Editing Maned wolf (section)

==Ecology and behavior==

=== Hunting and territoriality ===
The maned wolf is a twilight animal, but its activity pattern is more related to the relative humidity and temperature, similar to that observed with the [[bush dog]] (''Speothos venaticus''). Peak activity occurs between 8 and 10 am, and 8 and 10 pm.<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=Nutrição e ecologia nutricional de cervídeos brasileiros em cativeiro e no Parque Nacional das Emas - Goiás|publisher=Universidade de Sao Paulo Sistema Integrado de Bibliotecas - SIBiUSP|first=Alexandre|last=Berndt|year=2005 |doi=10.11606/t.91.2005.tde-09112005-144620|doi-access=free}}</ref> On cold or cloudy days, they can be active all day. The species is likely to use open fields for foraging and more closed areas, such as [[riparian forest]]s, to rest, especially on warmer days.<ref name="dietz" />

Unlike most large canids (such as the [[gray wolf]], the [[African hunting dog]], or the [[dhole]]), the maned wolf is a solitary animal and does not form [[pack (canine)|pack]]s.<ref name=dietz/> It typically hunts alone, usually between sundown and midnight, rotating its large ears to listen for prey animals in the grass. It taps the ground with a front foot to flush out the prey and pounce to catch it.<ref name="Maned Wolf Facts"/> It kills prey by biting on the neck or back, and shaking the prey violently if necessary.<ref name=internatura>{{cite web |last=Frers |first=Cristian |title=Un lobo de crin llamado Aguará Guazú |url=http://www.internatura.org/estudios/informes/lobo.html |access-date=2007-04-23}}</ref>

Monogamous pairs may defend a shared territory around {{convert|30|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, although outside of mating, the individuals may meet only rarely. The territory is crisscrossed by paths that they create as they patrol at night. Several adults may congregate in the presence of a plentiful food source, for example, a fire-cleared patch of grassland that would leave small vertebrate prey exposed while foraging.

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| footer            = Maned wolves [[olfactic communication|mark their territories]] with urine
| total_width       = 440
| image1            = Maehnenwolf urinierend Chrysocyon brachyurus Tierpark Hellabrunn-1.jpg
| image2            = Riga Zoo (28044040426).jpg
| image3            = Lobo Guará urinating on tree.jpg
}}

Both female and male maned wolves [[Spraying (animal behavior)|use their urine to communicate]],<ref>{{cite journal|author=Garcia, Agnaldo|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314491015 |title=On the social behaviour of maned wolves (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'')|journal= Boletim de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo |volume=6 |year=1983|pages= 63–77}}</ref> e.g. to mark their hunting paths or the places where they have buried hunted prey.<ref name="internatura" /> The urine has a very distinctive odor, which some people liken to [[hops]] or [[cannabis]]. The responsible substance very likely is a [[pyrazine]], which also occurs in both plants.<ref name="wired1">{{cite magazine |last=Switek |first=Brian |date=2011-03-10 |title=Maned Wolf Pee Demystified |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/maned-wolf-pee-demystified/ |access-date=2011-06-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Childs-Sanford |first=Sara |title=The Captive Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus): Nutritional Considerations with Emphasis on Management of Cystinuria |date=2005-05-12 |publisher=University of Maryland |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1903/2520 |pages=58–75 |chapter=Identification of Volatile Compounds in the Urine and Feces of the Maned Wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus|hdl=1903/2520 }}</ref> At the [[Rotterdam Zoo]], this smell once set the police on a hunt for cannabis smokers.<ref name="wired1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gertz |first=Holger |date=2 September 2006 |title=Ganz weit draußen (VI): Warum Haig Balian jetzt im Amsterdamer Tierpark lebt; Eine Vorliebe für echte Hyänen; Als Filmproduzent hat er erlebt, was Fressen und Gefressenwerden heißt – er ließ das Kino hinter sich, um als Zoodirektor die Tiere in Szene zu setzen |url=https://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&NS=16&AID=9UNI005200&an=SDDZ000020060903e29200050&drn=drn%3aarchive.newsarticle.SDDZ000020060903e29200050&cat=a&ep=ASI |url-access=subscription |work=Süddeutsche Zeitung |page=3 |via=Dow Jones Factiva |id=A27600844 |quote= Er hatnachgesehen, aber da, woher der Geruch kam, waren nur die Mähnenwölfe. Am nächsten Tag hat ihm ein Bekannter erzählt, das ist ganz normal, im Rotterdamer Zoo war sogar mal die Polizei, um Kiffer zu suchen. Aber auch in Rotterdam waren nur Mähnenwölfe. |trans-quote=He checked, but where the smell was coming from, there were only the maned wolves. The next day, an acquaintance told him that it was quite normal, the police had even been to Rotterdam Zoo once to look for stoners. But even in Rotterdam there were only maned wolves. |lang=de}}</ref> The preferred habitat of the maned wolf includes grasslands, scrub prairies, and forests.

