Coyotes

Canada’s Furbearers

The Coyote (Canis latrans), the animal Mark Twain called “the most friendless of God’s creatures” is also one of the most adaptable.

Traditionally, coyotes inhabited the aspen parkland and short- and mixed-grass prairie in the three prairie provinces, preferring open or semi-wooded habitats. But at the turn of the twentieth century, coyotes began a dramatic range expansion that is still in progress. They have spread north into the boreal forest, west into the mountains, and east into Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.

The coyote’s habitat includes the marginal farmlands, highly developed mixed farming areas, swamp-lands, game preserves, parks, and the edges of cities and towns. They can survive on whatever food is available, from rodents to rubbish, from insects to fruit to carrion. They do well wherever there are forest edges but are now also flourishing in populated areas, mostly because of the interesting menu available in the form of handouts, dog and cat food, or easy-to-open garbage cans. This abundance of food has encouraged coyotes to become accustomed to the sight and sounds of humans.

This native member of the dog family is about the size of a small collie, and closely resembles a medium-size German shepherd dog but has a narrower snout and nose. Coyotes are sometimes mistaken for wolves as adults, and for foxes as infants. Adult coyotes usually run with their tails pointed downward. This helps to distinguish them from wolves, which run with their tails straight out. Coyote pups can be distinguished from fox pups by their tails, which lack the white tip characteristic of newborn foxes, and by their eyes. Unlike the eyes of young foxes, which are blue and have slit-like pupils, the eyes of young coyotes are yellow with round pupils. At night, the coyote’s high-pitched, yodel-like yapping can frequently be heard. Coyotes frequently make a sound far different from the Hollywood movie stereotype. Many people who are unfamiliar with their almost hyena-like yapping incorrectly think they are hearing animals being killed by coyotes at night.

Adult coyotes weigh 9-16 kg (20-35 lbs), with males usually larger than females. Adult raccoons and beavers often weigh more. They are 120-150 centimeters (40-60 inches) in length and stand 58-66 centimeters.

Coyotes usually travel at a trot. They can cover short distances at speeds of 40 to 50 km/h. When chased, they increase their speed by at least 10 km/h. They are strong swimmers, and never hesitate to wade into the water in pursuit of waterfowl. Although the coyote usually hunts alone or with a mate, more than two animals may unite to capture larger prey. In late summer and early fall, families hunt as a group. When tracking smaller animals, the coyote behaves much like the fox, tracing the prey, standing motionless on spotting it, and then pouncing.

Coyotes mate in late February or early April, and 60 to 66 days later the female gives birth to three to seven pups in a den. Dens are found in concealed spots on brush-covered slopes, steep banks and rocky ledges, as well as under stumps, dry culverts and empty buildings. Like the fox, coyotes prefer to renovate the abandoned dens of other species, such as groundhog and skunk.

Litter size and pup survival can vary greatly in relation to the food supply. Coyotes breed only once a year and are monogamous, meaning males and females have only one mate in a single year. The male helps care for the young, which begin to travel with adults at about eight weeks of age. Newborn coyotes are blind, and have sooty brown, woolly coats and dark ears, backs and tails. At three or four weeks, the young are able to leave the den. Whether or not the den is disturbed, the parents may move the pups from site to site, always choosing areas with water, shade, activity space for the pups, good visibility and nearby escape cover. Family groups remain intact throughout the fall, or until the young disperse.

Where coyotes are present, one adult coyote per one to two square miles is an average population density over a large area. However, population levels often vary considerably between areas or from year to year. The low point in the annual coyote population cycle occurs in the spring just before pups are born, the high point occurs just after whelping.

Coyotes are basically solitary and do not travel in packs like wolves, although family groups (up to six to eight animals) may be seen. Coyote pairs or family groups live in distinct, non-overlapping territories. A family group usually includes a mated pair, non-breeding offspring from the previous year, and pups from the current year. Family groups do not always travel together, so it is more common to see single coyotes or pairs.

Although the coyote usually hunts alone or with a mate, more than two animals may unite to capture larger prey. In late summer and early fall, families hunt as a group. When tracking smaller animals, the coyote behaves much like the fox, tracing the prey, standing motionless on spotting it, and then pouncing.

The coyote is one of North America’s most controversial animals. It is intelligent and playful, like many domestic dogs, but it is also a predator with a reputation for killing small farm animals. From the time of European settlement, the coyote has been persecuted, because people have blamed it for preying on livestock. It is amazing that the coyote has thrived despite the organized attempts that were made to eradicate it in the first half of the twentieth century.

Adapted from information from a variety of sources including the Fur Institute of Canada

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