Saturday, February 19, 2011

Coyote


True Wild Life | Coyote | Coyotes (prairie wolf) are native to North and Central America although they are believed to have split off from the European grey wolf. They are a species in their own right, differing from wolves in vocalization patterns, ecology, pack structure. The coyotes scientific name Canis latrans actually means barking dog. Coyotes grow up to about 90cm in length, which is a similar size to a medium dog. The northern subspecies of coyote generally grows bigger than the southern subspecies of coyote. The Eastern coyote is the largest of all and has been found to be the result of a few remnant wolves mating with incoming coyotes in the northeastern states of the USA.


The coyote is able to reach sprinting speeds of around 40 mph which the coyote is able obtain for extended periods of time. The coyote can also jump to heights of up to 4m! There are 19 different subspecies of recognised coyote with only 3 of these coyote subspecies found in central America. The remaining 16 subspecies of coyote can be found distributed throughout Mexico, Canada and the USA.


Historically the coyote has generally been nocturnal but now can often be seen during the day in areas where they are not persecuted by humans. In areas where they are heavily hunted and trapped they tend to remain nocturnal. Coyotes adapt very well to suburban life and can often be seen drinking out of swimming pools.


The coyote tends to reside in a burrow when its not looking for food and the coyote is more than capable of digging the burrow itself. The coyote is intelligent enough to find and inhabit an empty badger burrow if at all possible. This becomes the center of the coyotes territory which can extend to 19 km around the den. The size of the territory depends on how much food is available. Coyotes tend to associate in mated pairs, though in areas where large prey live a loose pack structure is observable. They are considerably less social than wolves and their threat displays are much more primitive. They arch their backs and gape their jaws and do not have the repertoire of facial expression the more social wolf has. The coloring of the coyote varies considerably according to location. In the northernmost parts of its range coyotes can be pale to almost white in color. In the west they tend to be a rich reddish hue with black markings. In the plains states they are plain grayish brown. The occasional black coyote is seen in the great plains states and in the eastern states; those may actually be the result of hybridization with wolves. It would take DNA analysis to be sure.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you own the first coyote image? If so I would like to buy the copywright permissions from you. Thanks, ccollins@varmint.com

Anonymous said...

my e-mail is ccollins@varmintrus.com

Anonymous said...

They are so beautiful. I had no idea.

Anonymous said...

I just saw a Coyote in my neighborhood with a Rabbit in it's mouth... at 9:45 am.

Anonymous said...

I just saw a coyote on my deck, eating from my cats' food bowl. Now I am terrified for my cats. I have heard coyotes attack, kill and eat cats and small dogs.

Anonymous said...

I just lost two cats in two and half weeks, I believe from a coyote. They were rather large cats. Keep your kitties in, especially at night.

Anonymous said...

I have a coytoe/ german shephard mixed dog, best pet ever, loyal, smart,lovealbe, and extremely protective.

Gin@ + 2 said...

Wow! I saw one this morning on antoine and greens rd, in houston texas. Kinda rare to see one here isn't it?

Anonymous said...

i saw one, last wed. around 3:45 am,sadly it took my cat..near my window...it looked soo possessed im so scared for anyone's cat

carmanjms said...

have seen several in my country setting near Knoxville TN. from early morning to early afternoon. Guess they don't have anything to fear around here.

Anonymous said...

I just had one about 10 feet from me. Does anyone think he could be stalking me as prey?

Anonymous said...

i just saw one in my back yard. Are they anything to be worried about? Destin fla. I live on a wet lands

Anonymous said...

Coyotes dont attack humans.. They might try to nibble on you but they arent really that strong and nothing to worry about.
They are scavengers.
And i have a bunch of coyotes around where i live and i hand feed them. They have never eaten our cats.

Anonymous said...

To the last comment, why would you feed them? It is illegal and is dangerous!

"Coyote aggression and attacks on people and pets are on the rise in the state, according to a 2004 study by the University of California's Hopland Research and Extension Center. The study found that the increase was particularly prevalent in the Southland's 'suburban-wild land interface' areas."

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-coyote-feeding-griffith,0,4100477.story

In my neighborhood alone, two toddlers were attacked as they played in the park. The coyote scooped the toddler up in its mouth and carried it away. The adults had to pry the toddler from the coyotes mouth. This happened on two separate occasions! It is unwise to say that any wild animal doesn't attack humans. They are wild animals and their behavior can never be predicted. This is even true for domestic animals, such as dogs and cats. Don't be so naive.

Lizi said...

I love animals so much that I was wondering if you had any information about white wolfs at all I did not see any at all I need it for my project. Dogs are my fave animal in the world.

Anonymous said...

I certainly enjoyed your beautiful photographs of coyotes. They are poorly understood creatures who need our respect and support.
They are very intelligent and playful creatures who are highly adaptable to their surroundings. We had many coyotes at our cattle and horse ranch in Arkansas. They never bothered our livestock or pets, but we put feed out for them almost every day.
How might I post some of my thousands of photos of them on this website?

Anonymous said...

Google Taylor Mitchell and then tell me coyotes don't attack humans.

Anonymous said...

spotted coyote in Gates Mills, Ohio 7:30am on 3/7/12. Appears to be that of a thin, med dog size, brownish grey,bushy tail.

Anonymous said...

Saw a coyote cross the road near a forest where I drive to work, Portland, Oregon... 8:00 AM.

Anonymous said...

Saw a coyote in Tipton Indiana on 6/15/12. It was on the less populated north side of town...9:00 PM.

Anonymous said...

Just saw Coyote in Evansville, In 0700
24 June. Near East Side...heavily populated area. Neighbor reports sighting within past few days.

Anonymous said...

I saw a coyote running across Hwy 10 in Little Rock, AR around 10:45pm this evening. I wasn't sure at first, but it didn't run like a dog and I noticed the bushy tail, so I looked it up. I remember several reports of missing animals due to coyotes this time last year.

Anonymous said...

Resently a beatuiful well fed coyote walked thru my 2.6 wooded acres, at 1:43 PM, I saw one 7 yrs. ago. We feed the birds and have a lot of squirrels, we could afford to lose a few squirrels. They are smart enough to feed off a squirrel proof feeder which I have too close to the ground. They jump up to the front and hang on to the glass to raise the spring loaded cover to eat. If they are that smart I will feed them. Yes, we have a cat to worry about.

Bronxboi said...

For all you people that seem to have this vague committment to protecting your cat because they have not been been attacked then get ready for the day that they are gone. If you have coyotes and you let your cat out then you will lose them period. Only someone irresponsible would think this way.

joaoleopires said...

Very beautiful!!

Anonymous said...

Here in Madison, CT they get bigger than my 75lb yellow lab, and have a tan and grey coat

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