%0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Research and Reviews in Wireless Sensor Networks %D 2011 %T Camera Traps as Sensor Networks for Monitoring Animal Communities %A R. W. Kays %A Tilak, S. %A Kranstauber, B. %A Jansen, P. A. %A Carbon, C. %A Rowcliffe, M. %A Fountain, C. %A Eggert, J. %A He, Z. %K biology %B International Journal of Research and Reviews in Wireless Sensor Networks %V 1 %P 19-29 %G eng %U http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5355046/ %R 10.1109/LCN.2009.5355046 %0 Journal Article %J Acta Oecologica %D 2011 %T The Effect of Feeding Time on Dispersal of Virola Seeds by Toucans Determined from GPS Tracking and Accelerometers %A R. W. Kays %A Jansen, P. A. %A Knecht, E. M. H. %A Vohwinkel, R. %A M. Wikelski %K biology %B Acta Oecologica %V 37 %P 625-631 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2011.06.007 %0 Magazine Article %D 2011 %T Flower Powered %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B BBC Wildlife %V 29 %P 40-45 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J The Computer Journal %D 2011 %T Tracking Animal Location and Activity with an Automated Radio Telemetry System in a Tropical Rainforest %A R. W. Kays %A Tilak, S. %A M. C. Crofoot %A Fountain, T. %A Obando, D. %A Ortega, A. %A Kuemmeth, F. %A Mandel, J. %A Swenson, G. %A Lambert, T. %A Hirsch, B. %A M. Wikelski %K animal tracking %K environmental %K observing systems %K sensor networks %X

How do animals use their habitat? Where do they go and what do they do? These basic questions are key not only to understanding a species’ ecology and evolution, but also for addressing many of the environmental challenges we currently face, including problems posed by invasive species, the spread of zoonotic diseases and declines in wildlife populations due to anthropogenic climate and land-use changes. Monitoring the movements and activities of wild animals can be difficult, especially when the species in question are small, cryptic or move over large areas. In this paper, we describe an Automated Radio-Telemetry System (ARTS) that we designed and built on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama to overcome these challenges. We describe the hardware and software we used to implement the ARTS, and discuss the scientific successes we have had using the system, as well as the logistical challenges we faced in maintaining the system in real-world, rainforest conditions. The ARTS uses automated radio-telemetry receivers mounted on 40-m towers topped with arrays of directional antennas to track the activity and location of radio-collared study animals, 24 h a day, 7 days a week. These receiving units are connected by a wireless network to a server housed in the laboratory on BCI, making these data available in real time to researchers via a web-accessible database. As long as study animals are within the range of the towers, the ARTS system collects data more frequently than typical animal-borne global positioning system collars (∼12 locations/h) with lower accuracy (approximately 50 m) but at much reduced cost per tag (∼10X less expensive). The geographic range of ARTS, like all VHF telemetry, is affected by the size of the radio-tag as well as its position in the forest (e.g. tags in the canopy transmit farther than those on the forest floor). We present a model of signal propagation based on landscape conditions, which quantifies these effects and identifies sources of interference, including weather events and human activity. ARTS has been used to track 374 individual animals from 38 species, including 17 mammal species, 12 birds, 7 reptiles or amphibians, as well as two species of plant seeds. These data elucidate the spatio-temporal dynamics of animal activity and movement at the site and have produced numerous peer-reviewed publications, student theses, magazine articles, educational programs and film documentaries. These data are also relevant to long-term population monitoring and conservation plans. Both the successes and the failures of the ARTS system are applicable to broader sensor network applications and are valuable for advancing sensor network research.

