Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
Date of this Version
March 1995
Abstract
Coyotes (Canis latrans) in the Rolling Plains region of Texas have experienced several factors in the last 40 years that may have possibly influenced population dynamics and feeding niche. The 3 most important changes were (a) the demand for coyote pelts during the 1970s, (b) a region-wide growth of the stocker cattle industry and (c) the increasing incidence of sarcoptic mange. The availability of stocker cattle carcasses may be providing a source of dependable food during a previously stressful period, thus inflating coyote survival and abundance superficially relative to traditional cow/calf ranching areas Sarcoptic mange has been present in Rolling Plains coyotes for about 10 years and appears to be depressing the abundance of coyotes in this region.
Comments
Published in Coyotes in the Southwest: A Compendium of Our Knowledge. Symposium Proceedings, December 13–14, 1995, San Angelo, TX, edited by Dale Rollins, Calvin Richardson, Terry Blankenship, Kem Canon, and Scott Henke. Austin, Texas, 1996. Used by permission.