The scientific name for the coyote is Canis latrans – literally barking
dog.
A diurnal or crepuscular creature (namely
active during daylight hours or at dawn and dusk) coyotes that reside in closer
proximity to people tend to be more nocturnal.
Unless they become habituated to our presence wild coyotes will make
every attempt to steer clear of people. If you were to inquire of a wildlife
biologist they would tell you that there are nineteen subspecies of coyote that
are exceedingly well-adapted to living in urban, rural and wild America.
Male coyotes tip the scales at about 44
pounds while females weigh-in slightly less.
For scale my Labs weigh-in at 75 and 80 pounds respectively. Coyotes
dine on large prey and also eat snakes, insects, rodents, fruit and other
mast. As an opportunistic hunter coyotes
have been known to prey-upon small pets and livestock. In an urban setting they will eat garbage and
pet food left on a deck or patio. The
coyote is a gregarious animal - socially-inclined - like the wolf. This is likely a consequence of the need for
a family unit or pack of animals combining to bring down large game.
Recent genetic studies suggest that coyotes are not
native to the eastern United States - The implication is they largely evolved on the Great
Plains. As the eastern old growth
forests were cleared for settlement and agriculture coyotes adapted to the new
environs. It is thought that coyotes
dispersed to our neck of the woods early in the twentieth century. These canids are presumed to have come from
the northern Great Plains and are unique in their genetic origins. Additional coyotes dispersed from here to New
England via the northern Great Lakes region and southern Canada meeting in the
1940s in New York and Pennsylvania. These coyotes have inter-bred with gray
wolf and Eastern wolf populations adding to their own unique genetic diversity
and further contributing to their hybrid vigor and ability to adapt to an ever
changing environment. Coyotes here are
known as the Northeastern coyote.
Monday, June 6, 2022
Wile E. Coyote
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