%B The Computer Journal %V 54 %P 1931-1948 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/comjnl/bxr072 %R 10.1093/comjnl/bxr072 %0 Journal Article %J Northeast Naturalist %D 2011 %T Using Stable Carbon Isotopes to Distinguish Wild from Captive Wolves %A R. W. Kays %A R. S. Feranec %K Canis latrans %K Canis lupus %K domesticated wolves %K δ13C values %X

Morphological and genetic techniques for distinguishing captive vs. wild stock are often insufficient. We found differences in carbon isotope values from Canis latrans (Coyote) and Canis lupus (Wolf) eating wild vs. domestic diets. Wild canids in the Northeast have lower δ13C values because they eat prey that mainly feed on C3 plants. However, canids eating typical domestic diets have more positive δ13C values (≈+6‰) because of the Zea mays (Corn; a C4 plant) fed to domestic stock and used in dog foods. We applied this technique to hair and bone samples from eight Wolves in the northeastern USA, where no natural Wolf populations are known. Three Wolves had strongly negative δ13C values, typical of a wild-food diet, while the other five Wolves had more positive values typical of captive animals. As expected, we found no significant difference in ι15N isotope values between captive and wild animals. This new evidence suggests that, while some Wolves are escaping from captivity, at least three animals have apparently dispersed into the area. This finding adds new urgency to the preparation of conservation plans for the potential natural recovery of this endangered species in the region.

%B Northeast Naturalist %V 18 %P 253-264 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1656/045.018.0301 %R 10.1656/045.018.0301 %0 Magazine Article %D 2010 %T Eastern Coyote What Is It? Where Did It Come From? %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Pennsylvania Game News %V 81 %P 18-21 %G eng %0 Magazine Article %D 2010 %T Freezer Diving: The Discovery of a Frozen Mountain Coati Thaws Out Its Taxonomic Secrets %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %V 5 %P 8-9 %G eng %0 Magazine Article %D 2010 %T New York's Coyote--What Is It? Where Did It Come From? %A R. W. Kays %K Coyote %K hybridizing %K New York %B Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %V 6 %P 6-8 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Biology Letters %D 2010 %T Rapid Adaptive Evolution of Northeastern Coyotes via Hybridization with Wolves %A R. W. Kays %A Curtis, A. %A J. J. Kirchman %K Coyotes %K Evolution %K hybridization %K wolves %X

The dramatic expansion of the geographical range of coyotes over the last 90 years is partly explained by changes to the landscape and local extinctions of wolves, but hybridization may also have facilitated their movement. We present mtDNA sequence data from 686 eastern coyotes and measurements of 196 skulls related to their two-front colonization pattern. We find evidence for hybridization with Great Lakes wolves only along the northern front, which is correlated with larger skull size, increased sexual dimorphism and a five times faster colonization rate than the southern front. Northeastern haplotype diversity is low, suggesting that this population was founded by very few females moving across the Saint Lawrence River. This northern front then spread south and west, eventually coming in contact with an expanding front of non-hybrid coyotes in western New York and Pennsylvania. We suggest that hybridization with wolves in Canada introduced adaptive variation that contributed to larger size, which in turn allowed eastern coyotes to better hunt deer, allowing a more rapid colonization of new areas than coyotes without introgressed wolf genes. Thus, hybridization is a conduit by which genetic variation from an extirpated species has been reintroduced into northeastern USA, enabling northeastern coyotes to occupy a portion of the niche left vacant by wolves.

%B Biology Letters %V 6 %P 89-93 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.0575 %R 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0575 %0 Journal Article %J Biology Letters %D 2010 %T Reply to Wheeldon et al. 'Colonization History and Ancestry of Northeastern Coyotes' %A R. W. Kays %A Curtis, A. %A J. J. Kirchman %K Coyotes %K Evolution %K hybridization %K New York %K wolves %X

The history of hybridization and range change of Canis in eastern North America has created an interesting evolutionary story that researchers are still untangling. We welcome the comment by Wheeldon et al. (in press) on our study on the evolution of northeastern coyote and the new data they present in their comment and new paper (Way et al. in press). Their comment raises two issues, one taxonomic and one biogeographic. Here we briefly defend our taxonomic treatment of northeastern wolves, and present new data supporting our original biogeographic interpretations.

