Thread by @TCastanea

Next Up: #4 Coyote (Canis latrans) vs. #12 Sewer Rat (Rattus norvegicus) #2018MMM

Our combatants advanced entirely unscathed from round 1: Coyote gave up on pursuing a possum while Sewer Rat was very fortunate to have encountered a Moscow Dog that prefers human handouts to hunting #2018MMM

Coyotes have been particularly adept at adapting to human landscapes, and are important at controlling deer, geese, and RODENTS in suburban & urban areas urbancoyoteinitiative.com/10-fascinating… #2018MMM

Sewer rats have also taken to human landscapes with a vengeance, but research by #actuallivingscientist @urbanevol suggests that once rats colonize a city, they repel new incoming rats (and their diseases) nytimes.com/2016/10/28/sci… #2018MMM

Their own behavior changes as well, with Sewer Rats decreasing their movements & staying close to home in urban settings (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…) #2018MMM

In the city, Sewer Rats are numerous & destructive. And they are neophobic (scared of new things), which makes them very difficult to convince to go into traps link.springer.com/article/10.100… #2018MMM

Tonight's battle takes place in... CHICAGO! #AndAllThatJazz #2018MMM

Folks watching at home may want to have this play in the background: #2018MMM

Coyote is on the hunt for his preferred diet in Chicago... RODENT! 42% of the diet (Gehrt 2007) digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_wdmconfp… #2018MMM

Skirting into the alley behind a #NoisyHall, Coyote knows this is prime hunting grounds #AWhoopeeSpot #2018MMM

Sewer Rat freezes, as he did at his last canid encounter, gearing up to BOLT #ILoveMyLife #2018MMM

Coyote RUSH-POUNCES (the most common coyote attack styles are RUSH-POUNCE & POUNCE) (Gese 1996) #NeverFlewSoHigh #2018MMM

Sewer Rat leaps aside & Coyote misses (like they do about 2/3rds of the time)(Blanchard et al. 1986) #ShiverShimmyShake #2018MMM

Sewer Rat dives into the darkness... DEAD END! #BloodCurdled #2018MMM

Coyote is hot on Rat's heels #HoldOnHon #2018MMM

Sewer Rat has only a last resort- ESCALATION! #WeAreGonnaBunnyHug #2018MMM

Sewer Rat about-faces with a "shrieking vocalization" & "jump-attacks" Coyote - "a leaping bite directed toward the head of an opponent" (Blanchard et al. 1986) #NightlyBrawl #2018MMM

Coyote isn't intimdated & POUNCES! Coyote jaws snap onto Sewer Rat & Coyote chomp-chomp-chomps down #PaintTheTown... #RED #2018MMM

COYOTE CONSUMES SEWER RAT!!! #2018MMM