Coyote
aka American Jackal, Brush Wolf, Prairie Wolf
Canis latrans

Coyotes, like wolves, are members of the dog family. With their long, coarse fur, bottle-shaped tails, and large, erect ears, they resemble small German shepherds. Wily and adaptable, Minnesota’s most abundant large predator lives in all types of habitats, including where humans have changed the landscape.

What They Eat
These opportunistic feeders eat rabbits, rodents, insects, and other small prey they find easy to catch. Using their large ears to hear small mammals hiding beneath snow or vegetation, they stand over a spot, cock their heads, and then pounce.

Where They Live
Coyotes can live nearly everywhere. In Minnesota, this includes prairie, woods, wetlands, and even suburbs and small towns. More coyotes may live in ten square miles of city than in the same amount of country.

What They Do
Coyotes are most active at night and in early morning. They sleep in sheltered areas but use dens when raising their young.

How They’re Doing
In the last century, coyotes have expanded throughout most of the country. In Minnesota, coyotes used to live mostly on our western prairies. As people pushed wolves north, coyotes spread throughout the state.

Coyote

Coyotes are frequently portrayed as cunning tricksters, gluttons, outlaws, spoilers, and survivors in American mythology and in Native American tales. These are based mainly on the coyote’s uncanny ability to survive.

When local coyote populations decrease due to hunting or trapping, females produce large litters (12 or more pups). When times are good and overpopulation is a threat, females produce smaller litters (2-3 pups). If food is scarce, females often don’t produce litters or kill their newborns to prevent them from starving.

City coyotes tend to live longer than their rural cousins, finding easier access to rodents and small pets as food and less competition from other predators.

Wolves dig dens to have pups. Once they move out, coyotes (and other smaller animals) often move in.

Coyote

Similar in size to a medium-sized dog, coyotes’ most distinguishing characteristics are their large, pointed ears; a long, bushy, black-tipped tail (which they hold in a down position while running), and their narrow pointed muzzle and white upper lip. Their color varies, ranging from tan to gray with orange-red highlights and dark-colored guard hairs.

Range and Habitat
Coyotes range from Central America to the Arctic, including most of the continental United States. They can adapt to many habitats including deserts, swamps, tundra, grasslands, brush, dense forest, and even suburbs and small towns.

Behavior and Distribution
Coyotes are most active at night and early morning, but in areas with limited human activity, they will stay active throughout the day if the weather is cool. They sleep in sheltered areas, using dens only to raise their young. With an average running speed of 25-30 mph, coyotes can sprint up to 40 mph for short distances. They are natural jumpers, clearing fences up to 8 feet high and distances of up to 13 feet. Home territories average 5 to 10 square miles, with most traveling done in search of food.

Communication
Coyotes communicate in a variety of ways, most commonly by howling. The howl is a high pitched yapping barking howl that can be heard for miles on a clear night. Other vocalizations include snarls, barks, growls, and whines. Scent marking is used to indicate territorial boundaries.

Diet
One of the most adaptable animals in the world, much of coyotes’ success is related to their diet. These opportunistic feeders and scavengers prey on rabbits, rodents, birds, insects, and any small prey that is relatively easy to catch. Sometimes this includes livestock and poultry. In late summer, they will eat both wild and domestic fruit, including watermelon and berries. Coyotes usually hunt alone, and occasionally in pairs or small packs. Although they prefer fresh food, they will sometimes eat carrion.

Reproduction
Breeding typically occurs in February and March, with a litter of 5-7 pups born approximately 60 days later. Born blind and helpless, the pups are raised in dens in steep banks, rock crevices, sinkholes, and underbrush. The mother also prepares a “back-up den” before the pups are born in case they need to be moved. Both parents feed and care for the pups. Other adults may join in their care as well. At around 3 weeks the pups begin to eat solid food regurgitated by their parents, and start to explore the environment outside the den. Between 6 and 12 weeks of age they are taught to hunt, and by 9 months they are physically mature. Coyotes reach sexual maturity at 1 year, although many will not mate until their second year. Some coyotes are believed to mate for life.

Is it a Coyote or a Wolf? 

	Coyote (Canis lantrans)	Wolf (Canis lupus)
Size	3.3 - 4.6 ft.	5 ½ ft.
Weight	25-30 lbs.	50-100 lbs.
Color	Varying shades of grizzled gray and reddish brown	White to grizzle brownish-gray to black.
Facial Features	Narrow face with pointed snout and tall, pointed ears.	Rounded face and snout and smallish, round ears.
Tail Position (trot)	Carries tail low or tucked between hind legs.	Carries tail straight out from body.
Home Range	10 sq. miles	100 sq. miles
Social Order	Loosely structured, less stable than wolves. Sometimes hunt in packs, but usually alone or in pairs.	Sophisticated with a close family group. Dominant or alpha male and alpha female.
Communication	High-pitched yaps, barks, howls, and wails. Marks using scent.	Howls to assemble pack, pass on alarm, define territory, and locate pack members. Marks using scents.