%B Biology Letters %V 6 %P 248-249 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.1022 %R 10.1098/rsbl.2009.1022 %0 Journal Article %J IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks %D 2009 %T Camera Traps as Sensor Networks for Monitoring Animal Communities %A R. W. Kays %A Kranstauber, B. %A Jansen, P. A. %A Carbone, C. %A Rowcliffe, M. %A Fountain, T. %A Tilak, S. %K biological techniques %K cameras %K video surveillance %K wireless sensor networks %K zoology %X

Studying animal movement and distribution is of critical importance to addressing environmental challenges including invasive species, infectious diseases, climate and land-use change. Motion sensitive camera traps offer a visual sensor to record the presence of a species at a location, recording their movement in the Eulerian sense. Modern digital camera traps that record video present new analytical opportunities, but also new data management challenges. This paper describes our experience with a year-long terrestrial animal monitoring system at Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The data gathered from our camera network shows the spatio-temporal dynamics of terrestrial bird and mammal activity at the site-data relevant to immediate science questions, and long-term conservation issues. We believe that the experience gained and lessons learned during our year long deployment and testing of the camera traps are applicable to broader sensor network applications and are valuable for the advancement of the sensor network research. We suggest that the continued development of these hardware, software, and analytical tools, in concert, offer an exciting sensor-network solution to monitoring of animal populations which could realistically scale over larger areas and time spans.

%B IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks %V 34 %P 811-818 %G eng %U http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&arnumber=5355046&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fxpls%2Fabs_all.jsp%3Farnumber%3D5355046 %R 10.1109/LCN.2009.5355046 %0 Book Section %B Handbook to Mammals of the World: Volume 1 - The Carnivores %D 2009 %T Family Procyonidae (Raccoons) %A R. W. Kays %E Wilson, D. %E Mittermeir, R. %K biology %B Handbook to Mammals of the World: Volume 1 - The Carnivores %I Lynx Editions %C Barcelona, Spain %P 498-530 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Great Experiment in Conservation: Voices From the Adirondack Park %D 2009 %T Fish and Wildlife Communities of the Adirondacks %A R. W. Kays %A R. A. Daniels %E Porter, W. %E Erickson, J. %E Whaley, R. %K biology %B The Great Experiment in Conservation: Voices From the Adirondack Park %I Syracuse University Press %C Syracuse, New York %P 71-86 %G eng %0 Book %B Princeton Field Guides %D 2009 %T Mammals of North America, second edition %A R. W. Kays %A Wilson, D. E. %K biology %B Princeton Field Guides %I Princeton University Press %C Princeton, New Jersey %G eng %U https://books.google.com/books?id=YjIIRZwbWIEC&lpg=PP1&dq=Mammals%20of%20North%20America%2C%20second%20edition&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=Mammals%20of%20North%20America,%20second%20edition&f=false %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Applications %D 2008 %T Landscape Ecology of Eastern Coyotes Based on Large-Scale Estimates of Abundance %A R. W. Kays %A Gompper, M. W. %A Ray, J. C. %K abundance %K Adirondack State Park %K Canis latrans %K eastern coyote %K fecal DNA %K landscape ecology %K New York %K noninvasive survey %X
Since their range expansion into eastern North America in the mid-1900s, coyotes (Canis latrans) have become the region's top predator. Although widespread across the region, coyote adaptation to eastern forests and use of the broader landscape are not well understood. We studied the distribution and abundance of coyotes by collecting coyote feces from 54 sites across a diversity of landscapes in and around the Adirondacks of northern New York. We then genotyped feces with microsatellites and found a close correlation between the number of detected individuals and the total number of scats at a site. We created habitat models predicting coyote abundance using multi-scale vegetation and landscape data and ranked them with an information-theoretic model selection approach. These models allow us to reject the hypothesis that eastern forests are unsuitable habitat for coyotes as their abundance was positively correlated with forest cover and negatively correlated with measures of rural non-forest landscapes. However, measures of vegetation structure turned out to be better predictors of coyote abundance than generalized “forest vs. open” classification. The best supported models included those measures indicative of disturbed forest, especially more open canopies found in logged forests, and included natural edge habitats along water courses. These forest types are more productive than mature forests and presumably host more prey for coyotes. A second model with only variables that could be mapped across the region highlighted the lower density of coyotes in areas with high human settlement, as well as positive relationships with variables such as snowfall and lakes that may relate to increased numbers and vulnerability of deer. The resulting map predicts coyote density to be highest along the southwestern edge of the Adirondack State Park, including Tug Hill, and lowest in the mature forests and more rural areas of the central and eastern Adirondacks. Together, these results support the need for a nuanced view of how eastern coyotes use forested habitats.
%B Ecological Applications %V 18 %P 1014-1027 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/07-0298.1 %R 10.1890/07-0298.1 %0 Magazine Article %D 2008 %T Not-So-Sleepy Sloths: Animal EEG Studies Enlighten Scientists %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %V 4 %P 10 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores %D 2008 %T Remote Cameras %A R. W. Kays %A Slauson, K. M. %E Long, R. A. %E MacKay, P. %E Zielinski, W. J. %E Ray, C. J. %K animal tracking %K camera traps %K remote cameras %B Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores %I Island Press %C Washington, D.C. %P 110-140 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Proceedings of the 2007 Animal-Borne Imaging Symposium %D 2008 %T Remote Cameras as a Tool for Broad Scale Wildlife Surveys %A R. W. Kays %E Marshall, G. %K biology %B Proceedings of the 2007 Animal-Borne Imaging Symposium %I National Geographic Society %C Washington, D.C. %P 179-182 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J BBC Wildlife %D 2007 %T An Appointment with Death %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B BBC Wildlife %V 25 %P 50-55 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %D 2007 %T Bats: Gone with the Wind? %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %V 3 %P 16 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Legacy %D 2007 %T CSI: Adirondacks Biologists Use Crime Scene Techniques to Study Fishers %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Legacy %V 3 %P 13 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %D 2007 %T Skulls Tell Their Stories %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %V 2 %P 8-9 %G eng %0 Magazine Article %D 2006 %T The Mane Thing about Lions %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %V 2 %P 7 %G eng %0 Magazine Article %D 2006 %T My Kingdom for a Crown %A R. W. Kays %K biology %X

