Featured Project

How carnivores navigate cities

This project explores the fascinating world of urban coyotes, uncovering how these intelligent predators navigate human-dominated spaces. By tracking their movement patterns, the research sheds light on how urban environments—shaped by human infrastructure, culture, and social inequalities—impact coyote behavior and health. Beyond the science, the project reveals powerful insights into how different communities perceive and interact with these wild neighbors, bridging the gap between urban ecology and social justice. The work paves the way for innovative wildlife management strategies that promote peaceful coexistence between humans and the wildlife species sharing urban ecosystems.

 
 

humans and coyotes live in increasingly shared spaces. we study strategies for mitigating conflict.

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 Major Questions


What social and/or ecological factor(s) are the strongest predictors of Where and how urban carnivores will move?


Are Movement strategies used by animals consistent over context and time (i.e., do they show personalities)?


How are differences in diet, physiology, and the epigenome related to movement behaviors?


Does variance in environmental health and quality solicit different movement strategies?

 
 

Why this work matters

As cities continue to grow, wildlife have been compelled to occupy more urban spaces to capitalize on resources in urban environments. Behavior often tends to be the most malleable trait that species like coyotes use to rapidly adjust their phenotypes, cope with disturbances, and thrive.

 
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