Dr. Shelley Alexander is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. She specializes in canid (dog species, including wolves, coyotes, domestic dogs) behaviour, and uses non-invasive approaches (like tracking) to observe their movements and infer their behaviour. In this episode we talk about:
- Shelley’s research and how biogeography and zoogeography fit within a department of Geography
- The invasiveness of tracking an animal via a radio collar
- The “cognitive map” that a canid can use to survey its home territory
- How a canid may discover a dead body (or carrion) and scavenge it
- That trails used by canids could also be used for the recovery of remains
- Behaviours that canids may exhibit while scavenging, including moving pieces far from the body
You can find Shelley’s University of Calgary profile here:
https://geog.ucalgary.ca/manageprofile/profiles/shelley-alexander
Do you have a search story to share? I’d love to hear it.
Yvonne Kjorlien 
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