animalphiles

Fox on the run? Some females play the field

Foxes, like wolves and coyotes, were heralded as a shining example of faithfulness. But now it turns out some, specifically Arctic foxes, do have a tendency to cheat on their mate.

A study,  detailed in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, compared genetic samples from 49 Arctic foxes and found some litters fathered by more than one male.

Biologists consider monogamy a good strategy for survival, since it means that females have the helping hand of a male in raising newborns to adulthood.

"The generalization that mating couples stuck together usually came from field observations," said researcher Lindsey Carmichael of the University of Alberta in Edmonton. "People would often see pairs of foxes together and so they would just assume that was their standard mating pattern."

“Having offspring from multiple fathers allows a female to increase the genetic variation in her cubs,” Carmichael explained. “This increase in variation improves the chances that at least one cub in a litter will have the right stuff genetically to survive long term in such a harsh and changing environment."

Also, "two males bringing food to her cubs," Carmicheal said, "is much more advantageous for her offspring than just one.

Coyote visits Chicago Quiznos

A coyote who wondered into a Chicago sub shop is heading to a new home today at an Illinois wildlife refuge.

The coyote stunned lunch-time crowds at a downtown Quiznos yesterday when he walked through the front door and tried to jump over the soda cooler. When he didn't clear the height he settled into the cooler for a rest. An animal control officer was called in and was able to grab the coyote with a catch pole.

One of the coyote's leg was slightly injured, and that may  be why he found the cooler so comforting. "It wasn't aggressive at all," restaurant manager Bina Patel told the Chicago Tribune. "It was just looking around."

Employees and customers calmly cleared out of the restaurant, though some took the time to finish their sandwiches and snap some cell-phone photos.

The city captures 10 to 15 coyotes every year, especially in the spring. This one is destined for the Flint River Wildlife Refuge in Illinois.

Coyotes head south

Howling coyotes are a symbol of the American Southwest. They are common in the Northeast as well. Now they are expanding their territory deep into a landscape best known for alligators and palmetto bushes. The Wildlife Conservation Society says coyotes are pushing deep into southern Florida, giving experts a chance to study the impact of a new predator on an ecosystem from the beginning. See full article.

WCS says the coyote’s presence in the Sunshine State is news to many Floridians. “When we surveyed more than two hundred University of South Florida students, most didn’t know coyotes were in the state. Those that did had a negative attitude toward them,” says Denara Manning, a USF graduate student studying the animal. Today, coyotes live in 65 of the state’s 67 counties.