Coyote Guide

Information & Resources

Factsheet

Appearance

Generally, northern coyotes are larger than southern coyotes, and eastern coyotes are larger than western coyotes. Although the typical size for a desert-born coyote can range from 20-40 pounds, 75 pound mountain coyotes have been captured and trapped, though the more typical weight range hovers around 50 pounds (The Coyote).

Coyotes have been described as a small wolf, although there are some key differences. Coyotes have shorter, more tapered snouts and much larger ears than the typical gray wolf. Coyotes also hold their tails differently; while a wolf is more likely to keep its tail held horizontally to its spine, a coyote is more likely to allow its tail to droop and hang vertical to the spine. They are about the size of medium-sized dogs (Edex, Tamara).

“Desert Coyotes are light gray or tan with a black tip on the tail. Coyotes of high elevations have fur that is darker, thicker and longer; the under parts are nearly white, with some specimens having a white tip on the tail. In winter the coats of mountain coyotes become long and silky, and trappers hunt them for their fur” (The Coyote). Coyotes may be grey, buffy, reddish-brown colours, generally with more tawny, reddish, buff, and blondish colors than the gray wolf (Edex, Tamara).

Wolf & Coyote Comparisons

Coyotes Defend Den — shows several coyotes defending their den from a large wolf. Clearly illustrates the size differences between wolves and coyotes, as well as displays coyote pack behavior and attacks on wolves.

Wolves vs Coyote — GRAPHICAL WARNING. This video shows what happens when a sole coyote draws too close to a wolf pack's kill.

Coyote vs Dog — A coyote "plays" with a dog in the backyard. Clearly illustrates the size similarities between a collie-sized dog and a coyote.

Wolf vs Two Coyotes — A pair of coyotes drives a wolf away from their den. Clearly illustrates size differences between coyote and wolf.

Coyote "Attack" — LANGUAGE WARNING. A coyote "plays tag" with a man, testing him out to see if he is acceptable prey. Just a pretty video, shows a rather large Northern mountain coyote.

Coyote & Wolf Walking — A coyote and wolf walk together in Yellowstone National Park. Helps to illustrate size differences between the two species.

Fighting Coyotes — A trio of coyotes fights over the corpse of a bird. Just shows a few coyotes tussling with one another, and the third ending up "winning" the confrontation, albeit in a rather sneaky way.

History

Coyotes have long played a role in many Native American tales. “Coyote is a ubiquitous being and can be categorized in many types. In creation myths, Coyote appears as the Creator himself; but he may at the same time be the messenger, the culture hero, the trickster, the fool. He has also the ability of the transformer: in some stories he is a handsome young man; in others he is an animal; yet others present him as just a power, a sacred one” (Kazakova, Tamara).

Perhaps more than any other creature, a coyote is an opportunist. Along with the raccoon, it is the only creature in North America to have greatly expanded its range and gained great benefit from humans. Humans helped to erradicate the wolf populations in the southern fifty states, which allowed the coyote populations to explode. “Wolves prefer thick, unfragmented forests, while coyotes are more common in open forests and grasslands. An increasing fragmentation of forests led to an increase in the coyote population. Coyotes are comfortable with human development, and almost all rural areas have healthy coyote populations” (Edex, Tamara). There are only two North American biomes that do not serve as coyote habitat: the tundra and the humid southeastern forests, such as the Everglades (Edex, Tamara).

Human refuse piles and domesticated animals provide an excellent food source for the smaller canids. Coyotes are able to survive in most rural areas and many urban areas, quite unlike their larger cousins. In March 2006, a coyote led police on a twenty hour chase through Central Park, New York City, before being tranquilized and transported to a safe space. “In each year since 1999, 350 to 400 coyotes have been removed from Chicago as 'nuisance animals,' up from less than 20 per year during the 1980s” (Saddique, Hussein).

