Coyote prey DNA from coyote saliva to test efficacy of obtaining diet information from oral swabs

Human-carnivore conflicts often involve the depredation of domestic livestock. These depredation events are rarely observed, yet mitigation typically involves identifying the species or individual involved for removal or relocation. We tested a molecular method to identify individuals involved in depredation events using mouth swabs to determine if prey DNA could be detected, and for how long. We fed mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) meat to captive coyotes (Canis latrans) and swabbed their mouths at five predetermined intervals between 2-72 hours after consumption of the deer meat. We assessed two different molecular forensic methods to analyze the saliva swabs: qPCR for species identification and microsatellites for individual prey identification. We found that qPCR analysis was highly effective, detecting the deer DNA in the coyote saliva for up to 72 hours post-deer consumption. Our results suggest that if an individual carnivore suspected of livestock depredation is captured within 7..., Coyotes were fed deer meat and oral cavities were swabbed at set time intervals up to 72 hours after consumption. Swabs sent to two labs for genetic extraction. See methods of manuscript for details. , , # Coyote DNA - saliva study

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Coyote ID and related deer DNA quantities (avg across 3 replicate samples) from swabs collected at set time intervals since fed deer meat.

## Description of the data and file structure

See Table 1 in the manuscript to match to raw data here.

Column Headings =
Sample: Coyote ID (first two digits are DOB, third is litter ID, and 4th is odd for male, even for female) and event of sample after the underscore.
SamplingTime: The event sample was collected after feeding
TimePostFeeding: Hours after feeding the event of obtaining a sample was done
CTvalue: cycle threshold value
DNAquantity: amount of DNA amplified

Note - all samples were run in triplicate so there are 3 DNA and CT values per sample event per animal.