Coyotes (Canis latrans), members of the dog family, are highly adaptable canids found throughout North and Central America. Their adaptability has allowed them to thrive in diverse ecosystems, from forests and grasslands to deserts and even urban areas. They are common, though rarely seen. They can often be mistaken for another canine relative, but they have distinctive features if you look close enough (But not too close!). Their hair is a grizzled gray color and their bushy tail has a black tip. Typically, dogs run with their tails up, wolves run with their tails held straight behind them, while coyotes run with their tails down. Coyotes are more frequently heard than seen.
Physical Characteristics and Identification
The coyote is characterized by its long, coarse, greyish-brown fur with a lighter underside, as well as a bushy tail, erect and pointed ears, and a long, slender snout. Coyotes are medium in size. They have pointed muzzles and long, bushy tails. Their coats are usually a mixture of tan, black, and gray, but can range from black to strawberry blond. The tail usually has a black tip. Eyes are yellow, rather than brown like many domestic dogs. Compared to wolves, coyotes are medium-sized canids with a smaller size and lighter build. A coyote is typically around 2-3 feet tall with a 16-20 inch tail. A coyote is typically around 60 centimeters (2 feet) tall and up to 1.3 meters (3.3-4.2 feet) long, including a 30- to 40-centimeter (11- to 15-inch) tail. Coyotes’ size and color can vary depending on the region in which they live. They can weigh anywhere from nine to 23 kilograms (20 to 50 pounds), with the largest coyotes residing in the northeast US and eastern Canada.
Distribution and Habitat
Coyotes were originally found in arid areas of the US, Canada, and Mexico, within prairies, deserts, and open forests. As highly adaptable creatures, coyotes are now widely distributed across North and Central America. They’ve even been observed near the border of South America. The Eastern coyote expanded its range north and east into Maine in the 1930s, slipping into the niche that wolves once occupied as the largest canine predator. These intelligent and adaptable animals now occupy almost every conceivable habitat type, from open agricultural country to dense forest to downtown urban areas. The coyote is native only in North America, and, of all wild canine species, the coyote has the widest range in this country. This predator is arguably the hardiest and most adaptable species on this continent.
Diet and Hunting Habits
Coyotes are opportunistic predators that eat a wide variety of foods. Coyotes are largely scavengers and hunters of small animals, but they will hunt larger prey occasionally. Coyotes also eat a number of plants and fruits, making their overall diet very broad and variable. As indicated above, coyotes are not picky eaters. They will eat just about anything they find. This ability to live on a range of foods is part of the reason coyotes have been so successful in expanding their range. Many of the foods, both plant and animal, that are available to coyotes here in Ohio do not exist in their historic range in the western US. Coyotes are opportunists, both as hunters and as scavengers. They eat small animals, including snowshoe hare, mice, rats, woodchucks, beavers, squirrels, snakes, frogs, fish, birds and carrion (animal carcasses). During summer and fall, they also eat grass, fruits and berries. They may also eat pet food, garbage, garden crops, livestock and poultry. Like many wild animals, the coyote’s diet varies with seasonal changes.
Hunting Techniques and Social Behavior
Coyotes are proficient hunters. When they run, their tails point downwards, and they can reach speeds of up to 64 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour). In open spaces, they rely on sight, but where prey may be hiding in a forest or thick vegetation, they will use their keen senses of smell and hearing. Coyotes have opportunistic hunting habits, and they typically hunt as individuals rather than in groups. Most hunting activity takes place at night. Undisturbed, hungry coyotes may hunt during daylight hours, and sometimes follow farm machinery, catching voles and other small prey. In winter, when snow depth restricts the movements of deer, these animals may become a larger part of a coyote's diet. Pairs of coyotes or family groups, using the relay method, pursue deer.
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Coyotes are very social animals, they do not form packs but rather live in family groups. They will usually travel and hunt alone but sometimes join in loose pairs to take down prey. As a testament to the their adaptability, coyotes have been known to even hunt cooperatively with other species! They have been seen hunting with badgers as well as following the sounds of gathering crows to find food. Though known for their distinctive howling and yapping during the nighttime, coyotes may be active both during the day and at night; indeed, they are often most active at dusk and dawn. They are social, intelligent animals who live in groups called packs. A pack of coyotes is generally a family, consisting of a breeding pair, their offspring from the current year, and sometimes older offspring from previous litters. Coyotes cooperate in their packs to provide food, raise pups, and protect their territories together. They use howling, as well as scent marking, to identify their territory. Territory size and range can vary depending on the type of habitat, conditions, and availability of prey, but territories are frequently 10 to 20 square kilometers (6.21 to 12.42 square miles).
Diet Composition Studies
Our project is doing an in-depth diet analysis for coyotes across Ohio. We are determining what Ohio coyotes are eating and whether coyote diet changes across different age groups, between sexes, and across different habitats in Ohio. There have been a few studies looking at midwestern coyotes. A study investigating coyote diet in the Midwest found that over 40% of coyote scats showed signs of rodents, while deer made up 22% and fruits 22.7%, as seen in the figure shown to the right (Morey et al. 2007). Closer to home, a 2004 study looking at 50 coyotes in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park found meadow vole remains in 28% of scats analyzed (Cepak 2004). That's nearly a third of the study's scat samples showing evidence of consumption of just one rodent species! Deer are still an important food source for Ohio coyotes, though it is unlikely that coyotes often hunt adult deer.
