Record Pack-Density of Eastern Coyotes/Coywolves (Canis Latrans X Lycaon) (Notes and Discussion) (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION The eastern coyote or coywolf (Canis latrans X lycaon; hereafter coyote for consistency purposes) is a unique form of canid that is large (ca. 15-18 kg--see Way, 2007a), genetically distinct (Way et al., 2010), lives at relatively low densities (ca. 3.0-4.0 individuals per 30 [km.sup.2]), and has comparably large territory sizes compared to the western coyote (Andelt, 1985; Harrison, 1992; Parker, 1995; Patterson and Messier, 2001; Way et al., 2002a; Way, 2003). Coyotes in the western portion of their geographic range typically occur at higher densities with an average of ~1 and a maximum of 3.0 individuals per [km.sup.2] primarily in the southern half of the United States (see Andelt, 1985; Gier, 1975; Parker, 1995: Chapter 6). However, Parker (1995) estimates that average coyote densities in northeastern North America are only around 0.10-0.20 coyotes per [km.sup.2], similar to findings by Way et al. (2002a) in Massachusetts who reported 0.07-0.15 individuals per [km.sup.2] on suburban Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The record reported coyote density found in northeastern North America was 0.57 per [km.sup.2] in Maine in the winter (Hilton, 1986). Understanding the range in reported densities of a territorial species like the coyote throughout its range is important because this directly influences population dynamics in an area. Herein we report on a single eastern coyote pack that existed at a record density for 10 mo as the result of a small territory area.