Geographical Variation in Coat Colour is Associated With Climate and Habitat in African Wild Dogs Lycaon pictus
ABSTRACT Variability in a trait can increase species' ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, which may reduce extinction risks under global environmental change. The African wild dog, Lycaon pictus , is an endangered species which exhibits geographical variation in coat colour, occupies a range of habitats, and also shows behavioural, demographic and phenological responses to weather conditions. We used a machine learning algorithm to estimate the relative proportions of black, tan, and white fur from 490 unique georeferenced photographs from across the species' current range. We found that wild dog coats had higher proportions of tan and white, and lower proportions of black, in hotter and drier areas. Wild dog coats also had higher proportions of white in wooded habitats, including mopane Colophospermum mopane woodland. We speculate that wild dogs' dappled coats provide camouflage in woodland, and that paler (tan or white) fur may provide a selective advantage in hotter and drier regions, through more efficient thermoregulation. Our findings indicate likely adaptive variation in a trait which could inform conservation decisions.
Authors
- Robin Horion (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1409-5675)
- Glyn Maude (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2399-3415)
- Keafon R. Jumbam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1006-6129)
- Sara Raquel Figueira Fernandes Elizalde (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7951-604X)
- Daniella Rabaiotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4123-2492)
- Angelo Poupard
- Jessica Patricia Watermeyer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9290-9390)
- Rosemary Joy Groom (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0737-346X)
- Tijmen Alexander de Lorm (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2588-8769)
- Thierry Aebischer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0470-0878)
- Will Donald
- Charlotte E. Searle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9861-1429)
- David Elizalde Castells (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7413-1204)
- Paul J. Funston
- Grant Beverley
- Josephine B. Smit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2974-6140)
- Marine Drouilly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2793-4527)
- Roșie Woodroffe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2104-3133)
- Dedan Ngatia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7987-4656)
- Lise Hanssen
- Aimée L. S. McIntosh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4975-3682)
- Reilly Mooney
- Singira N. Parsais
- Kandey K. Olesyapa
- Nasri D. Salum
- Matthew S. Becker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3509-7952)
- Leonard J. Haule
- Ruth Kabwe
- Ron Van der A
- Paulo Strampelli
- Amelia Ramage
- Laura Daniels
- Moses Wekesa
Institutions
- University of Stirling (GB)
- University of Wyoming (US)
- Zoological Society of London (GB)
- South African National Parks (ZA)
- Panthera Corporation (US)
- Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TZ)
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
- Mpala Research Center and Wildlife Foundation (KE)
- Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TZ)
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (ZA)
- University College London (GB)
- Imperial College London (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Zoology
- Published
- 2026-11-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.70146
- Primary Topic
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00