The article relates the author's experience of capturing Bobby, an oversize ocelot. The author and his colleagues tracked Bobby using various equipment. It had the ability to cover more than three and a half square miles on its nightly patrols. They inadvertently caught Bobby in a trap intended for a puma. It was a shock for the author and his colleagues to find Bobby in such trap. Nevertheless, it did allow them to check Bobby's weight and replace its radio collar before its batteries ran down. They were stunned to find out that Bobby weighed forty-one pounds, making it the largest ocelot in the world.

%B Natural History %V 115 %P 72 %G eng %U http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/20640120/my-kingdom-crown %0 Book Section %B The Encyclopedia of New York State %D 2005 %T Exotic Species %A R. W. Kays %A R. A. Daniels %A R. S. Mitchell %A D. P. Molloy %A C. A. Siegfried %E Eisenstadt, P. %E L. E-. Moss %K biology %B The Encyclopedia of New York State %I Syracuse University Press %C Syracuse, NY %P 538-539 %G eng %0 Magazine Article %D 2005 %T Mapping Mammals: Moving from Paper Tags to Digital Maps %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Legacy: The Magazine of the New York State Museum %V 1 %P 3-4 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Animal Conservation %D 2004 %T The Ecological Impact of Inside/Outside House Cats Around a Suburban Nature Preserve %A R. W. Kays %A DeWan, A. A. %K ferel cats %K house cats %K hunting %K wildlife impacts %X

