The importance of crossroads in faecal marking behaviour of the wolves (Canis lupus)

Die Naturwissenschaften
Isabel BarjaFelipe Bárcena

Abstract

For wolves (Canis lupus) scats play an important function in territorial marking behaviour. Depositing scats at strategic sites such as crossroads and on conspicuous substrates probably increases their effectiveness as visual and olfactory marks. It is therefore likely that scats will be deposited, and will accumulate, at particular crossroads where the probability of being detected by other wolves is greatest. To check this hypothesis, a wolf population in NW Spain was studied for two consecutive years, from May 1998 to March 2000, and the spatial distribution of 311 scats detected along roads (both at and away from crossroads) was analysed. This study was conducted over an area of 12,000 ha in Montes do Invernadeiro Natural Park. The results confirm that wolves preferably deposit their scats at crossroads (60.1%) and on conspicuous substrates (72.1%). Significantly more scats were found at intersections with numerous, easily passable roads connecting distant territories. Thus, wolves preferably deposit their faeces at crossroads with high accessibility and driveability. The larger the surface area of the crossroads, the more scats were found. Crossroads are therefore highly strategic points that facilitate the detection of sc...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 25, 2014·Behavioral Ecology : Official Journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·Barbara ZimmermannOlof Liberg
May 1, 2007·The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology·Isabel BarjaJuan Carlos Illera
Dec 6, 2014·Behavioural Processes·Pierre Lesne, Raphaël Jeanson

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