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Seasonal occupancy of sympatric larger carnivores in the southern San Andres Mountains, south-central New Mexico, USA

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Abstract

We investigated factors facilitating coexistence of pumas (Puma concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), and bobcats (Lynx rufus) in the arid San Andres Mountains of south-central New Mexico, during the season (winter and spring, prior to the annual monsoon) of greatest resource stress. We established a camera-trapping grid in the San Andres, 2007–2011, and modeled occupancy of the three carnivores as a function of habitat, prey, and presence of the other carnivore species. Species interaction factors were >1.3 for each pair of carnivores, and the presence of the other carnivore species never significantly influenced occupancy of any other carnivore. Similarly, occupancy of the San Andres landscape was positively correlated among all carnivores. Occupancy of pumas was most influenced by proximity of water; coyote occupancy was influenced by terrain ruggedness and presence of medium (primarily lagomorph) prey, and bobcat occupancy was influence primarily small prey and proximity to water. The three carnivores also did not show temporal partitioning in use of habitats. Rather than segregation driven by competition, predation, or despotism, our results appeared to reflect preferences for differing habitat characteristics between ambush and cursorial predators and preferred habitats for travel.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service–San Andres National Wildlife Refuge, and the New Mexico State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service for funding. We thank all the technicians and research assistants who assisted in monitoring of cameras and who recorded incidental sightings of pumas in the SAM. All aspects of this study were in compliance with NMSU IACUC Nos. 2003-013 and 2008-026.

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Correspondence to Octavio C. Rosas-Rosas.

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Communicated by: Thales Renato Ochotorena de Freitas

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Bender, L.C., Rosas-Rosas, O.C. & Weisenberger, M.E. Seasonal occupancy of sympatric larger carnivores in the southern San Andres Mountains, south-central New Mexico, USA. Mamm Res 62, 323–329 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-017-0318-0

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