===Reproduction and life cycle===
[[File:Maned Wolf Pup at White Oak.jpg|thumb|upright|A maned wolf and pup at [[White Oak Conservation]]]]
Their mating season ranges from November to April. [[Gestation]] lasts 60 to 65 days, and a litter may have from two to six black-furred pups, each weighing roughly {{convert|450|g|oz|abbr=on}}. Pups are fully grown when one year old. During that first year, the pups rely on their parents for food.<ref name=internatura/>

Data on the maned wolf's estrus and reproductive cycle mainly come from captive animals, particularly about breeding endocrinology.<ref name=songsasen>{{cite book | editor1-last=Consorte-McCrea | editor1-first=A. G. |editor2-last=Santos|editor2-first=E. F.|title=Ecology and conservation of the maned wolf : multidisciplinary perspectives | publisher=CRC Press | location=Boca Raton | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-4665-1259-7 | oclc=861926329}}</ref> Hormonal changes of maned wolves in the wild follow the same variation pattern of those in captivity.<ref name=songsasen/> Females [[ovulation|ovulate]] spontaneously, but some authors suggest that the presence of a male is important for estrus induction.<ref name=songsasen/>

Captive animals in the Northern Hemisphere breed between October and February and in the Southern Hemisphere between August and October. This indicates that [[photoperiod]] plays an important role in maned wolf reproduction, mainly due to the production of [[semen]].<ref name=dietz/><ref name=songsasen/> Generally, one [[estrus]] occurs per year.<ref name=dietz/> The amount of sperm produced by the maned wolf is lower compared to those of other canids.<ref name=songsasen/>

[[Copulation (zoology)|Copulation]] occurs during the four-day estrus period, and lasts up to 15 minutes.<ref name=dietz/> Courtship is similar to that of other [[canid]]s, characterized by frequent approaches and [[perineum|anogenital]] investigation.<ref name="canids" />

[[Gestation]] lasts 60 to 65 days and a litter may have from two to six pups. One litter of seven has been recorded.<ref name=dietz/> Birthing has been observed in May in the [[Canastra Mountains]], but data from captive animals suggest that births are concentrated between June and September.<ref name=paula/> The maned wolf reproduces with difficulty in the wild, with a high rate of infant mortality. Females can go up to two years without breeding.<ref name=songsasen/> Breeding in captivity is even more difficult, especially in temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere.<ref name=songsasen/>

Pups are born weighing between 340 and 430 grams. They begin their lives with black fur, becoming red after 10 weeks.<ref name=dietz/> The eyes open at about 9 days of age.<ref name=dietz/> They are nursed up to 4 months. Afterwards, they are fed by their parents by [[Regurgitation (digestion)|regurgitation]], starting on the third week of age and lasting up to 10 months.<ref name=rodrigues2002>{{cite thesis |last= Rodrigues|first= F|date= 2002|title= Biologia e conservação do lobo-guará na Estação Ecológica de Águas Emendadas, DF.|type= Doctorate |publisher= University of Campinas|url= http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/thesis/guimaraes_2002_phd.pdf|language=pt}}</ref><ref name="canids" /> Three-month-old pups begin to accompany their mother while she [[foraging|forages]].<ref name=rodrigues2002/> Males and females both engage in parental care, but it is primarily done by the females.<ref name=rodrigues2002/> Data on male parental care have been collected from captive animals, and little is known whether this occurs frequently in the wild.<ref name="canids" /> Maned wolves reach sexual maturity at one year of age, when they leave their birth territory.<ref name="canids" />

The maned wolf's longevity in the wild is unknown, but estimates in captivity are between 12 and 15 years.<ref name=dietz/> A report was made of an individual at the [[São Paulo Zoo]] that lived to be 22 years old.<ref name=paula/>

===Diet===
[[File:Flickr - João de Deus Medeiros - Solanum lycocarpum (1).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Fruit of the [[Solanum lycocarpum|wolf apple]], one of the main plant foods of the maned wolf]]
The maned wolf is omnivorous. It specialises in preying on small and medium-sized animals, including small mammals (typically [[rodent]]s and [[rabbit]]s), [[bird]]s and their [[egg]]s, [[reptile]]s, and even [[fish]], [[gastropod]]s, other terrestrial [[mollusc]]s, and [[insect]]s, but a large portion of its diet (more than 50%, according to some studies) is vegetable matter, including sugarcane, tubers, bulbs, roots and fruit.<ref name=internatura/><ref name=Juarez>{{cite journal |last1=Juarez |first1=Keila Macfadem |last2=Marinho-Filho |first2=Jader |date=November 2002 |title=Diet, habitat use, and home ranges of sympatric canids in central Brazil |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=83 |issue=4 |pages=925–934 |doi=10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0925:DHUAHR>2.0.CO;2  |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chrysocyon_brachyurus/|title=Chrysocyon brachyurus (maned wolf)|first=Antonia|last=Gorog|website=Animal Diversity Web}}</ref><ref name="motta1996">{{cite journal|vauthors=Motta-Junior JC, Talamon SA, Lombardi JA, Simokomaki K|year=1996|title=Diet of maned wolf, ''Chrysocyon brachyurus'', in central Brazil|journal=Journal of Zoology|volume=240|issue=2|pages=277–284|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1996.tb05284.x}}</ref> Up to 301 food items have been recorded in the maned wolf's diet, including 116 plants and 178 animal species.<ref name=songsasen/>