While subsidised populations of feral cats are known to impact their prey populations, little is known about the ecological impact of inside/outside hunting cats (IOHC). We studied IOHC around a suburban nature preserve. Mail surveys indicated an average of 0.275 IOHC/house, leading to a regional density estimate of 0.32 IOHC/ha. A geographical model of cat density was created based on local house density and distance from forest/neighbourhood edge. IOHC hunted mostly small mammals, averaging 1.67 prey brought home/cat/month and a kill rate of 13%. Predation rates based on kills brought home was lower than the estimate from observing hunting cats (5.54 kills/cat/month). IOHC spent most outside time in their or their immediate neighbours' garden/yard, or in the nearby forest edge; 80% of observed hunts occurred in a garden/yard or in the first 10 m of forest. Radio-tracked IOHC averaged 0.24 ha in home-range size (95% minimum convex polygon (MCP)) and rarely entered forest. Confirming this, scent stations detected cats more often near the edge and more cats were detected in smaller forest fragments. There was no relationship between the number of cats detected in an area and the local small mammal abundance or rodent seed predation rates. Cold weather and healthy cat predator populations are speculated to minimise the ecological impact of IOHC on this area.

%B Animal Conservation %V 7 %P 1-11 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1367943004001489 %R 10.1017/S1367943004001489 %0 Book Section %B Natural History of the Albany Pine Bush %D 2003 %T Coyote %A R. W. Kays %A Bogan, D. %E Barnes, J. K. %K biology %B Natural History of the Albany Pine Bush %S New York State Museum Bulletin %I The University of the State of New York %C Albany, New York %P 161-162 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Natural History of the Albany Pine Bush %D 2003 %T Fisher %A R. W. Kays %A Bogan, D. %E Barnes, J. K. %K biology %B Natural History of the Albany Pine Bush %S New York State Museum Bulletin %I The University of the State of New York %C Albany, New York %P 164 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Monogamy: Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and Other Mammals %D 2003 %T Social Polyandry and Promiscuous Mating in a Primate-like Carnivore: the Kinkajou (Potos flavus) %A R. W. Kays %E Reichard, U. H. %E Boesch, C. %K biology %B Monogamy: Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and Other Mammals %I Cambridge University Press %C Cambridge, United Kingdom %P 125-137 %G eng %U https://books.google.com/books?id=zIu2K6KFsXEC&lpg=PA125&ots=7Wt39i5UuZ&lr&pg=PA125#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Journal Article %J Animal Conservation %D 2002 %T The How and Why of Radio-tracking: A Review of "A Manual for Wildlife Radio Tagging (Kenward 2001) and Radio Tracking and Animal Populations (Millspaugh and Marzluff eds.)" %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B Animal Conservation %V 3 %P 259 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1367943002222313 %R 10.1017/S1367943002222313 %0 Journal Article %J The Encyclopaedia Britannica %D 2002 %T Lion: Panthera leo %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B The Encyclopaedia Britannica %G eng %0 Book %D 2002 %T Mammals of North America %A R. W. Kays %A Wilson, D. E. %K biology %I Princeton University Press %C Princeton, New Jersey %G eng %U https://books.google.com/books?id=9lcpz4XSUsEC&lpg=PP8&ots=O9u_N-2JON&dq=%22Mammals%20of%20North%20America%22%20Kays%202002&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=%22Mammals%20of%20North%20America%22%20Kays%202002&f=false %0 Journal Article %J Canadian Journal of Zoology %D 2002 %T Mane Variation in African Lions and Its Social Correlates %A R. W. Kays %A Patterson, B. D. %K Kenya %K lions %K manes %K Panthera leo %K social organization %K Tsavo National Park %X

Manes are generally thought to characterize all adult male lions (Panthera leo). Here we document a population of lions in Tsavo National Park, Kenya, that is largely maneless and describe aspects of their social organization. Because Tsavo's arid landscape supports sparse prey populations, we expected that surveys of lions there would document small social groups. We hypothesized that Tsavo lions would consequently experience reduced sexual selection pressures for mane development. Adult males from Tsavo typically have sparse blond hair forming a dorsal crest, beard, chest tufts, and (or) sideburns, but lack the large flowing manes reported from other lion populations. No fully maned lions were seen. Maneless males in Tsavo appear to be well integrated into pride life, and were observed copulating, hunting, and otherwise interacting with groups of females, playing with dependent cubs, and advertising territories with scent markings and roars. Only one adult male was observed in each of five prides, which differs surprisingly from the coalitions of 2–4 pride males noted in other lion groups. However, female group size was large (mean 7.4) and comparable with what has been documented in the Serengeti and elsewhere, refuting our "group size – mane size" hypothesis. Future research should focus on the effect of Tsavo's physical and physiological effects on mane condition, and the possible correlation of male hormone levels with both manelessness and small male-group size.

