IDENTIFICATION insects (such as grasshoppers), Coyotes look like small collie livestock and poultry. Coyotes dogs. They have erect pointed eat fruit including berries and ears, slender muzzle and a watermelons. They will also eat bushy tail. Most coyotes are cats and dogs. brownish gray in color with a light gray to cream colored belly. BEHAVIOR However, color can vary from Coyotes are most active at night nearly black to nearly white. and during early morning hours. Most coyotes have dark or black Coyotes bed in sheltered areas hairs over their back and tail. but do not generally use dens Male coyotes weigh between except when rearing their 25 to 45 pounds. Female young. Coyotes have good eye- coyotes weigh 22 to 35 pounds. sight, hearing and a keen sense of smell. Historically, coyotes HABITAT were most commonly found on the Coyotes can live just about Coyotes usually breed in Great Plains of North America. anywhere. They are found in de- February and March and have Their range now extends from Central serts, swamps, tundra, grass- their pups in April and May. America to the Arctic. Except for Hawaii, lands, brush and dense forests, Average litter size is 5 to 7 pups. coyotes live in all of the United States, from below sea level to high Both male and female coyotes Canada and Mexico. mountains. They have also hunt and bring food to their ACTIVITY: On the map above, label the learned to live in suburbs and young. Other adults associated countries where coyotes live. cities like Los Angeles, New with the denning pair may help York, Phoenix and Denver. with hunting and caring for the young. Pups are usually weaned FOOD by six weeks of age but will Coyotes are omnivores. This remain with their parents until means they eat both meat and late summer or fall. plants. They eat rabbits, carrion (dead animals), rodents, deer (usually fawns),

coyote track shown actual size - 3

ACTIVITY: If you have a dog, compare the size of your dog’s paw to that of a coyote. How much does your dog weigh? How does this compare to the average weight of a coyote? Canis latrans

In spite of being hunted and trapped for over 200 years, there are more coyotes today than when the United States Constitution was signed.

Living in harmony . . . Living in conflict . . . Most of the time, coyotes and humans live Conflicts can arise between coyotes and in harmony. humans. · People enjoy watching and hearing these · Coyotes kill livestock like sheep or calves. clever animals. · Coyotes kill cats and dogs. · Coyotes eat rabbits, rodents and other · Coyotes sometimes animals that conflict with people. carry rabies or other · Coyotes are scavengers. They help diseases. keep areas free from dead animals. · Coyotes sometimes will · Coyotes are part of the food supply for kill endangered or animals like wolves and mountain li- threatened animals that ons. people are working to People can help keep coyotes from be- protect. coming a problem if they: · Coyotes may hunt the · Do not feed coyotes. same game mammals · Pick up and securely dispose of trash. and birds that people · Keep pets inside at night. hunt. · Don’t leave pet food and water outside · Coyotes may be a at night. hazard to aircraft.

Many methods are used to · killing endangered animals · removing habitat that prevent damage caused by like the black-footed ferret, provides homes to natural coyotes. Some methods are San Joaquin Kit Fox and prey of coyotes, like lethal and result in the death of California Least Tern. rabbits, from lambing and the coyote. Some methods are Some examples of nonlethal calving area nonlethal which do not result ways to reduce damage done · using strobe lights and si- in the death of the animal. by coyotes to livestock rens to scare coyotes away Often, many methods are used. include: · using guard animals like This is called integrated pest · using net-wire or electric dogs, donkeys and llamas management or IPM. The fencing to keep coyotes to protect livestock. purpose of IPM is to stop or away from livestock Some lethal methods include: reduce damage rather than · shortening the length of · regulating sport hunting eliminate the coyotes. calving or lambing seasons and trapping of coyotes to Some examples of damage · confining livestock in a keep coyote populations in done by coyotes include: coyote proof corral at night balance · killing of lambs and calves when coyotes are most · working with the USDA · killing of cats and dogs likely to attack livestock Wildlife Services to remove · eating watermelons and · using lights above corrals problem coyotes by selec- other fruit · removing dead livestock so tive hunting and trapping. · chewing drip irrigation coyotes won’t be attracted systems to scavenge

Distemper and canine hepatitis are the most common diseases occurring in coyotes. Rabies and tularemia also occur and may be transmitted to humans and other animals. Coyotes often carry parasites which include mites, ticks, fleas, worms and flukes.

