Coyote

Motion-activated trail camera photo of a coyote in the Big Thicket

NPS Photo

Canis latrans

Coyotes are widespread throughout the United States and are known for being very adaptable creatures. They can be solitary and can also live in small groups or even in larger packs. They eat everything from plants to large prey such as deer. Coyotes that live in larger groups tend to hunt larger prey more often, whereas solitary coyotes are more likely to go after small prey such as rodents. They have also been known to rummage through trash cans and dumpsters, one reason why they are still able to survive in urban areas that many larger carnivores avoid.

Coyotes make several different vocalizations from barks, to yips, to howls. Hearing these vocalizations is often a good indicator that you have coyotes in your area. Coyotes can vary a lot in size, but tend to weigh between twenty and fifty pounds, roughly the size of a medium domestic dog. Because they are so adaptable coyotes are widely distributed and are not considered threatened or endangered.

Did You Know?

• Coyotes eat many small predators, such as foxes, which actually helps populations of birds that are eaten by these predators. Because of this, the presence of coyotes may actually cause bird populations to increase.
• Genetic testing has shown that many coyotes in the southeastern United States have DNA from red wolves, suggesting that red wolves bred regularly with coyotes before going extinct in the area.
• Coyote populations tend to be self-regulating! When coyote populations are high, disease spreads more easily between packs, causing populations to decrease again. When populations are low prey becomes easier to find and coyotes start giving birth to more pups in each litter, so populations begin to increase again!

 

Go Back to Mammals Page

 

A trio of coyotes looks toward the motion-activated trail camera taking their picture.

NPS Photo

 

Sources

Bekoff, M., & Wells, M. C. (1986). Social ecology and behavior of coyotes. Advances in the Study of Behavior, 16, 251-338.

Pence, D. B., & Windberg, L. A. (1994). Impact of a sarcoptic mange epizootic on a coyote population. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 624-633.

Soulé, M. E., Bolger, D. T., Alberts, A. C., Wrights, J., Sorice, M., & Hill, S. (1988). Reconstructed dynamics of rapid extinctions of chaparral‐requiring birds in urban habitat islands. Conservation Biology, 2(1), 75-92.

Wayne, R. K., & Jenks, S. M. (1991). Mitochondrial DNA analysis implying extensive hybridization of the endangered red wolf Canis rufus. Nature, 351(6327), 565-568.