Carnivores use scent marking for communication, such as indicating territory boundaries. However, there is limited information on scent-marking behavior during territory establishment because it is difficult to observe in wild systems. We experimentally manipulated territorial establishment in captive coyotes ( Canis latrans Say, 1823) to assess scent-marking behavior. We released eight pairs of coyotes into new enclosures (i.e., territories) and observed their scent-marking behavior immediately after release and during the subsequent three weeks. All pairs were then captured, and four pairs were randomly selected to return to their initial enclosures (i.e., established territories), while the remaining four pairs switched enclosures (i.e., novel territories) for additional observations of scent-marking behavior. All coyotes marked primarily at the perimeter of enclosures during both releases, which is consistent with scent-marking behavior observed in the wild. Urine-marking and scratching were most frequent immediately after both releases, indicating that these behaviors are critical for establishing new territories and re-establishing territories after an absence. Coyotes that switched enclosures scent-marked proportionally more in the periphery of their territory, with less central overmarks upon the second release compared to coyotes that returned to their same enclosure. This difference might suggest that coyotes can recognize familiar versus unfamiliar spaces and adjust marking behavior accordingly, but study limitations constrain our conclusions.
Long et al. (Thu,) studied this question.