DOI: 10.1111/jzo.70146 ISSN: 0952-8369
Geographical Variation in Coat Colour is Associated With Climate and Habitat in African Wild Dogs
Lycaon pictus
Laura Daniels, Daniella Rabaiotti, Aimee L. S. McIntosh, Amelia Ramage, Tijmen De Lorm, Thierry Aebischer, Matthew S. Becker, Grant Beverley, David Elizalde Castells, Will Donald, Marine Drouilly, Sara Raquel Figueira Fernandes Elizalde, Paul Funston, Rosemary J. Groom, Lise Hanssen, Leonard J. Haule, Robin Horion, Keafon Jumbam, Ruth Kabwe, Glyn Maude, Reilly Mooney, Dedan Ngatia, Kandey Olesyapa, Singira Ngoishiye Parsais, Angelo Poupard, Charlotte Searle, Paulo Strampelli, Ron Van der A, Jessica Watermeyer, Moses Wekesa, Nasri Dadi Salum, Josephine Smit, Rosie Woodroffe 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.