Behavior

Coyotes are extremely intelligent. “Foothold traps are a common technique used by trappers. But it's not unusual for coyotes to dig them up and leave their would-be captors a message. 'Often, they expose it, then poop on it just to let you know they found it and they're not going to get caught,'” according to professor and researcher Stan Gehrt of Ohio State University (Saddique, Hussein). They learn very quickly and they can be very difficult to capture, especially if they have fallen prey to human trapping techniques at a prior time in their lives. The key to coyote behavior is adaptability. Coyotes are among the most adaptable creatures on planet earth—they are comfortable in Yellowstone National Park or Central Park, New York City. They are capable of living on carrion and garbage or hunting creatures large and small for sustenance. They can live in a group with many others of their kind or completely and totally alone.

Running and Jumping: Coyotes are very good runners, although they may lack the endurance boasted by their larger cousins, they make up for it in agility. “The best runner among the canids, the Coyote cruises normally at 25 to 30 mph (40-50 km/h), getting up to 40 mph (65 km/h) for short distances, and can make 14-foot (4.25 m) leaps” (Coyote). Their ability to scale fences several times their own height has prompted products such as The Coyote Roller to keep them out of backyards and other fenced areas (The Coyote Roller).

Hunting and Food: “In feeding, the Coyote is an opportunist, eating rabbits, mice, ground squirrels, pocket gophers, and other small mammals, as well as birds, frogs, toads, snakes, insects, and many kinds of fruit” (Coyote). Coyotes are actually more successful hunters than their larger cousins the gray wolf. “In one study (Gese et al. 1996), scientists observed 4,439 predation attempts by coyotes, 35% of which (1,545) were successful” (Yellowstone National Park Coyotes). Although young and old coyotes hunt quite differently, their success rates are very similar. Younger coyotes tended to make more attempts at hunting, and older animals tended to be more careful in the actual selection of their prey (Yellowstone National Park Coyotes). By contrast, gray wolves enjoyed hunting success rates of around twenty percent (Reference for Gray Wolf). Coyote hunting patterns are quite similar to those of the wolf; coyotes may wait to ambush their prey while others chase it toward the attackers (Edex, Tamara).

Social Life: Although the coyote has typically been portrayed as far more of a loner than the gray wolf, described as preferring its own company or the company of a mate, there are many instances of humans observing pack behavior in coyotes. They form complex social structures like their larger cousins with clear hierarchy and an “alpha pair” which is generally the only breeding couple within the hierarchy. “Coyotes which live in northern and western areas of their range display more developed and complex social systems than coyotes found in the southern and eastern areas of their range” (Homeburg, Kelsey). “In general, more coyotes live in packs, approximately 70%, than coyotes that live as mated pairs, approximately 17%. The other 13% accounts for transient individuals” (Homeburg, Kelsey).

Vocalization: Howl: yelps, whines, barks, huffs. The coyote prefers to howl in the evening twilight and morning pre-dawn. Coyote calls are more intense in the late winter and spring according to courtship. Like the wolf, a coyote howl is generally initiated by one animal, and then joined by several family units (Edex, Tamara). Coyotes will "yelp as a celebration or criticism within a small group of coyotes. Often heard during play among pups or young animals. The scientific name for coyotes means “barking dog,” Canis latrans. The bark is thought to be a threat display when a coyote is protecting a den or a kill. Huffing is usually used for calling pups without making a great deal of noise" (The Coyote). Listen to some coyotes howling!

Hybridization

Coyotes are perfectly capable of hybridizing with dogs, wolves, and other species of the Canis genus. In the wild, hybridization rarely occurs because coyotes will kill wolves, and coyotes will kill domesticated dogs. Theories have also proposed that differences in each canine's mating cycle—particularly between dogs and coyotes—and reproductive behavior are the primary reason why coydogs and coywolves are relatively rare in nature. Thanks to the more human nature of the canines played at 'Souls and the free breeding seasons, these problems do not come into play, and such hybrids are pretty common in Inferni.

Coyotes & Dogs: “'Coydogs,' hybrids of Coyote and domestic dog, especially shepherd mixtures, are larger, usually lack [the] dark vertical line on lower foreleg, and have relatively shorter and thicker snouts” (Coyote). Experimentation with coyote-dog hybrids found that after a few generations, there were higher incidences of genetic problems in coydogs bred back with dogs, although this is generally unverified outside of one study. A coydog cross depends on the breed(s) of dogs introduced to the coyote blood, naturally—resulting hybrids typically have a rather feral appearance with clear canis familiaris traits present.

