Standing-Over in Captive Coywolves, Canis latrans × lycaon

Authors

  • Jonathan G. Way Science Department, Barnstable High School, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis, Massachusetts 02601

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v123i3.975

Keywords:

Coywolf, Eastern Coyote, Canis latrans × lycaon, agonistic, aggression, behavior, breeding/dominant female, standing-over

Abstract

I documented standing-over behavior in a captive Coywolf (Canis latrans × lycaon, Eastern Coyote) pack from April 2002 to October 2003. Standing-over involves an individual positioning its inguinal area over a recumbent (i.e., lying) individual's head. While all five Coywolves in my study pack performed standing-over, the dominant female was responsible for the vast majority. Thus, standing-over appears to be primarily female-oriented, as has previously been reported for Wolves, Canis lupus, and may involve two functions: (1) to advertise the reproductive state of the animal doing the standing-over and (2) to assert dominance via a low-intensity agonistic interaction.

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