species than in most previous studies. We also found less dietary overlap between the two foxes and coyotes than has been reported previously, and little support for the suggestion that dietary overlap between coyotes and red foxes is suppressing red fox populations in Pennsylvania.