%B Canadian Journal of Zoology %V 80 %P 471-478 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z02-024 %R 10.1139/z02-024 %0 Book Section %B Tropical Forest Canopies: Ecology and Management %D 2001 %T Arboreal Tropical Forest Vertebrates: Current Knowledge and Research Trends %A R. W. Kays %A Allison, A. %E Linsenmair, K. E. %E Davis, A. J. %E Fiala, B. %E Speight, M. R. %K Amphibians %K Birds %K Canopy Mammals %K Primates %K Reptiles %X

We review the ecology and specialized methods required for studying arboreal mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and use faunal checklists from 12 tropical wet forest sites and an analysis of all articles published during the past ten years in 14 major journals to assess current knowledge and general research trends for these groups. The percentage of arboreal vertebrates was remarkably similar at the different sites (76.2 ± 3.9%). Birds were the most arboreal group and amphibians and reptiles the least. The review of journals showed that primates were overwhelmingly the most studied group (336 papers), followed by bats (105), passeriform birds (73) and rodents (55). Judging by their portion of the arboreal vertebrate community and the number of papers surveyed, birds and amphibians and reptiles are vastly understudied compared to mammals, but this is largely due to the great number of primate studies. The number of publications on arboreal vertebrates has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years for all taxa except primates, which have seen a growth in publications. Canopy vertebrates from Brazil had by far the most publications (120), followed by Madagascar (61), Costa Rica (55) and Indonesia (42). We conclude by highlighting the priorities we see for future studies on tropical canopy vertebrates.

%B Tropical Forest Canopies: Ecology and Management %I Kluwer Academic Publishers %P 109-120 %G eng %U http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-3606-0_9 %R 10.1007/978-94-017-3606-0_9 %0 Journal Article %J Plant Ecology %D 2001 %T Arboreal Tropical Forest Vertebrates: Current Knowledge and Research Trends %A R. W. Kays %A Allison, A. %K Amphibians %K Birds %K Canopy %K mammals %K Primates %K Reptiles %X

We review the ecology and specialized methods required for studying arboreal mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and use faunal checklists from 12 tropical wet forest sites and an analysis of all articles published during the past ten years in 14 major journals to assess current knowledge and general research trends for these groups. The percentage of arboreal vertebrates was remarkably similar at the different sites (76.2 ± 3.9%). Birds were the most arboreal group and amphibians and reptiles the least. The review of journals showed that primates were overwhelmingly the most studied group (336 papers), followed by bats (105), passeriform birds (73) and rodents (55). Judging by their portion of the arboreal vertebrate community and the number of papers surveyed, birds and amphibians and reptiles are vastly understudied compared to mammals, but this is largely due to the great number of primate studies. The number of publications on arboreal vertebrates has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years for all taxa except primates, which have seen a growth in publications. Canopy vertebrates from Brazil had by far the most publications (120), followed by Madagascar (61), Costa Rica (55) and Indonesia (42). We conclude by highlighting the priorities we see for future studies on tropical canopy vertebrates.

