Coyote Interesting Facts
- The scientific name for coyote is Canis latrans, which means barking dog in Latin. The name coyote comes from the Aztec word coyotl.
- Coyote parents may supply live mice to their pups for hunting practice.
- Coyotes are native only to North America.
- When coyotes are about two years old, they select a mate and stay with that mate for life.
- The coyote’s keen intelligence and senses help it adapt to many different habitats. It is even seen many times in the city.
- Coyotes communicate in a variety of ways including a bark, a growl and a howl, and often howl in chorus. They also communicate with body language and through scent.
- Coyotes are frequently killed when caught in cities rather than being released into the wild.
- When they are hunting, coyotes sometimes pursue prey in relays, enabling packs to run down animals that could escape a single coyote. The list of prey able to escape a coyote is short - this is due to the fact that these animals can run in bursts as fast as 40 miles per hour and they also can jump over a 8′ fence. These animals can also travel up to 400 miles at a stretch, stopping only occasionally to howl for news.
- In 2006, a coyote was spotted in New York’s Central Park, and Chicago claims to have over 2,000 of them living within the city area alone.
- Coyotes use at least 10 different sounds to communicate, not counting their familiar yapping howl.
- The coyote is an important spiritual symbol for many indigenous tribes. He is seen both as a trickster causing trouble and as a provider of many good things for this world. Both sides of Coyote are true.
- They have 42 teeth in a strong jaw, which are perfect for holding and biting prey. Their senses of smell, sight and hearing are exceptional which makes them very cunning hunters.
- In the state of Ohio, coyotes do not prey on deer, other large animals or humans. The western variety of coyote has different characteristics than Ohio coyote, where an abundance of small animals exist. In mountain states, the coyote are more muscular.
- They do not hibernate and are very active during the winter months. Coyotes bed in sheltered areas, but do not use dens except when raising young, during severe weather or when they are being chased. Dens will have an entrance about a foot in diameter and are usually holes that have been used first by another animal like badgers or foxes.
- Coyotes can live and have adapted to virtually all types of habitat. From arctic to tropic, country to cities, desert to tundra.
- It is estimated that at least 400,000 coyotes are killed each year (one coyote is killed every minute) by federal, state, and local governments but also by private individuals.
- Coyotes can breed with both domestic dogs and wolves. A dog-coyote mix is called a ” coydog “.
- Coyotes maintain their territory by marking it with urine.
- The great majority of coyotes don’t prey upon livestock. However, once a coyote learns that young livestock are easy prey, depredation can become a problem. If this occurs, removal of the offending coyote is often recommended.
