Facts about Coyote
The harvest of coyote pelts in Texas has varied over the past few decades, but has generally followed a downward trend.
Coyotes have also competed with and occasionally eaten Canadian lynxes in areas where both species overlap (Unnell et al.
Coyotes have been known to live a maximum of 10 years in the wild and 18 years in captivity (Tokar 2001).
In areas where wolves have been exterminated, coyotes usually flourish.
Coyote kills can be distinguished from wolf kills by the fact that there is less damage to the underlying tissues.
The coyote is a member of the Canini along with jackals, gray wolf, domestic dog, and so forth.
The researchers estimate that there are up to 2,000 coyotes living in "the greater Chicago area" and that this circumstance may well apply to many other urban landscapes in North America (OSU 2006).
During pursuit, a coyote may reach speeds up to 43 mph (69 kph) (AMNH and Doherty), and can jump over 4 meters (13? feet) (Tokar 2001).
Coyotes are capable of digging their own burrows, though they often appropriate the burrows of woodchucks or American badgers.
Despite being extensively hunted, the coyote is one of the few medium-to-large-sized animals that has enlarged its range since human encroachment began.
In 1981 in Glendale, California, however, a coyote attacked a toddler who, despite being rescued by her father, died in surgery due to blood loss and a broken neck (Timm et al.
Scattered bits of wool, skin, and other parts are characteristic where coyotes feed extensively on larger carcasses (Wade and Bowns 1997).
Wolves, being heavier, cannot stop as quickly and the coyote gets a huge lead.
Coyotes will commonly work in teams when hunting large ungulates such as deer.
The upper frequency limit of hearing for coyotes is 80 kHZ, compared to the 60 kHz of domestic dogs (Mech and Boitani 2003).
Coyotes typically grow from 75 to 87 centimeters (30–34 inches) in length and, on average, weigh from 7 to 21 kilograms (15–46 pounds) (Tokar 2001).
Fruits and vegetables are a significant part of the coyote's diet in the autumn and winter months (Tokar 2001).
When attacking large prey, coyotes attack from the rear and the flanks of their prey.
Researchers studied coyote populations in Chicago over a seven-year period (2000–2007), proposing that coyotes have adapted well to living in densely populated urban environments while avoiding contact with humans.
The coyote's pre-Columbian range was limited to the south-west and plains regions of the U.S. and Canada, and northern and central Mexico.
Female coyotes are monoestrus and remain in heat for 2 to 5 days between late January and late March, during which mating occurs.
The offspring, known as a coywolf, is generally intermediate in size to both parents, being larger than a pure coyote, but smaller than a pure wolf.
By virtue of the fact that coyote populations are typically many times greater and more widely distributed than those of wolves, coyotes cause more overall predation losses.
Coyotes have moved into most of the areas of North America formerly occupied by wolves, and are often observed foraging in suburban trashcans.
The Oken/Heller proposal of the new genus Thos did not affect the classification of the coyote.
Coyote predation can usually be distinguished from dog or coydog predation by the fact that coyotes partially consume their victims.
Coyotes are persistent hunters, with successful attacks sometimes lasting from 14 minutes to about 21 hours; even unsuccessful ones can vary from 2 minutes to more than 8 hours before the coyotes give up.
Genetic distance calculations have indicated that red wolves are intermediate between coyotes and gray wolves, and that they bear great similarity to wolf/coyote hybrids in southern Quebec and Minnesota.
Today, coyote fur is still used for full coats and trim and is particularly popular for men’s coats.
The color of the coyote's pelt varies from grayish brown to yellowish gray on the upper parts, while the throat and belly tend to have a buff or white color.
The red wolf is thought by certain scientists to be in fact a wolf/coyote hybrid rather than a unique species.
Conversely, foxes and coyotes have sometimes been seen feeding together (Sargeant and Allen 1989).
Coyotes are primarily nocturnal, but can occasionally be seen during daylight hours (Tokar 2001).
Differences in the ears and tail are generally what can be used to distinguish coydogs from domestic/feral dogs or pure coyotes.
Traditional stories from many Native American nations include a character whose name is translated into English as "Coyote."
Due to an absence of harassment by residents, urban coyotes lose their natural fear of humans, which is further worsened by people intentionally feeding coyotes.
Dogs larger than coyotes are usually able to capably defend themselves, although small breeds are more likely to suffer injury or be killed by such attacks.
Coyotes usually breed only once a year, while coydogs will breed year-round, producing many more pups than a wild coyote.
Coyotes will typically bite the throat just behind the jaw and below the ear when attacking adult sheep or goats, with death commonly resulting from suffocation.
Coyotes may take turns in baiting and pursuing the deer to exhaustion, or they may drive it towards a hidden member of the pack (Tokar 2001).
Coyote tracks tend to be more oval-shaped and compact than those of domestic dogs, plus, claw marks are less prominent and the tracks tend to follow a straight line more closely than those of dogs.
The resulting hybrids, called coydogs, maintain the coyote's predatory nature, along with the dog's lack of timidity toward humans, making them a more serious threat to livestock than pure blooded animals.
