Coyote food habits and the relative abundance of rodents in San Mateo County (Canis latrans, California)

From November 2000 through October 2001, data were collected on the food habits of coyotes (Canis latrans) and the relative abundance of rodents at a study area located in San Mateo County, northern California. During this 12-month period, a total of 373 coyote scats were collected as the basis for determining food habits. In addition, 7103 trap-nights produced 1055 rodents used to estimate relative abundance. Results from a canonical correlation supported the hypothesis that the food habits of coyotes directly correlated with the seasonal abundance of rodent species. The results indicated that coyotes were feeding more on species, such as Thomomys bottae, Reithrodontomys megalotis, and Microtus californicus when their relative abundance was high. It was also evident that Neotoma fuscipes and Sylvilagus bachmani are staples in the coyote's diet throughout the year, as seen by the high abundance of these species in the scats across all months.