Researchers Hope Cameras Will Shed Clues on Coyote Behavior

A system of cameras is being set up in North Georgia in hopes of capturing images of coyotes and learning more about them.

Researchers with the Atlanta Coyote Project are working with partners across the nation to study the effects of coyotes and urban wildlife in metro Atlanta, WABE Radio reported.

Forty cameras -- from Zoo Atlanta to Milton, Georgia -- will be soon be in place, said Berry College professor Chris Mowry.

It's part of a partnership with the Urban Wildlife Information Network of Chicago.

Researchers say the cameras will allow Atlanta Coyote Project to make comparisons about wildlife in Atlanta and across North America.

Several other organizations are involved from cities such as Denver; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; and Madison, Wisconsin, WABE reported.

Several questions will be explored in the research.

"What is their role? And what other species are out there?" Mowry said. "And are they influencing those other species in any way?"

In Georgia, coyotes are a key part of the ecosystem.

After the red wolf population was wiped out, coyotes moved in and assumed the top predator spot.

Coyotes have been in Georgia for decades, though many people don't even know they're here, says Kaitlin Goode, urban wildlife program manager at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

"Coyotes are an extremely adaptable species," she said. "So they can pretty much live wherever they want."