Coyote

 

This week we are looking at the coyote, also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf.

An animal that many of my American friends would be familiar with.

Some people think that they are wolfs and in places where their range overlaps, it may be hard to tell the difference between a coyote and a wolf because of their somewhat similar appearances. But while they do look similar and are closely related, there are several ways to tell them apart. For starters, their size. Wolves are much bigger than coyotes.

In captivity, coyotes can live 13 to 15 years but in the wild, most die before they reach three years of age. The oldest confirmed wild coyote so far in this research was an eleven-year-old alpha female, Coyote.

Although coyotes have been known to attack humans (and pets) and as such are a potential danger to people, especially children, risks are minimal, and we feel that the majority of attack incidents could be reduced or prevented through modification of human behaviour.

Great horned owls, bald and golden eagles, wolves, and bears all have been known to prey on coyotes. Coyotes are quick to respond to increases or decreases in prey.

Coyotes are social animals that often live in family groups called packs. A pack is usually led by an alpha male and female pair and includes other coyotes such as young from the previous year, or coyotes that have been accepted into the pack. A pack usually consist of between 3 and 7 coyotes.

Coyotes are very vocal and use a variety of calls to communicate, including howls, barks, yips, growls, whines, and whimpers.

They have fewer pups when food is scarce, or they can have large litters when hares are abundant.

However, coyotes can also live alone or in loose pairs. Solitary coyotes are usually young coyotes (six months to two years old) or older individuals who have left packs. Coyotes also sometimes hunt cooperatively with other species, such as badgers or crows.