Researcher Paul Morey analyzed scat (fecal matter) contents at different locations within our study area. After investigating 1,429 scats, he found that diet items varied across space and time, which reflects the flexible food habits of coyotes. The most common food items were small rodents (42%), fruit (23%), deer (22%), and rabbit (18%). (Scats often have more than one diet item; therefore, frequencies do not necessarily add up to 100%). Apparently, the majority of coyotes in our study area do not, in fact, rely on pets or garbage for their diets. Another way coyote diets can be determined is by performing necropsies (like autopsies in people) of deceased coyotes. These are either study animals that died or road-killed animals that are found; even though they are dead, these coyotes still provide a wealth of knowledge about their lives. For diet analysis, the stomach and intestinal tract are investigated to classify and quantify contents. The diet results found by Morey is often mimicked by what is found through necropsy. Rodents are nearly always present in the diet, with a mixture of other items depending on the season. Stomach contents may provide the most exact picture of what a coyote is eating because it is not yet digested and still identifiable.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The coyote follows a monogamous mating system. Breeding pairs of coyotes form strong bonds that last throughout the mating season. They typically mate between January and March, with a gestation period of up to 65 days. Female coyotes give birth to around four to seven pups in a protective den dug into the ground, where they remain for two to three weeks until they’re strong enough to emerge and play together. The female coyote digs her own den under an uprooted tree, log or thicket, or, she may use a cave, hollow log, or storm drain, or take over and enlarge another mammal's burrow. The den typically has an entrance one to two feet across, a main chamber five to 15 feet long, and a terminal chamber. Coyotes usually have several dens and move from one to the other, minimizing the risk that a den containing young will be detected. These moves also help to prevent an accumulation of fleas and other parasites, urine, droppings and food refuse.
At five to seven weeks old, the coyote pups are weaned. Both parent coyotes will contribute to feeding and protecting these pups until they become independent adults at six to nine months old. In autumn, some of the litter will move on, while others stay in the family pack. Population density and the availability of food can affect the litter size. Both parents care for the young. Occasionally, nonbreeding siblings will assist. Pups emerge from the den in two to three weeks and begin to eat regurgitated food. Conflicts between humans and coyotes may occur at this time because the need for food increases dramatically. By six months of age, pups have permanent teeth and are nearly fully grown. At this time, female coyotes train their offspring to search for food, so it is not unusual to observe a family group. Juvenile coyotes usually disperse alone or sometimes in groups at six to eight months of age. A few juveniles may stay nearby, while others seek new territory up to fifty miles away or further.
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Coyotes and Human Interactions
Coyotes are adapting to the urban-suburban environment and are opportunistic in finding food and resources available in these places. Conflicts between humans and coyotes may occur at this time because the need for food increases dramatically. Human-related mortality (e.g., hunting, trapping, vehicle collisions) is the highest source of mortality for coyotes.
Preventing Conflicts
Preventing conflicts with coyotes requires securing garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids and taking them out in the morning of pick up, not the night before. Coyotes and other wildlife will scavenge trash when it is available to them. Don’t feed or try to pet coyotes. Feeding a coyote rewards that animal for coming in close proximity to people. Once a coyote becomes habituated, it loses its natural wariness of people and may become bold or aggressive. Protect your pets by keeping them inside, leashed, or inside a fenced area. Install coyote-proof fencing around your home to protect unsupervised pets. Fencing should be at least 6 feet tall and provide a full barrier along the ground that prevents animals from digging under. Feed pets indoors or remove uneaten food and bowls when your pet is finished eating. Coyotes and other wildlife are attracted to pet food left outdoors. Keep bird-feeder areas clean. Use bird feeders that keep seed off the ground. Coyotes are attracted to the small animals that congregating to eat fallen seed, and will sometimes eat the bird seed directly. If coyotes are frequently seen in the area, remove all feeders. Close off crawl spaces under sheds and porches. Coyotes and other wildlife may use these spaces for resting and raising young. Cut back brushy edges in your yard, which provide cover for coyotes. Don’t be intimidated by a coyote. Maintain its natural wariness of people by throwing a small object such as a tennis ball toward it, making loud noises, or spraying it with a water hose. Let coyotes know they are unwelcome near your home. Clear fallen fruit from around fruit trees. Coyotes are omnivorous and regularly consume fruit as part of their diet.
Ecological Role
Coyotes play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems throughout their range, including through competition, predation, and limiting prey populations. Their hunting and scavenging habits help to clear carrion from landscapes, sustain bird populations through their competition with other predator populations, and otherwise support a balanced food web.
Conservation Status
According to the IUCN Red List, the coyote is not an endangered species. They’re classified as least concern with increasing populations. However, coyotes face a range of threats to their survival, including inhumane trapping and poisoning.
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