The maned wolf hunts by chasing its prey, digging holes, and jumping to catch birds in flight. About 21% of hunts are successful.<ref name="canids"/> Some authors have recorded active pursuits of the [[Pampas deer]].<ref name=rodrigues2002/> They were also observed feeding on carcasses of run down animals.<ref name="canids"/> Fecal analysis has shown consumption of the [[giant anteater]], [[bush dog]], and [[collared peccary]], but whether these animals are actively hunted or scavenged is not known.<ref name=paula>{{cite journal|last=de Paula|first=R.C.|display-authors=et al <!--Rogério Cunha de Paula, Flávio Henrique Guimarães Rodrigues, Diego Queirolo, Rodrigo Pinto Silva Jorge, Frederico Gemesio Lemos & Livia de Almeida Rodrigues-->|date=2013|title=Avaliação do risco de extinção do lobo-guará ''Chrysocyon brachiurus'' (Illiger, 1815) no Brasil|trans-title=Maned wolf conservation status assessment ''Chrysocyon brachyurus'' (Illiger, 1815) in Brazil|language=pt|journal=Biodiversidade Brasileira|volume=3|issue=1|pages=146–159|url=http://www.icmbio.gov.br/revistaeletronica/index.php/BioBR/article/view/381/288|issn=2236-2886}}</ref><ref name=rodrigues2002/> [[Armadillos]] are also commonly consumed.<ref name="songsasen"/> Animals are more often consumed in the dry season.<ref name="dietz"/><ref name="motta1996"/>

The [[wolf apple]] (''Solanum lycocarpum''), a tomato-like fruit, is the maned wolf's most common food item. With some exceptions, these fruits make up between 40 and 90% of the maned wolf's diet.<ref name="dietz"/><ref name=rodrigues2002/><ref name="motta1996"/><ref>{{cite thesis|title = Dieta, disponibilidade alimentar e padrão de movimentação de lobo-guará, ''Chrysocyon brachyurus'', no Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, MG.|url = http://pos.icb.ufmg.br/pgecologia/dissertacoes/D184_Mayra_Pereira_de_Melo_Amboni.pdf|author = Amboni, M.P.|degree = Mestrado em Ecologia, Manejo e Conservação da Vida Silvestre|access-date = 15 September 2015|location = Belo Horizonte|publisher = UFMG|year = 2007|archive-date = 9 July 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709195030/http://pos.icb.ufmg.br/pgecologia/dissertacoes/D184_Mayra_Pereira_de_Melo_Amboni.pdf|url-status = dead}}</ref> The wolf apple is actively sought by the maned wolf, and is consumed throughout the year, unlike other fruits that can only be eaten in abundance during the rainy season.<ref name=rodrigues2002/><ref name="motta1996"/> It can consume several fruits at a time and disperse intact seeds by defecating, making it an excellent disperser of the wolf apple plant.<ref name=rodrigues2002/>

Despite their preferred habitat, maned wolves are ecologically flexible and can survive in disturbed habitats, from burned areas to places with high human influences. Burned areas have some small mammals, such as [[hairy-tailed bolo mouse]] (''Necromys lasiurus'') and [[vesper mouse]] (''Calomys'' spp.) that they can hunt and survive on.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Massara |first1=Rodrigo Lima |title=Diet and Habitat use by Maned Wolf Outside Protected Areas in Eastern Brazil |journal=Tropical Conservation Science |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=284–300 |doi=10.1177/194008291200500305 |year=2012 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Historically, captive maned wolves were fed meat-heavy diets, but that caused them to develop bladder stones. Zoo diets for them now feature fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and specialized extruded diet formulated for maned wolves to be low in stone-causing compounds (i.e. cystine).

A maned wolf from Texas was found to be a host of an intestinal [[acanthocephala]]n worm, ''[[Pachysentis canicola]]''.<ref name="Amin2022">{{Cite journal|last1=Amin|first1=Omar M.|last2=Chaudhary|first2=Anshu|last3=Heckmann|first3=Richard A.|last4=Swenson|first4=Julie|last5=Singh|first5=Hridaya S.|date=2022-03-01|title=Redescription and Molecular Characterization of ''Pachysentis canicola'' Meyer, 1931 (Acanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae) from the Maned Wolf, ''Chrysocyon brachyurus'' (Illiger, 1815) in Texas|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00458-5|journal=Acta Parasitologica|language=en|volume=67|issue=1|pages=275–287|doi=10.1007/s11686-021-00458-5|pmid=34345996|s2cid=236914933|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=22 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722191043/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11686-021-00458-5|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>