The Coyote Canis latrans
Coyote bark & yodel
The Coyote, also known as the Desert Wolf (although not really a wolf) belongs to the Order Carnivora and Family Canidae. Coyotes are very adaptable mammals often seen in rural and urban habitats of deserts, fields and farmlands. They can be recognized by their thick bushy tail, long pointy nose, and pointy ears. About the size of a German Shepherd Dog but slimmer boned and half the weight, an average coyote weighs about 14 kg (31 lbs). As in domestic dogs, the males grow slightly larger than the females. In winter, their coat grows very thick. They can be told apart from their larger cousin the wolf and domestic dogs because coyotes carry their tail low when running whereas wolves and dogs carry their tail high.
Another way to distinguish between coyotes and dogs is the pattern of their tracks left in snow or soft mud.. A coyote needs to conserve energy as it never knows where its next meal is coming from and so when it runs (lopes), it will place the back foot in the print made by the front foot, creating a single line of prints which tend to be straight and usually cross open areas. Dogs tend to run with feet side by side, making two parallel sets of tracks which tend to meander in any direction.
The tracks themselves are different too. The tracks of the front and back foot of a domestic dog are almost identical. In contrast, the front foot of a coyote is slightly larger than that of the back and the shape of the pad is different. The front pad is shaped like a frown and the back pad is shaped like lips.
Coyotes can run at speeds of upto 50 kph (30 mph) for short burst but can maintain a 30 kph (20mph) lope for long periods.
Their call is a series of short high-pitched barks and yodels, much too high for a canine of their size. Usually they call at night from an open area where the sound can travel upto 4.5 km (3 miles) or more. As soon as they are old enough to join in on hunts, the young begin to learn to call. Early in the summer, the sounds can be quite varied (and hilarious) as they try to mimic their parents. A common call of the coyote is two short barks and a long wavering yodel. Sometimes if you call back on a dark evening, you can get them to answer. As soon as they realize the sounds are not from another coyote, they will stop answering.
Coyotes thrive on the habitat disturbances created by humans. In fact, the logging that was done in British Columbia's Fraser Valley created open farmlands and fields which the coyote needs to survive. It wasn't until the 1930's, after the area had been logged, that the coyote first appeared in the Fraser Valley. By 1980, Coyotes had moved into Stanley Park in Vancouver.
Coyotes can survive in urban areas as long as there is food and shelter available. They use ravines and other natural corridors to travel between developed areas. In wild areas, most of their diet is made up of rodents, birds and rabbits. They will also eat carion, insects, and fruit they find. In urban areas, they add garbage, domestic pets such as cats and small dogs, as well as other animals who can adapt to human habitats: raccoons, 'possum, and ducks.
Coyotes form loose family groups, not tight family packs like wolves. These groups may form for short periods, then break apart as food supply allows. When in large groups, they may occassionally work together to attempt to catch a deer.
Usually they hunt alone or in pairs. One coyote may distract and chase small prey right into the waiting jaws of another coyote. They will take turns chasing and catching the prey.
They mate in February and dig a den under a tree, stump or rock. About 60 days later, 4 to 6 fully furred but blind pups are born. Both parents share in the responsibility of raising the young. Weaning begins at three weeks. At 10 weeks they begin to learn to hunt and leave the parents as capable young adults in the autumn (about 7 to 8 months of age). They may live in captivity for about 18 years, but only until 8 years in the wild. Their most common enemy is disease and humans but predators such as bears, wolves and cougars eat both young and adults.
A pair of adult coyotes with young may have a territory with a diameter of about 50 km (30 miles). They mark this territory by urinating at certain locations and leaving their scat (poop) in plain view on main trails for other coyotes to see. This scat is easy to recognize as it looks like hairy grey dog droppings. These contain undigestible parts of the food it ate: bones, fur, feathers or even seeds from berries.
In the wild state, Coyotes are timid animals with a natural fear of humans. They are curious animals and may watch you from a distance. Usually they will run from you long before you see them.
Coyotes in cities and urban areas, however, may become accustomed to the scent of humans and may not be so quick to run. This is often not their fault, but thanks to humans who do not properly dispose of garbage or who leave food out for wild animals. Often these animals are destroyed because of human carelessness or thoughtlessness that leads to a human encounter. Remember that a fed animal is a dead animal.
If you come across a coyote that is bold or overly curious, make yourself as big as possible (stand up), pick small children up in your arms, gather children in a group, make lots of noise (shout) and wave your arms. Usually, they will leave at a run.
Coyotes can breed with domestic dogs and the pups, called Coy-Dogs, have no fear of humans and may possess the wild instincts of a coyote. This makes it very important for farmers with coyotes on their property to make sure their dogs are spayed or neutered. A coyote may also kill a domestic dog if it has the opportunity.
Very little research has been done on population, foods and other studies of the coyote in an urban or city setting.
Coyotes are intelligent, adaptable creatures with many interesting habits. It is fascinating to watch how they thrive both in natural and in human-created habitats, more of which is being created all the time. Perhaps at some point in the future, we can learn to co-habitate (live in harmony) with coyotes and other creatures that, like us, just want to find a safe place to raise young.
by Donna Hill B.Sc. B.Ed. 1997
