An assessment of movement behavior and activity patterns in gray wolves, dingoes, and free-ranging domestic dogs

The study of animal movement is vital to our understanding of spatio-temporal implications for species behavior, ecology, and conservation. Determining the drivers of movement gives insights into, for instance, species interactions in the ecosystem. The species Canis lupus includes subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus spp.), as well as the dingo (Canis lupus dingo), and the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), thus providing an opportunity to identify differences in movement patterns along a wild-domestic animal gradient. Here, we assessed how these canid subspecies move in response to intrinsic and extrinsic variables through a systematic literature search of articles and data analyses related to the movement patterns of wolves, dingoes, and free-ranging dogs. We found 145 published studies worldwide. Wolves and dingoes traveled at least seven times the daily distance of a dog. Home ranges were largest for wolves, followed by dingoes and finally dogs. Regarding activity patterns, wolves showed a higher probability of cathemeral activity than dogs. Based on our statistical analysis, age influenced movement patterns in wolves, with subadults traveling further than adults, whereas sex was associated with home range in dogs and dingoes, with females exhibiting larger core or extended areas than males. The effects of extrinsic variables, including temporal, landscape, and anthropogenic factors, varied across the three subspecies. We highlight the need for a wider use of standardized metrics and information report to enable global comparisons, and the consideration of intrinsic and extrinsic variables as drivers of canid movement patterns. The information presented is a first step to improve our knowledge of these patterns and our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary aspects of this group. The information gathered may also provide clues for the mitigation of human-canids conflicts.