Not afraid of the big bad wolf: calls from large predators do not silence mesopredators ...

• Main Authors: Root-Gutteridge, H, Smith, BR, Kershenbaum, A, Butkiewicz, H, Fontaine, AC, Owens, JL, Schindler, L, Dassow, A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: CSIRO Publishing 2024
• Subjects: 31 Biological Sciences; 3103 Ecology; 4104 Environmental Management; 3109 Zoology; 41 Environmental Sciences; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.104790; https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/362859

Large predators are known to shape the behavior and ecology of sympatric predators via conflict and competition, with mesopredators thought to avoid large predators, while dogs suppress predator activity and act as guardians of human property. However, interspecific communication between predators has not been well-explored and this assumption of avoidance may oversimplify the responses of the species involved. We explored the acoustic activity of three closely related sympatric canids: wolves Canis lupus, coyotes Canis latrans, and dogs Canis familiaris. These species have an unbalanced triangle of risk: coyotes, as mesopredators, are at risk from both apex-predator wolves and human-associated dogs, while wolves fear dogs, and dogs may fear wolves as apex predators or challenge them as intruders into human-allied spaces. We predicted that risk perception would dictate vocal response with wolves and dogs silencing coyotes as well as dogs silencing wolves. Dogs, in their protective role of guarding human ...