Coyote growth rate is faster than that of wolves, being similar in length to that of the dhole (Cuon alpinus, Asiatic wild dog) (Fox 1984).
Over time, the coyotes killed most of the cats and then continued to eat the cat food placed daily at the colony site by citizens who were maintaining the cat colony (Timm et al.
Like wolves, non-rabid coyotes usually target small children, mostly under the age of 10, though some adults have been bitten.
Tracks are also an important factor in distinguishing coyote from dog predation.
Strong evidence for hybridization was found through genetic testing, which showed that red wolves have only 5 percent of their alleles unique from either gray wolves or coyotes.
Scat analysis collected near Claremont, California, revealed that coyotes relied heavily on pets as a food source in winter and spring (Timm et al.
Two years after the wolf reintroductions, 50 percent of the pre-wolf population of coyotes had been reduced, through both competitive exclusion and predation.
Coyotes are often attracted to dog food and animals that are small enough to appear as prey.
Coyotes will sometimes mate with domestic dogs, usually in areas like Texas and Oklahoma where the coyotes are plentiful and the breeding season is extended because of the warm weather.
The coyote's instinctive fear of cougars has led to the development of anti-coyote sound systems that repel coyotes from public places by replicating the sounds of a cougar (QAW 2008).
Coyote territorial ranges can be as much as 19 kilometers in diameter around the den and travel occurs along fixed trails (Tokar 2001).
Coyotes are versatile carnivores with a 90 percent mammalian diet, depending on the season.
Coyote packs are generally smaller than wolf packs and associations between individuals are less stable.
The majority of aggressive encounters are initiated by coyotes, and there are few reports of red foxes acting aggressively toward coyotes except when attacked or when their pups were approached.
Mountain dwelling coyotes tend to be dark furred while desert coyotes tend to be more yellowish in color (Postanowicz 2008).
The principal cause of this separation is believed to be active avoidance of coyotes by the foxes.
Coyotes shed once a year, beginning in May with light hair loss, ending in July after heavy shedding.
Northern coyotes are typically larger than southern subspecies, with one of the larger coyotes on record weighing almost 75 pounds (33.7 kilograms) and measuring over five feet in total length (Rible 2006).
At one location in Southern California, coyotes began relying on a colony of feral cats as a food source.
Carcasses in the open no longer attract coyotes; when a coyote is chased on flat terrain, it is often killed.
Usually appearing as a trickster, a culture hero or both, Coyote also often appears in creation myths and etiological myths.
The gray wolf is a significant predator of coyotes wherever their ranges overlap.
Mainly carnivores, who hunt largely in pairs, coyotes also supplement their diet with some plant matter and scavenge as well.
Coyotes were once considered to be essentially diurnal, but have adapted to more nocturnal behavior with pressure from humans (McClennen et al.
Coyotes attack smaller or similar sized dogs and they have been known to attack even large, powerful breeds like the Rottweiler in exceptional cases (NEN 2007).
The name "coyote" is borrowed from Mexican Spanish, ultimately derived from the Nahuatl word coyotl (pronounced co-llo-tlh).
Coyotes will usually leave the hide and most of the skeleton of larger animals relatively intact unless food is scarce, in which case they may leave only the largest bones.
Coyotes shift their hunting techniques in accordance to their prey.
The calls a coyote makes are high-pitched and variously described as howls, yips, yelps, and barks.
Coyotes (both single individuals and groups) have been known to occasionally kill bobcats, but in all known cases, the victims were relatively small specimens, such as adult females and juveniles (Gipson and Kamler 2002).
Coyotes will sometimes mate with domestic dogs, usually in areas like Texas and Oklahoma where the coyotes are plentiful and the breeding season is extended because of the warm weather.
Coyotes are presently the most abundant livestock predators in western North America, causing the majority of sheep, goat, and cattle losses (Wade and Bowns 1997).
A few authors, however, Ernest Thompson Seton being among them, accepted Oken's nomenclature, and went as far as referring to the coyote as American jackal (Seton 2006).
When the prey is located, the coyotes stiffen and pounce on the prey in a cat-like manner.
Coyotes have also been known on occasion to mate with wolves, although this is less common as with dogs due to the wolf's hostility to the coyote.
Coyote attacks on humans are uncommon and rarely cause serious injuries, due to the relatively small size of the coyote.
Until the wolves returned, Yellowstone National Park had one of the densest and most stable coyote populations in America due to a lack of human impacts.
Coyotes are primarily nocturnal, but can occasionally be seen during daylight hours (Tokar 2001).
Coyotes Are Good Guys. Coyotes are an important connection in Nature because they play a critical role in keeping natural areas healthy. ... Coyotes prey on these small predators, keeping the small predator population in check.Jul 31, 2013
Like coyotes, they hunt in packs. bringing down large prey, such as moose and elk as well as smaller mammals. Coyotes are not preferred prey, but wolves will kill them to cut down competition for food and may eat them.Oct 19, 2017
Pet Coyote. ... One of the things that many people will consider is whether coyotes can actually be domesticated in a manner similar to dogs. There are cases where pups have been raised by humans from a very young age, but in most instances they will not make very good pets at all.