An observational study of coyote (Canis latrans) scent-marking and territoriality in Yellowstone National Park

Free-ranging coyotes (Canis latrans) living in neighboring packs were obser ved in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, from Jan. to May 1997. Through direct observation, we recorded the location of coyote s cent marks and information regarding the identity of the marking animal. Pa tterns of scent-marking were then analyzed spatially and demographically. A ll of the evidence from the present study supports a strong relationship be tween scent-marking and territoriality in these coyotes, and all prediction s were met. A preponderance of scent marks was found in the periphery of te rritories. Most of those marks were raised-leg urinations (RLUs) and forwar d-lean urinations (FLUs), postures associated very strongly with males, par ticularly dominant individuals. Ground-scratching was also closely associat ed with these types of marks and was performed more on the periphery of ter ritories than in the interior. A complete lack of overlap of adjacent terri tories and very limited overlap of movements into territories fits classic definitions of territory and home range. Scent-marking seems to be strongly associated with the establishment and maintenance of these boundaries betw een packs of coyotes competing for the same resources in a limited space.