L. Mike Conner

Multi‐species surveys are commonly used to monitor mesocarnivore populations, but these methods often result in insufficient detection of cryptic species. Long‐tailed Weasels ( Neogale frenata ) are cryptic carnivores that conventional survey techniques rarely detect. Therefore, we compared Long‐tailed Weasel detection rates and costs of an intensive, widespread community‐level camera survey and a multi‐method camera survey that used detection dogs to guide camera placement. The detection‐dog‐guided camera survey had approximately 33 times greater detections with fewer camera nights and reduced survey costs. Monthly detection rates were highest using detection‐dog‐guided camera surveys during the pregnancy and parturition period. Both survey methods confirmed the presence of Long‐tailed Weasels, demonstrating that method suitability depends on survey objective. Our research contributes to refining non‐invasive surveying techniques for weasels amid increasing concerns of population declines and range constrictions.

Automated behavioral response systems (ABRs) record wildlife behavioral responses to auditory playbacks. Collectively, ABR studies suggest humans are perceived as a global “super predator.” Understanding invasive species response to auditory signals may enhance invasive species management and reduce their impact. Wild pigs ( Sus scrofa ) are invasive and cause significant damage in the United States. We used ABRs to assess flight response and foraging behavior to four auditory playbacks (humans, coyote vocalizations [ Canis latrans ], pigs in distress, and barred owl calls [ Strix varia ; as control] in southwestern Georgia. Wild pigs were primarily nocturnal, a common human avoidance behavior. Wild pig response was greatest to human speech, but pigs habituated rapidly. Wild pigs often exhibited a “freezing” behavior over fleeing suggesting a search for additional predation cues. Our study adds to ABR literature where humans are perceived as super predators but suggests auditory stimuli alone is unlikely to reduce wild pig damage.

The rapid expansion of wild pigs ( Sus scrofa ) is a critical conservation concern. Managers often use baited traps to remove wild pigs, and the attractiveness of bait may improve the probability of capture. Anecdotal observations suggest inoculated peanuts ( Arachis hypogaea ) may be a superior bait relative to whole‐kernel corn ( Zea mays )—a commonly used bait for wild pigs. We used camera trapping to determine wild pig bait preference at 8 plots, each with 4 baits (peanuts [PN], inoculated peanuts [IP; peanuts inoculated with fungicide prior to planting], whole‐kernel corn [CN], and inoculated corn [IC; corn treated with peanut fungicide]) in southwestern Georgia, USA. We assessed the number of first visits by wild pigs to bait sites after placing bait and repeated this assessment for white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), a nontarget species that commonly visits wild pig bait sites. We performed 3 analyses to account for possible competition or exclusion of either species. In all cases, wild pigs preferred IP while white‐tailed deer preferred CN. We saw no evidence of interspecific competition at baits. Our data suggest that IP may be a superior bait for wild pigs while being less attractive to white‐tailed deer. Peanuts are an important crop in southwestern Georgia. In areas where peanuts are not grown, wild pigs may be neophobic to peanuts, warranting further research in these areas. Furthermore, future research should consider having plots with only one bait site relative to multiple bait sites to assess effects of multiple bait sites on competitive exclusion.

Aim: To investigate effects of anthropogenic development at regional and landscape scales on the distributions of mid‐trophic level mammalian predators (mesopredators) across the southeastern United States. Location: The study area encompasses seven ecoregions across a large portion of the southeastern United States. Taxon: Mammalian mesopredators. Methods: We compiled trail camera data from 21 studies across the southeastern United States and used occupancy modelling to assess mesopredator distributions and account for heterogeneous detection probabilities. We examined drivers of occupancy at regional and landscape scales. At the regional scale, we assessed occupancy patterns across ecoregions differing in topography, productivity, and human population growth. At the landscape scale, we analysed the influence of land cover types (forest, developed, agriculture) and non‐native coyote ( Canis latrans ) activity on occupancy. Results: Regionally, mesopredator occurrence was highest in ecoregions characterised by low productivity and greater topographic variability. Common species (predicted occupancy ≥ 0.19) showed positive associations with developed and agricultural land covers, while less common species (predicted occupancy ≤ 0.10) showed negative associations or were too rare to model. Coyote activity had mixed effects, positively associated with some species while negatively associated with others. Main Conclusions: Anthropogenic development affects mesopredator communities at both regional and landscape scales, favouring generalist species that are tolerant of human‐modified landscapes.