Value of livestock killed by coyotes: Source: 95/96 USDA Agricultural Stastitics · lamb and sheep: $14,534,000 ______% Figure the percentage of losses of each group of · cattle and calves: $21,800,000 ______% livestock to the total for · goats: $ 1,605,000 ______% livestock lost to coyotes. MATH ACTIVITY: Write the percentage on What is the total value of the above animals lost to the line beside the value of coyotes? the loss.

There is much folklore about the In Indian folklore, the coyote a condi- coyote. From the Aztec and Mayan brought gifts to the people. tion that civilizations of Mexico to almost all According to Zuni legend, the remains Native American peoples living coyote taught man to hunt. The to this day. west of the Mississippi River, leg- Sioux believe it taught humans The tales ends about coyotes are plentiful. about useful plants. Indians of the were meant to amuse as well as to These cultures believed the coyote Pacific Northwest tell how the teach moral lessons. had magical powers. coyote put salmon in the rivers and taught men how to make Because the coyotes were such an The coyote is fish traps and salmon spears. integral part of life in the American also known as The Sen people say the coyote West, several proverbs from that Medicine Dog, taught them to take the sweet juice region deal with coyotes. When Brother, Old out of cactus. one said, “The coyote won’t get Man Coyote another chicken from me,” it meant and Little Wolf. When the world was first created, that one had learned a valuable The cunning the buffalo had such keen eyesight lesson. To have “heard the coyote nature of this that hunters could not come close bark” meant that one had extensive animal earned without the buffalo running away. experience. it a place as the The coyote is said to have taken trickster in many pity on the hunters. The coyote Native American kicked sand in the buffaloes’ folk stories. eyes to make them nearsighted,

Coyotes that live near cities and towns some- Establishing a value.... times kill dogs and cats. Coyotes help Talk to your friends. Find out how many have control populations of dogs and cats that are fe- pets. Make a list of these pets. Now ask them ral (domestic animals that have become wild). “What is the value of each pet?” People get upset when dogs and cats killed by “How much did the pet cost?” coyotes are pets. “How much has their family spent caring for their pet?” There is a coyote family living in your neighbor- “If their pet was killed by a coyote, what would hood. What do you suggest be done to keep their loss be?” coyotes from killing neighborhood pets? Was it easy or hard to determine a value of pets?

Crossword: ACROSS: 2. omnivores, 4. Canis latrans, 9. lethal, 11. folklore, 12. ipm, 13. carrion DOWN: 1. lambs, 3. scavenger, 5. nonlethal, 6. feral, 7. howl, 10. habitat Math Activity: total $37,939,000; lambs and sheep 38%, cattle 57%, goats 4%

ACROSS 1 1 2. animals that eat both plants and animals 4. scientific name for coyotes 2 9. resulting in death 11. traditional beliefs, legends or 3 customs 12. integrated pest management 4 5

13. dead animal 6 DOWN 1. young sheep 9 7 3. an animal or organism that eats dead organic matter 9 10 11 5. not resulting in death 6. domesticated animal that has gone wild 7. sound made by coyotes 10. the natural home of a plant or 12 animal

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Canis latrans is the scientific name for coyote and means barking dog. The unique barks, yips and howls make a few coyotes sound like a large number of coyotes. The complex series of yips, howls and barks provide a communi- cation system for the group.

Wildlife Activity Book and 1994 Season of Prevention and Control of Jack H. Berryman 1998 Wildlife Issue the Coyote Wildife Damage CD ROM Institute Colorado Reader HarperCollins or Handbook for Wildlife Damage Colorado Foundation for Publisher, Inc. 202 Natural Resource Management Agriculture 10 East 53rd Str. University of Nebraska Utah State University P.O. Box 10 New York, New York P.O. Box 83819 Logan, Utah 83431-5210 Livermore, CO 80536 10022 Lincoln, NE 68583

This activity sheet has been developed by USDA Wildlife Services. For more information about coyotes contact your state’s Wildlife Services office or USDA Wildlife Services at (301) 734-7921.