Fear of the super competitor? Deer respond more strongly to pigs than coyotes
Abstract
Wildlife species face complex trade-offs when maximizing foraging efficiency while minimizing risks from predation and competition. Behavioral responses to these pressures often vary based on intrinsic factors like sex, and can have important implications for individual fitness and population dynamics. However, the relative importance of predation versus competition in shaping behavior, and how this differs between sexes, remains poorly understood. We conducted an auditory playback experiment exposing white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) to vocalizations of predators (coyote, Canis latrans ), competitors (invasive wild pigs, Sus scrofa ), and non-threatening controls (birds) at foraging sites. Both adult males and females exhibited the highest probability of flight in response to pig sounds, followed by coyotes. Among individuals that did not flee, only females showed disturbance—moving away from the sound source without abandoning the site—in response to pigs, while only coyotes increased vigilance in both sexes. Pig sounds also significantly reduced feeding time in both sexes, whereas coyotes only reduced feeding time in males. Across behaviors, females often responded more strongly than males, likely reflecting greater susceptibility to competition and predation. Our findings demonstrate that invasive pigs act as “super competitors”, eliciting stronger behavioral responses than native predators.
Related
- Grazing cattle respond more strongly to a quadruped robot than to a drone but habituate over consecutive days
- Denning coyotes (Canis latrans) select fine-scale habitat characteristics that promote den stability in a protected area
- Shared landscapes, shared risk: Echinococcus multilocularis infection in coyotes is linked to agricultural land and altered green space in a major U.S. metropolitan area
- Rethink the Sink: Urban cores act as leaky sinks to maintain regional gene flow in coyotes
- Functional Traits and Competitor-Stress-Tolerator- Ruderal Strategies of Phragmites australis in Southwestern Korean Estuaries
BibTeX
@article{trifiletti2026fear,
title = {{Fear of the super competitor? Deer respond more strongly to pigs than coyotes}},
author = {Parker C. Trifiletti and L. Mike Conner and Steven B. Jack and Michael J. Cherry},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-74290-0},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74290-0},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fear of the super competitor? Deer respond more strongly to pigs than coyotes
AU - Parker C. Trifiletti
AU - L. Mike Conner
AU - Steven B. Jack
AU - Michael J. Cherry
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-74290-0
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74290-0
AB - Wildlife species face complex trade-offs when maximizing foraging efficiency while minimizing risks from predation and competition. Behavioral responses to these pressures often vary based on intrinsic factors like sex, and can have important implications for individual fitness and population dynamics. However, the relative importance of predation versus competition in shaping behavior, and how this differs between sexes, remains poorly understood. We conducted an auditory playback experiment exposing white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) to vocalizations of predators (coyote, Canis latrans ), competitors (invasive wild pigs, Sus scrofa ), and non-threatening controls (birds) at foraging sites. Both adult males and females exhibited the highest probability of flight in response to pig sounds, followed by coyotes. Among individuals that did not flee, only females showed disturbance—moving away from the sound source without abandoning the site—in response to pigs, while only coyotes increased vigilance in both sexes. Pig sounds also significantly reduced feeding time in both sexes, whereas coyotes only reduced feeding time in males. Across behaviors, females often responded more strongly than males, likely reflecting greater susceptibility to competition and predation. Our findings demonstrate that invasive pigs act as “super competitors”, eliciting stronger behavioral responses than native predators.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -