I’ll be off next week because, guess what? I’m getting married!
To celebrate, we’re talking this week about an animal who is surprisingly serious about their marriage vows: coyotes.
Coyotes (Canis latrans) are canines found throughout North and Central America. Their Latin name means “barking dog” and comes from the variety of noises they make; coyotes may yip, howl, and even bark. They also use what’s known as the “beau geste” effect. This auditory illusion can make two coyotes sound like seven or eight.
Coyotes are highly adaptable and live in various habitats, from forests to deserts. This adaptability has led to the evolution of at least 19 subspecies, with slight variations in size and coloration. All coyotes are 32 to 37 inches long from head to tail (81-94 centimeters) and weigh between 20 and 50 pounds (9-23 kilograms). Eastern coyotes tend to be larger, perhaps because they, at one point, interbred with wolves.
Coyotes look similar to other canines, like wolves and domesticated dogs, to the untrained eye. So, how can you tell the difference? Size quickly indicates what type of canine you’re dealing with. Coyotes are smaller than gray wolves and larger than foxes. If you want to know whether you’re looking at a coyote or a dog, look at the ears and tail: coyotes have pointed, erect ears and keep their tails below their back while running.
Hunting roadrunners
Coyotes are so successful partly because of their hunting strategy – these animals aren’t picky in what they eat! About 90% of their diet is mammals, but other animals are also up for grabs when available. Coyotes mainly eat small mammals, like rabbits, squirrels, and mice. They’ll also eat birds, snakes, and insects when they find them, as well as carrion. During the fall and winter, coyotes eat a significant amount of fruits and vegetables. Coyotes will even eat human trash and household pets, allowing them to thrive in urban and suburban environments.
Hunting habits are also variable depending on the prey available. Going after small game like mice is a solo venture. A coyote will slowly stalk a mouse before stiffening all of its legs and leaping into the air and onto the mouse. In contrast, hunting larger prey like deer requires teamwork. Coyotes in the same family group will take turns chasing a deer until it eventually tires and can be brought down by multiple coyotes.
Coyotes will even form hunting partnerships with badgers. While they can dig, coyotes are much better at chasing prey aboveground. Conversely, badgers are slow runners but great at digging rodents out of their burrows. When the two species hunt together, rodents and small mammals cannot escape.
And as far as the age-old question of if a coyote can catch a roadrunner, the answer is yes! Coyotes are quick and can run 40 miles an hour (64 kilometers an hour), while roadrunners only reach around 20 mph (32 kmh).
Monogamous
Let’s take a second and talk about monogamy. Animals tend to be monogamous when successfully raising offspring takes a lot of effort. It’s hard to go out and cheat or find a second mate when you are focused on keeping your kid alive. This is one reason birds are thought to be monogamous – both parents are helping feed and take care of the hatchlings. But for mammals, only the mother can feed the offspring when they’re young. Since fathers can’t lactate, they can’t do much for their young besides guarding their territory. And if you have the time, you might as well try to find another individual to mate with!
Only about 5% of mammals are monogamous, and there’s variation in their level of monogamy, too. Most species are socially monogamous, forming pair bonds with other individuals, living together, and raising young, but cheating often happens on the side. Genetic monogamy, where you only ever have sex with your partner, is rare. The general theory is that when the chance arises, you should spread your genes wherever you can. Animals that seem genetically monogamous may actually be socially monogamous in habitats with lots of resources or easily guarded territories; if less time is spent looking for food or guarding your mate, you have more time to sneak in some extra mates yourself.
So, getting back to coyotes. Coyotes live in family groups (not packs, like wolves). The adult female in the group gives birth to three to twelve pups yearly in the spring. Both parents bring back food for the pups, who can hunt independently by the fall. This is when male pups leave the group, while females may stick around with their parents to help raise next spring’s litter.
Within each family, only the parents reproduce. And it turns out that, at least in urban environments, these pairs are very monogamous. A 2012 study found that a sample of 236 coyotes in Chicago were 100% genetically monogamous over a six-year period. There was no cheating; individuals only found new partners when their original one died. This is even more impressive because cities tend to be full of food, which typically leads to polygamy and cheating. Instead of searching for more mates, male coyotes spent all of their time side-by-side with their mates.
Dealing with coyotes
Monogamy could be part of the reason coyotes do so well in urban areas. With abundant food to eat (like human trash!), female coyotes have larger litters and need more help bringing food back to the young. By staying faithful, male coyotes ensure their offspring reach adulthood.
Which brings us to why it’s so hard to control the coyote population. As I just hinted, coyote litter size is directly related to food availability. More food means larger litters. This means that hunting actually increases the number of coyotes in an area. The initial decrease in animals from hunting leads to more available food, more pups, and a higher chance that pups will survive to adulthood. Hunting also breaks up family groups, leading to more reproductively active pairs.
The bottom line is we will have to learn to live with coyotes. The good news is that the threat of coyotes to humans is greatly exaggerated. For instance, one study found only 367 documented non-rabid coyote attacks between 1977 and 2015; in contrast, there are more than 4.5 million dog bites yearly, with 800,000 of those bites requiring medical attention. Coyotes are also unlikely to eat pets – less than 2% of coyote poop has dog or cat remains.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that coyotes aren’t dangerous. Like any wild animal, they need to be treated with respect. However, minimizing and preventing conflict with our coyote neighbors is possible. Make sure to keep trash at a minimum around your house, including using wildlife-proof garbage cans. If you have a small pet, watch them when they’re outside, especially at dawn and dusk. And if you do see a coyote in your yard, haze it (aka, aversive conditioning). Make loud noises with pots and spray the coyote with a hose to make it wary around humans and unlikely to return to your property.
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