Coyotes & Wolves: Coywolves are generally much larger than coyotes, with much wider snouts and larger skulls than a purebred coyote. Hybridization with wolves has happened historically, and as coyotes' ranges expanded and wolves' ranges diminished, some hybridization occurred “and helped turn coyotes from mousers of western grasslands to deer hunters of eastern forests” (Warren, John). The so-called “eastern coyote” is considered to be a distinct hybrid subspecies of wolf and coyote—individuals with as much as 89% wolf heritage have been identified in Pennsylvania (Wikipedia). The red wolf has also been described as a hybrid between wolves and coyotes, though this hybridization happened quite some time ago and allowed the wolf-coyote hybrids to develop into a distinct subspecies, Canis rufus.

Subspecies

There are nineteen subspecies of coyote, distinguished from each other by size, range, and other characteristics. Very little information exists on the internet or in books about coyote subspecies—extensive searches into the subject on various web search engines and academic search engines have yielded very little about the individual subspecies' habits, sizing, and coloration.

There is some dissent between researchers as to whether the Canis latrans inpavidus (Durango Coyote), Canis latrans cagottis (Mexican Coyote), Canis latrans vigilis (Colima Coyote), Canis latrans goldmani (Belize Coyote), Canis latrans hondurensis (Honduras Coyote), and Canis latrans dickeyi (Salvador Coyote) should all be classified as one subspecies, as there is insufficient numbers of specimins studied. These coyotes are all found in Mexico and Central America (Schmitz, Tara).

The same dissent exists regarding the Canis latrans ochropus (California Valley Coyote), canis latrans penninsulae (Penninsula Coyote), and canis latrans clepticus (San Pedro Martir Coyote) and their classifications; virtually the only separation between these three subspecies is the habitat which it occupies. Other than habitat differences, the subspecies are virtually indistinguishable from one another. (Schmitz, Tara)

Canis latrans frustror: The Southeastern coyote, found in southeastern and extreme eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas. This is one of the larger subspecies of coyote, generally sporting rich, reddish brown and mahogany coloration. Theories have proposed that this subspecies of coyote interbred with remnant red wolf populations, absorbing the canis rufus species as their populations decreased.

Canis latrans dickeyi: The Salvador coyote, found only in El Salvador.

Canis latrans cagottis: The Mexican coyote, found in the states of Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Puebla, and Veracruz in Mexico (Wikipedia).

Canis latrans goldmani: The Belize coyote, found only in Belize.

Canis latrans hondurensis: The Honduras coyote, found only in Honduras.

Canis latrans impavidus: The Durango coyote, found in southern Sonora, extreme southwestern Chihuahua, western Durango, western Zacatecas, and Sinaloa.

Canis latrans vigiles: The Colima coyote, found along the Pacific coast of Mexico from Jalisco south to Guerrero.

Canis latrans incolatus: The Northern coyote, found in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, northern British Columbia, and northern Alberta, and Alaska. The Northern coyote's range overlaps some other subspecies, but the incolatus subspecies is easily distinguished from its counterparts by differences in cranial measurement.

Canis latrans jamesi: The Tiburon Island coyote, found only on Tiburon Island. The Tiburon Island coyote is distinguished primarily from its mainland counterparts by its increased swimming ability, likely an adaptation that allowed the first coyote imports to the island to even make it there in the first place.

Canis latrans latrans: The Plains coyote, found in the Great Plains from Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan south to New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. “They are distinguished as smaller than most other coyotes, and as the lightest in coloring of the identified subspecies” (BioWeb).

Canis latrans lestes: The Mountain coyote, found in British Columbia and southeastern Alberta south to Utah and Nevada. This subspecies boasts an extreme color variation thanks to the differences in diet and altitude throughout the population. These coyotes tend to be larger than their desert and plains neighbors thanks to their habitat.

