Home range, habitat use and survival of coyotes in western South Carolina.

Abstract Home range size, habitat use and survival of coyotes are variable throughout their range. Because coyotes have recently become established in South Carolina, we investigated their spatial distribution, habitat use and mortality on the Savannah River Site (SRS) in western South Carolina, USA. Annual survival for adult coyotes on the SRS was 0.658. Off-site trapping and shooting accounted for 60% of mortality. Home ranges averaged 30.5 km2 and 31.85 km2 by the 95% minimum convex polygon and 95% fixed kernel methods, respectively. We detected no difference in home ranges size between males and females. Intraspecific home range overlap averaged 22.4%, excluding mated pair interactions, with 87.5% of coyotes sharing their home range with one or more individuals. Coyotes selected home ranges containing higher proportions of early successional habitat than was available on the landscape. Core areas likewise contained a greater proportion of early successional habitat than available in the animal's home ...