The Coyote also is known as the Canis Latrans is a wolf-like wild dog native to North America.  The Coyotes fur is a brownish grey colour, with a mainly white underbody. It has long triangular ears, great for hearing prey whilst hunting, and a long narrow muzzle. They have black noses and bright yellow eyes. The easiest way to distinguish a coyote from other wild dogs is their tail as they run. Dogs run with their tails up, wolves with their tails straight, and coyotes with it down.

The Coyote is one of the most adaptable canines in the world, which means they live in a wide variety of areas.  Coyotes can live in many areas such as “sagebrush-steppe, woodlands, prairies, deserts, oak savannahs, subalpine forests, alpine meadows, open ponderosa pine forests, and temperate rainforests. Coyotes have even adapted to living in suburban neighborhoods and even in large urban parks!”(wildernesscollege.com) The biggest factors that determine a good Coyote habitat is a healthy amount of local prey,  areas good for denning with cover such as trees, and rocks.  Coyotes are also fond of living near ledges(where two different habitats meet) due to the advantage it gives them while hunting. For example, where a pasture and a forest meet, this would give coyotes a great advantage by allowing them to wait amongst the trees of the forest for pray wandering in the pasture.

Coyotes diets are mainly carnivorous but can be very flexible because Coyotes are such opportunistic animals.  Their diets can consist of ” rabbits, small rodents, ground birds, fish, frogs, snakes, lizards, invertebrates, carrion, fruits, and nuts. “(Filip Tkaczyk)  If it’s an urban environment Coyotes diets may consist of more garbage and scrap food, and may also consist of small pets like dogs and cats. Due to Coyotes being opportunistic animals they take advantage of what the given season has to offer such as blackberries in the late summer, apples in the fall, and young rabbits or other animals in the early summer(Filip Tkaczyk)

Due to the flexibility of the coyote’s habitat and diet they live in many different countries and even continents. Coyotes are found in all parts of the united states including Alaska and discluding Hawaii,  and most of Canada excluding the farthest parts of northern Canada due to its extreme low temperatures. They can also be found in some parts of South America such as Mexico.

Coyotes are generally monogamous creatures that keep a single mate for several years of their lifetime. Coyotes generally breed in midwinter(near the end of December) and the pups are born in the early spring. The litter size is dependent on many things but is generally around four to seven pups. The pups are nursed and born within a den and after the pups are a little older and finished nursing the den becomes abandoned by the pack.  Coyotes grow to adult size within nine months, this is around the time when the pups start to leave their parents although some stay with their parents for a longer period of time.

 

 

Coyotes 101. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.coyotesmarts.org/coyotes101/

Coyote Habitat. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wildernesscollege.com/coyote-habitat.html

Coyote – Canis latrans. (2018). Retrieved from http://nhptv.org/natureworks/coyote.htm

10 Fascinating Facts About Urban Coyotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://urbancoyoteinitiative.com/10-fascinating-facts-about-urban-coyotes/