An assessment of geographic variation in sexual size dimorphism in the coyote (Canis latrans)
Abstract
Geographic variation in sexual size dimorphism was assessed for the coyote (Canis latrans) across nine localities in the central and eastern United States. Twenty skull measurements from 587 (308 male; 279 female) adult specimens were used in the assessment. Males were found to be larger than females for all characters except least zygomatic process - jugal height in Texas and skull height at palatine in Michigan. Mean values for the degree of sexual dimorphism across localities ranged from 1.0 to 8.0%. Most mean values ranged from 4.0 to 6.0%. There was no significant interaction between sex and locality. Therefore, there was no difference in the degree of sexual dimorphism across localities. Measurements for males were significantly correlated with those of females across sites for each character. Distance matrices representing the morphometric distance among sites for each sex were highly correlated (r = 0.990). Female coyotes appeared to be scaled-down models of males. Results were interpreted to support the bioenergetic hypothesis as an explanation for sexual size dimorphism in C. latrans but also were discussed in light of the resource partitioning and sexual selection hypotheses.
Publication Title
Mammalia
Recommended Citation
Kennedy, M., Mech, S., Tran, B., Grubaugh, J., & Lance, R. (2003). An assessment of geographic variation in sexual size dimorphism in the coyote (Canis latrans). Mammalia, 67 (3), 411-417. https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2003.67.3.411
