Camera Traps Show Invasive Coyotes and Foxes Heading Toward South America

Camera Traps Show Invasive Coyotes and Foxes Heading Toward South America
George Dvorsky
45 minutes ago

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A coyote in eastern Panama, as seen by a camera trap at night.
Image: A. W. Hody et al., 2019


North American coyotes don’t live in South America, nor do crab-eating foxes. But new research suggests that could change, should deforestation in Central America continue.

North and South America have a long history of exchanging animal and plant species, a process that began around 3 million to 4 million years ago ,when the Panamanian Isthmus joined the two continents. New research published in the Journal of Mammalogy reminds us that this process, known as the Great American Biotic Exchange, is still ongoing, as North American coyotes (Canis latrans) and crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous) appear to be heading south toward Colombia.

The scientists, including Roland Kays from North Carolina State University, used camera traps to detect two coyotes in the Darién region of Panama, an area that hosts 6,000-square-kilometers (2,320 square miles) of wilderness forests. These sightings now represent the southernmost known encroachment of coyotes, a full 200 kilometers (120 miles) away from the previous record.

The camera traps also chronicled the spread of crab-eating foxes, showing that the invasive canids are now actively inhabiting new territories.

More:
https://gizmodo.com/camera-traps-show-invasive-coyotes-and-foxes-heading-to-1840612077