Listening to the Wild: How AudioMoths Are Helping Us Understand Gulf Coast Canids and Inform Red Wolf Recovery

Over several days this past month, WCC’s Conservation Scientist Colleen O’Donnell found herself wading through waist-high grass and weaving through dense branches to find the perfect trees to attach AudioMoths.

What is an AudioMoth? It is a small audio recording device that allows researchers to identify and monitor all kinds of wildlife, including birds, frogs, bats, and other mammals, even humans! Species tend to occupy unique “acoustic niches” within the soundscape, which means they can be identified by the timing and frequency of their vocalizations.

Right now, Colleen is gaining field experience deploying AudioMoth equipment to monitor birds and their responses to human drivers. In the near future, Colleen plans to deploy these small but mighty audio recording devices—alongside McNeese State University master’s student Tanner Broussard—across the Wolf Conservation Center’s field site in coastal Texas and Louisiana, where Gulf Coast Canids, coyotes with high Red Wolf ancestry, persist and demonstrate high survival rates.

She hopes that by studying canid vocalizations and human activity— paired with Sunny Murphy’s camera trap data— we can harness the power of non-invasive field techniques to better understand what makes Gulf Coast Canids so successful at surviving in human-dominated landscapes. Ultimately, the goal is to apply these insights to support wild Red Wolf recovery. 

Example of coyote sound profile: https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2021/05/22/using-an-acoustic-logger-to-capture-wildlife-sounds/

About the Integrative Ecology and Coexistence Lab:

Led by Dr. Joey Hinton Ph.D. and WCC research associate Sunny Murphy, the WCC’s Integrative Ecology and Coexistence Lab focuses on the ecology, management, and conservation of mammalian carnivores. Within this context, IECL develops high-quality research at WCC by conducting research on four broad topics: 1) mechanisms that govern the distributions and population dynamics of carnivore species, 2) addressing ecological and evolutionary questions at large spatial and temporal scales, 3) assessing strategies used for population recovery, and 4) the taxonomy and evolution of canids in North America. Scientists at IECL will draw on their experiences in these disciplines and use existing research collaborations with partners to develop innovative ecological research. These topics have both theoretical and applied relevance and are well-suited for influencing conservation policies and engaging the public in advocacy.

WCC plans to share bi-weekly updates from our Integrative Ecology and Coexistence Lab— stay tuned for new insights, stories, and behind-the-scenes highlights.