Table 1.
Summary results of coyote prey selection including prey species, preference/avoidance, Jacobs’ index, sample size, body mass, dietary records, and summary statistics. The symbol + indicates significant preference, - significant avoidance, and ~ no preference.
| Species | Scientific name | Pref/avoid | Jacobs index | n | Body mass (kg) | Kills | t | d.f. | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver, American | Castor canadensis | ~ | −0.77 ± 0.14 | 2 | 21.82 | 0.03 ± 0.04 | −5.58 | 1 | 0.110 |
| Birds | Aves | ~ | −0.09 ± 0.20 | 6 | 0.2 | 0.05 ± 0.1 | −0.45 | 5 | 0.670 |
| Chipmunk, least | Neotamias minimus | − | −0.75 ± 0.06 | 7 | 0.14 | 0.02 ± 0.01 | −12.72 | 6 | 0.000 |
| Chipmunks | Sciuridae | ~ | −0.49 ± 0.18 | 7 | 0.11 | 0.01 ± 0.01 | −2.79 | 6 | 0.030 |
| Coyote | Canis latrans | − | −0.74 ± 0.04 | 5 | 13.41 | 0.02 ± 0.01 | −17.9 | 4 | 0.000 |
| Deer, mule | Odocoileus hemionus | ~ | 0.14 ± 0.20 | 18 | 54.21 | 0.08 ± 0.03 | 0.7 | 17 | 0.490 |
| Deer, white-tailed | Odocoileus virginianus | + | 0.47 ± 0.10 | 38 | 55.51 | 0.16 ± 0.03 | 4.71 | 37 | 0.000 |
| Elk | Cervus canadensis | ~ | 0.23 ± 0.39 | 2 | 131.25 | 0.16 ± 0.12 | 0.58 | 1 | 0.660 |
| Gopher, northern pocket | Thomomys talpoides | − | −0.56 ± 0.15 | 8 | 0.13 | 0.11 ± 0.04 | −3.86 | 7 | 0.010 |
| Grasshopper | Caelifera | ~ | −0.05 ± 0.55 | 3 | 0.01 | 0.06 ± 0.05 | −0.09 | 2 | 0.930 |
| Grouse, spruce | Canachites canadensis | − | −0.85 ± 0.06 | 5 | 0.47 | 0.03 ± 0.01 | −13.85 | 4 | 0.000 |
| Hare, snowshoe | Lepus americanus | ~ | 0.2 ± 0.13 | 30 | 1.71 | 0.2 ± 0.04 | 1.52 | 29 | 0.140 |
| Invertebrates | Invertebrata | ~ − | −0.71 ± 0.22 | 4 | 0 | 0.07 ± 0.05 | −3.22 | 3 | 0.050 |
| Jackrabbit | Lepus spp. | + | 0.96 ± 0.01 | 4 | 2.45 | 0.1 ± 0.08 | 75.76 | 3 | 0.000 |
| Jackrabbit, black-tailed | Lepus californicus | ~ | 0.2 ± 0.11 | 29 | 2.42 | 0.15 ± 0.04 | 1.84 | 28 | 0.080 |
| Lemming, southern bog | Synaptomys cooperi | ~ | 0.62 ± 0.20 | 2 | 0.03 | 0.03 ± 0.08 | 3.12 | 1 | 0.200 |
| Marmot, yellow-bellied | Marmota flaviventris | ~ | −0.43 ± 0.29 | 2 | 3.35 | 0.03 ± 0.02 | −1.47 | 1 | 0.380 |
| Moose | Alces alces | ~ | 0.04 ± 0.20 | 7 | 357 | 0.11 ± 0.06 | 0.19 | 6 | 0.860 |