%B Plant Ecology %V 153 %P 109-120 %G eng %U http://www.jstor.org/stable/20051050 %R 10.1007/978-94-017-3606-0_9 %0 Book Section %B The Encyclopedia of Mammals %D 2001 %T Kinkajou %A R. W. Kays %E MacDonald, D. W. %K biology %B The Encyclopedia of Mammals %I Oxford University Press %C Oxford %P 92-93 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Encyclopedia of Mammals %D 2001 %T Olingos %A R. W. Kays %E MacDonald, D. W. %K biology %B The Encyclopedia of Mammals %I Oxford University Press %C Oxford %P 94 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Encyclopedia of Mammals %D 2001 %T Ringtail and Cacomistle %A R. W. Kays %E MacDonald, D. W. %K biology %B The Encyclopedia of Mammals %I Oxford University Press %C Oxford %P 95 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Zoology %D 2001 %T The Social Organization of the Kinkajou Potos flavus (Procyonidae) %A R. W. Kays %A Gittleman, J. L. %K behaviour %K carnivores %K kinkajou %K Potos flavus %K primate evolution %K social organization %X

The social organization of the kinkajou Potos flavus is described from 380 h of observations on habituated, free-ranging animals. Individuals were most often alone while feeding at night, yet they regularly interacted in stable social groups. Four social groups were observed, each consisting of a single adult female, two adult males, one sub-adult and one juvenile. At least one breeding female was solitary and did not reside within a group. Social groups were consolidated primarily at denning sites and large fruiting trees by group feeding, allogrooming and scent marking. However, kinkajous were most often observed solitarily, as social feeding only occurred in 19.6 of total feeding bouts (mainly among males) and individuals rarely travelled together. Although the composition of social groups was polyandrous, males also copulated with non-group females which suggests a promiscuous mating system. Female-biased dispersal and patterns of male association seem to be patrilineal and based on resource defence. The evolution of social organization in the kinkajou is discussed in relation to predation risk, resource availability, and convergence with primates of similar fission–fusion socioecology.

%B Journal of Zoology %V 253 %P 491-504 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0952836901000450 %R 10.1017/S0952836901000450 %0 Journal Article %J Mammalia %D 2000 %T The Behavior and Ecology of Olingos (Bassaricyon gabii) and Their Competition with Kinkajous (Potos flavus) in Central Panama %A R. W. Kays %K abundance %K Bassaricyon gabbii %K Diet %K distribution %K feces %K olingos %X

Five olingos (Bassaricyon gabbii) were captured with hoistable tree traps in central Panama. Observation of feeding individuals and the contents of 8 faeces identified 15 species of fruits and flowers in the olingo's diet. No evidence for carnivory was observed. One adult male used a home range of 37.5 ha (95% MCP), and travelled 1412 ± 272 m in a 1/2 night. Olingos appear to share many ecological and behavioral traits with kinkajous (Potos flavus), and competition for food may limit the abundance and distribution of the threatened olingo.

%B Mammalia %V 64 %P 1-10 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2000.64.1.1 %R 10.1515/mamm.2000.64.1.1 %0 Magazine Article %D 2000 %T Keeping the Peace in Tsavo National Park %A R. W. Kays %K biology %B In The Field %V 71 %P 2-7 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Molecular Ecology %D 2000 %T Microsatellite Analysis of Kinkajou Social Organization %A R. W. Kays %A Gittleman, J. G. %A Wayne, R. K. %K Carnivora %K Dispersal %K paternity %K patrilineal %K Potos %K relatedness %X

Kinkajou social groups generally consist of one adult female, two males, one subadult and one juvenile. Based on analysis of variation in 11 microsatellite loci, we assess the degree of kinship within and between four social groups totaling 25 kinkajous. We use exclusion and likelihood analyses to assign parents for seven of the eight offspring sampled, five with ≥ 95% certainty, and two with ≥ 80% certainty. Five of six identified sires of group offspring came from the same social group as the mother and pup. Adult males and females within a group were unrelated and subadults and juveniles were offspring of the group adults, suggesting a family structure. All five identified paternities within a social group were by the dominant male of the group. However, this copulation asymmetry does not necessarily reflect cooperation due to kinship ties between the two adult males within a group as one of two adult male pairs sampled was unrelated. Neighbouring male kinkajous were more closely related to each other than neighbouring female kinkajous, suggesting that females disperse more often or farther than males.

%B Molecular Ecology %V 9 %P 743-751 %G eng %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00921.x/abstract %R 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00921.x