Canis latrans mearnsi: The Mearns coyote, found in southwestern Colorado and southern Utah south to northern Sonora and Chihuahua. This is the second smallest coyote subspecies, generally ranging about “18-21 inches tall, 42-50 inches long, and weighing 15-25 pounds (20-40 pounds less than some of its northern relatives). It ranges in color from gray to light reddish brown, making it well-camouflaged against desert soil” (Statemaster).

Canis latrans microdon: The Lower Rio Grande Valley coyote, found in the Lower Rio Grande Coyote - southern Texas and northern Tamaulipas. The Lower Rio Grande Valley coyote is the smallest of all coyote subspecies.

Canis latrans texensis: The Texas Plains coyote, found throughout most of Texas, eastern New Mexico, and northeastern Mexico. This medium-sized coyote is characterized by its extreme adaptability.

Canis latrans thamnos: The Northeastern coyote, found from north-central Saskatchewan east to southern Ontario south to northern Indiana and west to Missouri. This coyote is distinguished from other subspecies by its larger teeth from the other subspecies. Theories have proposed that this subspecies of coyote absorbed remnant wolf populations as they were exterminated from the lower forty-eight states.

Canis latrans umpquensis: The Northwest Coast coyote, found along the coast of Washington and Oregon. This coyote is distinguishable from other subspecies by its “much darker, almost black coat” (BioWeb).

Canis latrans ochropus: The California Valley coyote, found in California west of the Sierra Nevada. This medium-sized coyote is indistinguishable from the Penninsula coyote and the San Pedro Martir coyote save for its range.

Canis latrans penninsulae: The Penninsula coyote, found in Baja California. This medium-sized coyote is indistinguishable from the San Pedro Martir coyote and the California Valley coyote save for its range.

Canis latrans clepticus: The San Pedro Martir coyote, found in northern Baja California and southwestern California. This is a medium-sized coyote, indistinguishable from the Penninsula and California Valley coyotes save for its range.

Works Cited

"Dog Owner's Guide Profile: The Coyote." CanisMajor. N.p., Dec. 2003. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://www.canismajor.com/dog/coyote.html>.

"Canis latrans mearnsi." StateMaster. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Canis-latrans-mearnsi>.

"The Coyote." DesertUSA. N.p., June 1996. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://www.desertusa.com/june96/du_cycot.html>.

"Coyote." eNature. N.p., 2007. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=MA0018>.

Edex, Tamara. "Coyote." Mammals of Ontario. Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing, 2002. pp 110-113.

Kazakova, Tamara. "Coyote." Pantheon.org. Encyclopedia Mythica, 16 Jan. 2004. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/coyote.html>.

"Reference for Gray Wolf." Search.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://www.search.com/reference/Gray_Wolf>.

Homeburg, Kelsey. "Coyote (Canis Latrans) Social Structure." Coyote Social Systems. Davidson

College, Spring 2004. Web. 9 Jan. 2010. <http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/

behavior/Spring2004/holmberg/Holmberg4.html>.

"Coyote Roller Home." The Coyote Roller. Roll Guard, INC, n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://www.coyoteroller.com/>.

Saddique, Hussein. "Wily coyote caught in Central Park." CNN.com. N.p., 22 Mar. 2006. Web. 9 Jan.

2010. <http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/22/nyc.coyote/index.html>.

Schmitz, Tara. "Speciation." Coyote. University of Wisconson La Crosse, Apr. 2009. Web. 9 Jan.

2010. <http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/schmitz_tara/Speciation.htm>.

"Wikipedia Coyote." Wikipedia. N.p., 8 Jan. 2009. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote>.

Warren, John. "New Study: Coy-Wolves Evolved to Hunt Local Deer." Adirondack Almanack. N.p., 29

Sept. 2009. Web. 9 Jan. 2010. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2009/09/

new-study-coy-wolves-evolved-to-hunt.html>.

"Yellowstone National Park Coyotes." National Park Service. N.p., 12 June 2009. Web. 9 Jan. 2010.

<http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/coyotes.htm>.