Data from: Coyotes display minimal response to Cougar scent at experimental carcass sites

Interactions among predators can have cascading impacts on communities and
ecosystems. These interactions often occur around carrion, where the
carrion provides a food reward, but also a risk of encountering other,
potentially dominant, predators. Understanding how predators balance risk
and reward at carrion, and how perceived risk changes in response to
carcass origins and conditions, provides valuable insight into intraguild
interactions. We investigated Coyote (Canis latrans) behavior at carrion
simulated as cache sites treated with Cougar (Puma concolor) scent versus
carrion used as control sites to better understand how Coyotes assess risk
while feeding on carrion. Coyotes displayed similar behavior between sites
treated and untreated with Cougar scent, suggesting that the presence of
Cougar scent did not alter perceived risk by coyotes in our study.
Instead, coyote behavior responded to carcass age, elevation, and whether
avian scavengers had visited the carcass. Coyotes spent more time feeding,
more time on camera, and touched carcasses quicker as carcass age
increased. Avian scavengers appeared to compete with Coyotes, and while
the presence of avian scavengers reduced time to carcass detection by
Coyotes, it also decreased time spent feeding. These results suggest that
carcass condition is a more important indicator of risk and reward than
the presence of dominant predator scent to Coyotes. Predator scent may be
an unreliable cue of immediate predator presence. Alternatively, all
carcasses may be risky because dominant predators also scavenge carrion,
creating similar risk regardless of previous visitation by dominant
predators. These results provide insights into predator interactions and
can also inform the use of scent cues in wildlife management.