SEASONAL DIFFERENCES IN TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR BY GOLDEN JACKALS IN BANGLADESH - HOWLING VERSUS CONFRONTATION

Responses of golden jackals (Canis aureus) to broadcasted howling were investigated in rural Bangladesh. Two hypotheses were tested: that th e howl response shows the same annual trends reported for other Canis, being high during the season of pairing-mating when territories are b eing established, and low during the denning season when there is a ri sk to vulnerable young from advertising the location of their den to r ival conspecifics; that the frequency of approach responses (confronta tion) varies inversely with howl responses and is higher during dennin g when howling is low. Results support both hypotheses and are consist ent with the primary function of howling being as a passive means of t erritory maintenance whereby dominant animals advertise their location s to facilitate mutual avoidance between groups and thereby reduce acc idental confrontation.