Home range and core area characteristics of urban and rural coyotes and red foxes in southern Wisconsin

Many factors, including individual- and species-specific traits and resource requirements as well as landscape characteristics, influence second-order habitat selection and home range characteristics such as size, shape, stability, and overlap. By comparing home range characteristics across individuals, species, and landscapes, we can draw conclusions regarding whether and how different factors influence home range selection. Our objectives were to quantify home range characteristics of VHF- and GPS-collared coyotes and red foxes in southern Wisconsin, including home range size and shape, home range stability, and inter- and intraspecific overlap, and to review current literature on coyote and red fox home range characteristics for comparison and context. On average, urban coyotes had smaller, more circular home ranges with greater intraspecific overlap than rural coyotes; although, rural coyotes had greater home range stability. Similarly, urban red foxes had smaller, more circular home ranges with greater intraspecific overlap than urban coyotes, with no difference in stability between urban coyotes and red foxes. Our results corresponded with trends identified from literature review; however, we did find greater interspecific overlap between urban coyotes and red foxes than has been previously reported. Our results provide further evidence that intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as body size, resource predictability and availability as well as the physical environment, influence home range selection of coyotes and red foxes.