| Mouse, California deer | Peromyscus californicus | − | −0.91 ± 0.09 | 4 | 0.02 | 0 ± 0 | −9.92 | 3 | 0.000 |
| Mouse, deer | Peromyscus spp. | − | −0.72 ± 0.06 | 64 | 0.02 | 0.03 ± 0.01 | −11.86 | 63 | 0.000 |
| Mouse, fulvous harvest | Reithrodontomys fulvescens | ~ | −0.39 ± 0.58 | 2 | 0.01 | 0.01 ± 0.01 | −0.67 | 1 | 0.620 |
| Mouse, Great Basin pocket | Perognathus parvus | ~ | −0.1 ± 0.20 | 12 | 0.02 | 0.03 ± 0.01 | −0.5 | 11 | 0.630 |
| Mouse, harvest | Reithrodontomys spp. | − | −0.83 ± 0.05 | 8 | 0.01 | 0.03 ± 0.02 | −18.42 | 7 | 0.000 |
| Mouse, hispid pocket | Chaetodipus hispidus | ~ | −0.37 ± 0.30 | 6 | 0.03 | 0.01 ± 0 | −1.24 | 5 | 0.270 |
| Mouse, northern grasshopper | Onychomys leucogaster | ~ | −0.63 ± 0.27 | 4 | 0.03 | 0.01 ± 0.01 | −2.32 | 3 | 0.100 |
| Mouse, pinyon deer | Peromyscus truei | − | −0.66 ± 0.18 | 4 | 0.03 | 0.01 ± 0 | −3.66 | 3 | 0.040 |
| Mouse, pocket | Chaetodipus spp. | ~ | −0.24 ± 0.16 | 10 | 0.03 | 0.04 ± 0.02 | −1.52 | 9 | 0.160 |
| Mouse, southern marsh harvest | Reithrodontomys megalotis | − | −0.79 ± 0.21 | 4 | 0.01 | 0.01 ± 0.01 | −3.7 | 3 | 0.030 |
| Mouse, western harvest | Reithrodontomys megalotis | ~ | 0.14 ± 0.20 | 10 | 0.01 | 0.03 ± 0.02 | 0.72 | 9 | 0.490 |
| Mouse, western jumping | Zapus princeps | ~ | −0.65 ± 0.35 | 2 | 0.02 | 0.03 ± 0.03 | −1.85 | 1 | 0.320 |
| Mouse, white-footed | Peromyscus leucopus | − | −0.56 ± 0.17 | 6 | 0.02 | 0.05 ± 0.02 | −3.33 | 5 | 0.020 |
| Muskrat | Ondatra zibethicus | − | −0.83 ± 0.08 | 8 | 1.07 | 0.02 ± 0.02 | −9.86 | 7 | 0.000 |
| Opossum, Virginia | Didelphis virginiana | ~ − | −0.92 ± 0.08 | 2 | 2.2 | 0.01 ± 0.01 | −12.19 | 1 | 0.050 |
| Pheasant, ring-necked | Phasianus colchicus | ~ | 0.34 ± 0.45 | 4 | 1.12 | 0.02 ± 0.02 | 0.75 | 3 | 0.510 |
| Pronghorn | Antilocapra americana | ~ | −0.12 ± 0.35 | 4 | 46.08 | 0.03 ± 0.03 | −0.34 | 3 | 0.760 |
| Rabbit, desert cottontail | Sylvilagus audubonii | ~ + | 0.35 ± 0.16 | 14 | 0.89 | 0.08 ± 0.02 | 2.11 | 13 | 0.050 |
| Rabbit, eastern cottontail | Sylvilagus floridanus | + | 0.36 ± 0.09 | 15 | 1.17 | 0.13 ± 0.03 | 4.21 | 14 | 0.000 |
| Rabbit, mountain cottontail | Sylvilagus nuttallii | ~ + | 0.67 ± 0.21 | 3 | 0.76 | 0.06 ± 0.04 | 3.23 | 2 | 0.080 |
| Raccoon, northern | Procyon lotor | − | −0.94 ± 0.02 | 2 | 6.55 | 0.02 ± 0.04 | −56.8 | 1 | 0.010 |
