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Coyotes are fierce predators adapted to many climates. Coyotes, Canis latrans, originated 380,000 years ago and evolved from a long line of predatory fangs. They prey on a variety of animals and are powerful members of whatever ecosystem they inhabit. So what unfortunate creatures fall prey to the evil coyote? Here we explore what coyotes eat and how they catch them.
What are coyotes?
Coyotes are canines closely related to wolves. However, they are much smaller than their massive wolf cousins. The average male coyote is 3.3 to 4.5 feet in length and typically weighs 18 to 44 pounds. Large variation in weight correlates with geographic location, with northern populations weighing more than southern populations. The color of coyote fur will also vary by geographic region, but includes different shades of white, gray, and light brown.
Coyotes have also had cultural significance to humans for hundreds of years. Coyotes are depicted as warriors in the Mesoamerican art of Teotihuacan and the Aztecs. These animals are also widely used in Native American art and folklore. Among different tribes, the coyote has several images, including an unreliable deceiver in the southwestern and lowland regions, as well as a companion of the Creator in the Chinook, Pawnee, Ute, and Maidu tribes. Coyotes are also the state animal of South Dakota.
Where do they live?
Coyotes are widespread, covering most of North and Central America. They inhabit the north to Alaska and south of Costa Rica from the west to the east coast. With such a wide distribution, coyotes are flexible in a wide variety of climates and habitats. The versatility of coyotes has allowed them to inhabit a variety of environments, including those urbanized by humans.
Coyotes tend to live in areas where they will not directly compete with wolves and cougars. First of all, these are meadows, prairies and deserts. However, the range of coyotes has become much more extensive as wolf populations have declined. The red wolf was a species that inhabited the southeastern United States and is currently critically endangered. Coyotes now inhabit grasslands, tundra, deserts, northern forests, and major cities such as Los Angeles and Denver. Should you worry if there are coyotes in your city? Click here for more information!
Who is competing with coyotes for food?
Coyotes have many different predators that they have to fight for food. Gray wolves and coyotes have a long history of competition. Coyotes tend to avoid areas where wolves live because wolves dominate the hunt and either kill coyotes or kill their food supplies. T 19th and 20th over the centuries, as wolf populations began to decline, coyotes began to increase. Later, a large population of coyotes emerged in Yellowstone National Park. When the once extinct gray wolf was reintroduced to the area, the coyote population declined by 39%. Coyotes also compete with and prey to cougars. Cougars and coyotes compete for deer in the Sierra Nevada, and cougars usually dominate. Cougars do kill coyotes, but not to the same extent as wolves.
What do coyotes eat?
All coyotes are highly carnivorous and eat a variety of prey depending on where they live. Coyotes eat insects, amphibians, fish, small reptiles, birds, rodents, and larger mammals including white-tailed deer, elk, bighorn sheep, bison, and elk. Birds that coyotes prey on include thrashers, sparrows, and wild turkeys. The coyote can reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour and can hunt in packs or alone. Coyotes will only attack larger ungulates in a flock, not individually. Coyotes do not often eat toads, shrews, moles, or rats, even if there are many. Coyotes also eat the carcasses of other coyotes.
Although the coyote’s diet is 90% meat, the remaining 10% is also important! Coyotes eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including peaches, blackberries, pears, blueberries, apples, carrots, melons, watermelons, and peanuts. Coyotes also eat grasses and grains, especially in winter.
In areas inhabited by humans, coyotes have adapted to eat what is at hand. In rural areas, this includes livestock and crops such as cattle, sheep, corn, wheat and other products. In more densely populated areas, coyotes will eat raccoons, rabbits, pets killed on the road, trash and garden products. No matter where they live, coyotes are incredibly versatile and adaptable.
List of what coyotes eat
- Insects
- Amphibians
- A fish
- Reptiles
- Birds
- Rodents
- Deer
- Elk
- bighorn sheep
- Buffalo
- Elk
- Thrashers
- Sparrows
- Wild turkey
- Toad
- Shrews
- Birthmarks
- Rats
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Peaches
- Blackberry
- pears
- Blueberry
- Apples
- Carrot
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Peanut
- Herbs
- Grains
- Raccoons
- Rabbits
- Pets
- Garden products
How does their diet affect other species?
Coyotes have a mutualistic relationship with the American badger. This means that their interaction is beneficial to both parties. When coyotes are hunting various rodents, American badgers will help dig them up. Many predatory animals will crawl underground to escape the coyote, but will run above the ground if they see a badger. When a coyote and a badger work together, the victim becomes vulnerable both above ground and below ground. The cooperation of the coyote and the badger increases their catch by 33%.
The diet of the coyote also affects other species due to the potential spread of diseases and parasites. The coyote carries more disease and parasites than any other carnivorous animal in North America, likely due to its highly varied diet. Viral diseases carried by coyotes include rabies, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, multiple strains of equine encephalitis, and oral papillomatosis. Coyotes can suffer from mite parasitic scabies, mites, and sometimes fleas and lice. Coyotes also host and spread parasitic worms such as tapeworms, hookworms, and roundworms. 60-95% of coyotes have at least one tapeworm. This applies to diet because many parasites and diseases can spread during feeding. For example, if coyotes feed on livestock with parasites, they risk becoming the host of this parasite.
How are coyotes doing today?
Coyotes are currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Populations are growing and coyotes are currently in little danger. The hazards faced by coyotes are associated with widespread hunting and habitat loss due to human activities.
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