Coyote

The coyote is a wild member of the dog family that lives across North America. It looks like a smaller, thinner cousin of the wolf. An adult coyote weighs between 20 and 50 pounds, about the size of a medium dog. Its fur is usually gray or tan, with a bushy, black-tipped tail. Coyotes have pointed ears, a narrow snout, and sharp yellow eyes.

Coyotes once lived mostly in the open grasslands and deserts of the American West. Today they live almost everywhere on the continent. You can find them in forests, swamps, mountains, farmland, and big cities. They live in every U.S. state except Hawaii. Coyotes have even been spotted in Central Park in New York City and on the streets of Los Angeles and Chicago.

How did they spread so far? Partly because humans wiped out most of the wolves. Wolves used to push coyotes out of their territory and sometimes kill them. When wolves disappeared from most of the United States in the 1900s, coyotes moved in. Coyotes are also incredibly adaptable. They will eat almost anything: rabbits, mice, insects, fruit, garbage, roadkill, even pet food left on a porch.

Coyotes are famous for their voices. A single coyote's call can sound like three or four animals at once, thanks to howls, yips, and barks layered together. A whole pack "singing" together can sound like a crowd. Scientists think coyotes use these calls to tell each other where they are and to warn strangers away from their territory.

Coyotes usually live in small family groups. A mother and father stay together for several years, sometimes for life. They raise four to seven pups each spring in a hidden den. Older brothers and sisters often help bring food to the younger ones.

Coyotes hold a big place in Native American stories. In many cultures of the Great Plains and the Southwest, Coyote is a trickster: clever, funny, and always getting into trouble. Sometimes he creates the world or steals fire for people. Sometimes he is greedy and makes a mess of things. These stories often use Coyote to teach lessons about being smart, humble, or kind.

People have tried hard to get rid of coyotes for more than a hundred years, using traps, poison, and hunts. The coyotes just keep coming. Biologists sometimes call them the ultimate survivor. While many wild animals shrink back as cities grow, the coyote has done the opposite. It has followed humans right into the neighborhood.