Coyotes
Coyotes are native to North and Central America, spanning the entire continent below the Arctic more or less. Their closest relatives are wolves and foxes, and the three will typically avoid encroaching on each others’ territories.
Coyotes are extremely adaptable. Their habitats, diets, and other living conditions can vary widely depending on the circumstances. For this reason they are commonly seen in and near human cities, and are often vilified as being predatory on children. The truth is that in the US and Canada, only two human deaths have ever been documented as a result of coyote attacks: one a 19-year old woman in Nova Scotia and the other a child in Southern California. You are far more likely to be seriously injured by an errant golf ball or champagne cork than a coyote bite.
Coyotes socialize in groups, and often vocalize using group howling or yipping. This vocal communication is usually accompanied by body language and is extremely important in their success as a social species. In Indigenous cultures the Coyote is often a hero and/or trickster, “stealing” or “tricking” away gifts from other myth figures to give to humans’ early ancestors. In the Pacific Northwest outside of Puget Sound, most stories of the Creation feature Coyote, and these Coyote stories are only to be told in winter.
Coyotes perform important ecological services beyond predation of small, weak and/or sick animals. As scavengers they help move carrion through the detritus food web, and occasionally they feast on insects such as grasshoppers keeping their numbers manageable.
Coyotes are normally nocturnal and shy, but if you see a coyote in the daytime don’t be alarmed especially if it runs from people. Don’t feed coyotes, and if you feed your pet outside bring the pet food indoors at night.
Here endeth the lesson on coyotes.
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