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The nearest family members of the Coyotes are amongst others, Jackals, Wolves and Foxes and all the domestic dog breeds. In size and shape the Coyotes could be compared to a medium sized dog, with a round, bushy tail, usually carried straight out or just a little below the level of its back. Their tail is used in threat displays. It becomes bushy and will be held horizontally when they display aggression. Coyotes also carry their tails quite differently than wolves. A Coyotes tail is normally held down, although not between the legs. As a comparison: a wolf carries its tail rather horizontally. Their hearing is very acute and is used for detecting prey or to avoid danger. Movement and position of the ears are used to display and communicate mood and rank, the same way as our every day domestic mutt does when interacting with their relatives and also the way our doggie talks to us.
The weight of Coyotes, as well as the color of their fur, depends on the area they live in. It can range from light gray or tan with a black tipped tail, to darker ticker and longer fur on their brothers that inhabit the mountain areas. Coyotes living in low desert areas or in valleys weigh about half of what their cousins living in the mountains can way, which is up to 50 pounds. Especially during winter, when their coat becomes more long and silky, they are still being hunted for their fur.
The Coyote is The Survivor, it is one of the most adaptable animals in the world. When needed they can even change their breeding habits, change their diet and social dynamics to survive in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found alone, in pairs or in packs. Like all good members of the canine family, they mark their territories with urine.
To me there is no better place on earth to be, than out in the desert at night, listening to the Coyotes howl, making conversation with each other, keeping in touch with the other Coyotes in the area. It is their love call to invite females to come and follow their trail. Warning other males off, telling them this where I am, this MY home, if you know what is good for you, better keep out so we will not run into trouble with each other. They also use calls to defend their territory. But not only for that, they use their calls as well as for strengthening social bonds and for general communication; just keeping in touch with other group members; with the other dogs in the hood.
Besides howling, Coyotes use a few other vocal sounds to communicate. When Coyotes pups play with each other, you can hear their yelping sounds expressing different things, like a simple ouch, you dummy, you bit me way too hard, or Mommyyyyyy he done and did it again, or as a way to criticize another group member or simply as a celebration yelp.
But they do bark as well, which gave them their Latin name Canis Latrans. They use their bark to display a threat when they are protecting their dens or a kill. Some kind of a huffing sound is being used to call their pups without making too much of a noise that might draw any unwanted attention.
Usually they dig their own den, even though the lazy ones will sometimes enlarge an old badger hole or make their home out of a fixer-upper natural hole in a rocky ledge to suit their own needs. Dens are usually hidden from view, but the trails that lead away from the den will not give anyone a hard time finding it. The den is used for sleeping and to birth the pups. They do not hibernate. In fact they love the snow. It has a playful nature and anyone who has ever seen a Coyote run and roll through the snow, saw it shove its nose through a snow pile just like your house dog does, knows its celebrating wintertime right there and then.
They have a good sense of smell, keen vision and very good hearing as well which, coupled with evasiveness, makes sure that they can survive both in the wild and occasionally in the suburban areas of large cities, where they are known to rummage through human trash to find their daily meal. They are common in most rural areas, but because of their secretive nature, just a few are seen. Through the years, filled with efforts to exterminate the Coyote, it probably produced an animal that is extremely alert and wary and very very well able to maintain itself in all kinds of situations.
Coyotes can be found in all life zones of the Desert Southwest from the low valleys up to the crests of the highest mountains. You can find them throughout the greater part of North America. They love the open plains, grasslands and high mesas. Its natural habitat is open grassland, but when necessary, it will move to wherever food is available. It is one very clever doggie.
Coyotes roam over their range and hunt both day and night, running swiftly and catching their prey with great ease. Their diet is varied and they seem able to exist on whatever the area provides them with in the way of food. They eat meat and fish, either fresh or spoiled. Sometimes it even eats fruits and vegetables and some have grown to be quite fond of this, becoming renowned for raiding melon patches in certain areas.
Coyotes can be a scoundrels known for killing sheep, raiding hen houses and killing other livestock, but they never just preys on domestic animals. It is only under certain conditions that they risk coming close to mankind for their food needs. Food habit studies show that the average Canis Latrans diet consists of small rodents like mice, rabbits, ground squirrels, and insects and in some areas even reptiles, or fruits and berries of plants growing in the wild. Although it usually hunts alone to catch small prey, it sometimes will join with others to hunt larger mammals like young deer.
The mating season of the Coyote begins in January. Several males may gather around a female to court her, but she will only give in to one of them to form a relationship with. Before mating in January or February, the male and female may travel and hunt together. After carrying for about 95 days, the female only gets one litter of 3 to 9 puppies a year, usually in April or May when there is plenty of food to feed the hungry little mouths.
The pups are born blind in a den; their eyes will open after about 14 days and a few days later the Coyotes Mom will take them out of the den into the big world and eventually introduce them to the other group members. The pups suckle for 5 to 7 weeks, and start eating semi solid food after 3 weeks. The mother will never allow the male to come into the den, even though the male helps her to support the family with regurgitated food. After playing in and around the den for about 8 weeks, the mother starts to take the pups out to hunt together in a group. Slowly but gradually the family will start to disband and by that time the pups are hunting alone. Within a year, they are ready to go their own way, get their own territory, and mark it with the scent of their urine.
Even though the Coyotes have been classified as non game animals in certain areas and can be taken all year under the authority of a hunting license, despite the intensive efforts to reduce the Coyotes population, I hope and pray their beautiful night song will remain to be heard on a quiet night, will remain to be able to run shivers down spines of humble humans who only wish to be there to enjoy and honor nature and all living beings.
Maggie and Dave
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