Diverse factors, including environmental features and cognitive processes, can drive animals’ movements and space use, with far-reaching implications. For example, repeated use of individual-level travel routeways (directionally constrained but imperfectly aligned routes), which results in spatial concentration of activity, can shape encounter-based processes including predation, mate finding, and disease transmission. However, how much variation in routeway usage exists across species remains unknown. By analyzing GPS movement tracks for 1,239 range-resident mammalian carnivores—representing 16 canid and 18 felid species from six continents—we found strong evidence of a clade-level difference in species’ reliance on repeatedly used travel routeways. Across the global dataset, tracked canids had a 15% (±7 CI) greater density of routeways within their home ranges than did felids, rising to 33% (±16 CI) greater in landscapes shared with tracked felids. Moreover, comparisons within species across landscapes revealed broadly similar home range routeway densities despite habitat differences. On average, canids also reused their travel routeways more intensively than did felids, with hunting strategies and spatial contexts also contributing to the intensity of routeway usage. Collectively, our results suggest that key aspects of carnivore routeway-usage have an evolutionary component. Striking interspecific and clade-level differences in carnivores’ reliance on reused travel routeways within home ranges identify important ways in which the movement patterns of real-world predators depart from classical assumptions of predator-prey theory. Because such departures can drive key aspects of human-wildlife interactions and other encounter-based processes, continued investigations of the relationships between movement mechanisms and space use are critical.

Sus scrofa L. (Wild Pig) are invasive, found throughout much of the US, and annually cause $1.5–2.2 billion in damage to natural and agricultural resources. Understanding habitat selection by Wild Pigs may inform control efforts by allowing managers to target their removal in frequently used habitats. Therefore, we used GPS tracking collars to study resource selection by Wild Pigs within their home ranges in an agro-forested landscape in southwestern Georgia, USA, during 2021–2023. Both sexes showed a greater probability of selecting areas near forested wetlands/riparian zones during both seasons, making this the most consistently selected landcover type. During the growing season (May–October), female Wild Pigs also showed a greater probability of selecting areas near unpaved roads but a lower probability of selecting areas near upland forests; during the dormant season (November–April), they showed a greater probability of selecting areas near upland forests and paved roads but a lower probability of selecting areas near unpaved roads, cropland, and buildings. In addition to forested wetlands/riparian zones, males showed a greater probability of selecting areas near cropland and buildings during the growing season; during the dormant season, they showed a greater probability of selecting areas near buildings and unpaved roads. Males showed a lower probability of selecting areas near paved roads during both seasons. During the growing season when Wild Pig damage to crops can be severe, Wild Pigs used cropland most often in the morning crepuscular hours. In an agro-forested landscape, efforts to remove Wild Pigs should prioritize forested wetlands and riparian zones year-round, while also targeting croplands specifically during the growing season. Removal of Wild Pigs from croplands may be male biased because males, but not females, selected crops during the growing season. Efforts to control Wild Pigs during the growing season may also reinforce fear of humans, resulting in decreased selection by Wild Pigs and subsequent declines in crop damage.

Recent advances in optical remote sensing (RS) technology in combination with lightweight Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices now make analyzing the multi-scale habitat selection (HS) of small mammals < 2 kg possible. However, there have been relatively few multi-scale HS studies integrating fine-scale RS data with data-rich, GPS-derived movement data from small mammals. This is critical because small mammals commonly select habitat features across multiple scales. To address this gap, we investigated the HS of a small mammal, fox squirrels (Sciurus niger), which are known to cover relatively large areas and select fine-scale environmental features. We specifically asked the following questions: (1) Do next-generation RS variables improve HS models at single spatial scales? (2) Do multi-scale HS models improve upon those at single spatial scales? Using data from 45 individuals, we constructed HS models at three spatial scales: 4 ha (210 m × 210 m), 0.09 ha (30 m × 30 m), and 0.01 ha (10 m × 10 m) using traditional and next-generation RS data. The 4-ha model, using traditional and next-generation RS data, produced the best single-scale model, explaining 58% of the variations in HS. However, the multi-scale model provided the most informative model, explaining 68% of the variations in HS. Our models provide evidence for the value of next-generation RS data when quantifying HS and additional support for the idea of studying HS at multiple spatial scales.