‘Uneasy alliance’ may provide benefits to both mesopredators
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Emma Balunek was combing through hours of trail camera footage in northeastern Colorado when she saw something surprising. Amidst the swift foxes, pronghorn, ravens and endless golden eagles was an unlikely pair: an American badger and coyote.
The coyote stood still on the right side of the frame, watching as the badger scurried in from the left. They had come to a rock pile together on their way to hunt prairie dogs. “The badger handles the belowground work, and the coyote handles the aboveground work,” said John Benson, Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and TWS member.
