Melanism of Coyotes (Canis latrans) in Florida
Abstract
Occurrence of melanism in the coyote (Canis latrans) has been poorly documented. We collected 244 coyote carcasses throughout Florida during 2011–2014 and documented 18 cases of melanism (7.4%). Melanistic individuals were positively correlated with tree canopy cover (βcanopy mean = 0.11, se = 0.03, P < 0.001) and consequently observed only in northern portions of Florida. However, geographic trends (e.g., northing, easting, north-westing) did not explain variation in our data as well as habitat. Melanism varied through space from locally abundant to absent, but the drivers perpetuating variation in frequency of melanism are likely complex as the mechanisms for polymorphic maintenance are unclear.
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In the Eastern United States, melanistic coyotes are estimated to comprise 5-9% of the population.
“In the Eastern United States, melanistic coyotes are estimated to comprise 5-9% of the population (Gipson, 1976;Caudill & Caudill, 2015).”
From Of Rarity and Symbolism: Understanding Human Perceptions of Charismatic Color Morphs (2024) · cites this paper as Caudill & Caudill, 2015
While coyotes are found in nearly all ecosystems in North America, observations of melanistic coyotes are uncommon.
“While coyotes are found in nearly all ecosystems in North America (Mowry & Edge, 2014;Caudill & Caudill, 2015;Hody & Kays, 2018), observations of melanistic coyotes are uncommon.”
From Of Rarity and Symbolism: Understanding Human Perceptions of Charismatic Color Morphs (2024) · cites this paper as Caudill & Caudill, 2015
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References 39 · Cited by 10
- Authors
- Caudill, G., & Caudill, D.
- Affiliations
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (US)
- Corresponding author
- Caudill, Gretchen
- Venue
- The American Midland Naturalist
- Publisher
- University of Notre Dame
- Published
- 2015-10
- Volume
- 174
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 335-342
- ISSN
- 0003-0031 (ISSN-L)
- 1938-4238
- OpenAlex
- W2109563482
- Cited by
- 10
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 0.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The American Midland Naturalist (publishedVersion)
- BioOne Complete (BioOne) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic diversity and population structure
- Keywords
- melanism, coyote, coat color polymorphism, tree canopy cover, habitat, regional variation, Florida
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