| Rat, hispid cotton | Sigmodon hispidus | ~ | 0.02 ± 0.10 | 27 | 0.09 | 0.81 ± 1.80 | 0.23 | 26 | 0.820 |
| Rat, Ord’s kangaroo | Dipodomys ordii | − | −0.48 ± 0.10 | 11 | 0.06 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | −4.67 | 10 | 0.000 |
| Sheep | Ovis aries | ~ | −0.02 ± 0.13 | 6 | 70 | 0.04 ± 0.04 | −0.13 | 5 | 0.900 |
| Sheep, Dall | Ovis dalli | + | 0.67 ± 0 | 3 | 55.65 | 0.06 ± 0.01 | 229.15 | 2 | 0.000 |
| Skunk, striped | Mephitis mephitis | ~ | −0.41 ± 0.59 | 2 | 2.09 | 0.02 ± 0.03 | −0.7 | 1 | 0.610 |
| Small mammals | Mammalia | − | −0.55 ± 0.15 | 15 | 0.03 | 0.43 ± 0.9 | −3.64 | 14 | 0.000 |
| Squirrel, American red | Tamiasciurus hudsonicus | − | −0.82 ± 0.04 | 8 | 0.2 | 0.02 ± 0.01 | −18.9 | 7 | 0.000 |
| Squirrel, fox | Sciurus niger | − | −0.98 ± 0.02 | 2 | 0.7 | 0 ± 0 | −42.69 | 1 | 0.010 |
| Squirrel, golden-mantled ground | Callospermophilus lateralis | ~ | 0.04 ± 0.29 | 3 | 0.19 | 0.03 ± 0.03 | 0.15 | 2 | 0.900 |
| Squirrel, ground | Sciuridae | ~ | −0.48 ± 0.31 | 4 | 0.27 | 0.06 ± 0.07 | −1.57 | 3 | 0.220 |
| Squirrel, Townsend’s ground | Urocitellus townsendii | ~ | −0.24 ± 0.14 | 3 | 0.41 | 0.04 ± 0.02 | −1.76 | 2 | 0.220 |
| Squirrel, Uinta ground | Urocitellus armatus | ~ | 0.12 ± 0.50 | 4 | 0.31 | 0.06 ± 0.03 | 0.25 | 3 | 0.820 |
| Vole, California | Microtus californicus | + | 0.25 ± 0.05 | 4 | 0.06 | 0.08 ± 0.05 | 5.38 | 3 | 0.010 |
| Vole, meadow | Microtus pennsylvanicus | − | −0.82 ± 0.13 | 3 | 0.04 | 0.08 ± 0.05 | −6.3 | 2 | 0.020 |
| Vole, prairie | Microtus ochrogaster | ~ | −0.13 ± 0.18 | 11 | 0.04 | 0.1 ± 0.02 | −0.74 | 10 | 0.470 |
| Vole, southern red-backed | Myodes gapperi | − | −0.87 ± 0.10 | 6 | 0.02 | 0.03 ± 0.02 | −8.43 | 5 | 0.000 |
| Waterfowl | Anatidae | − | −0.97 ± 0.02 | 3 | 1 | 0.04 ± 0.04 | −58.55 | 2 | 0.000 |
| Woodchuck/groundhog | Marmota monax | ~ | −0.61 ± 0.16 | 2 | 3.81 | 0.05 ± 0.05 | −3.84 | 1 | 0.160 |
| Woodrat, desert | Neotoma lepida | ~ | −0.52 ± 0.38 | 2 | 0.16 | 0.05 ± 0.06 | −1.35 | 1 | 0.410 |
| Woodrat, eastern | Neotoma floridana | ~ | 0.47 ± 0.05 | 2 | 0.24 | 0.02 ± 0.01 | 9.98 | 1 | 0.060 |
| Woodrat, southern plains | Neotoma micropus | ~ | −0.07 ± 0.08 | 27 | 0.24 | 0.06 ± 0.01 | −0.86 | 26 | 0.400 |