Where does coyote live on what continent? A Wile Coyote with a bad temper. Where do coyotes live?

The coyote is a canid predator that is native to North America. "Coyote" with Latin language can be translated as “barking dog,” but in the Aztec language it is translated as “divine dog.”

Unlike most animals that were forced out of their usual habitat by civilization, coyotes were able to adapt well to new living conditions. Moreover, exceptional prairie inhabitants can now be found across the continent from Alaska to Los Angeles. All this is thanks to the destruction of a large number of ordinary and red wolves, which has been carried out over the last hundred years, because they are direct food competitors of coyotes.

As for body size, the coyote here is noticeably inferior to an ordinary wolf. Its body length is 75-100 cm, its tail is approximately 30 cm, and its weight is 7-20 kg (the weight of an adult wolf is 32-61 kg). The coyote has erect ears and a long bushy tail, which is typical for members of the canine family.

The coyote is an omnivore and is extremely unpretentious in food. About 90% of its diet consists of: hares, prairie dogs gophers, rabbits, marmots and small rodents. It also attacks raccoons, opossums, beavers and ferrets. Coyote is an excellent swimmer, which allows him to catch various aquatic life: fish, newts, frogs, and so on. IN summer season the animal happily eats berries, apples and groundnuts.

Coyotes do not live in packs, but, as a rule, live in pairs - a male with a female or alone.

The dogs trapped the coyote.

The coyote is small in stature and more similar in appearance and behavior to a jackal. With large erect ears and a bushy tail, it looks attractive. When running, the tail drops down. Coyote covered thick hair, long hair. Along the axis of the ridge there is hair up to eight centimeters long. The mane is even longer, up to twelve centimeters long. Wool has an uneven light. The entire body is covered with a smoky grayish or reddish-brown light. A stripe of darker light runs along the entire ridge and tail. The end of the tail has a dark light. The tie on the chest is slightly lighter than the main light. Body up to one hundred centimeters long. Fluffy tail up to thirty centimeters long. The female is smaller than the males. They weigh up to thirteen kilograms.

IN natural conditions Coyotes live up to ten years; under coercion, life increases to eighteen years.

Coyote habitats

North America is the habitat of the coyote.

As other species of wolves were exterminated, the boundaries of the meadow wolf's habitat expanded. The habitat of this species is in forty-nine US states. Its habitat is limited to living in open plains where few trees grow, this is due to the location of the continent. Rarely approach forests. In mountainous places they are found up to three thousand kilometers above sea level. They come close to populated areas.

Coyote lifestyle

The movement of the meadow wolf is even and smooth, constantly turning its head to the sides and back. The sense of smell is developed, even with an unknown smell it can suddenly stop and feel frightened. Jumps up to four meters. Runs at a speed of sixty-five kilometers. In pursuit of prey, it moves over long distances.

They go hunting in pairs, they can hunt in herds for large game, and they go alone for small game. These are smart animals, some chase prey, others wait for it, and always win in a fight. Some start, others finish, the pursuit of prey. Large cattle weakens, lags behind others. There have been cases of joint hunting with a badger. The badger makes a hole and climbs into someone else's home, the coyote waits for prey. The wolf loves to play with its prey. When he catches a meadow mouse, before eating it, he throws it up, plays with it, and then eats it.

In villages on the outskirts, animals can enjoy ready-made food in trash container or in a dump site. Shelter is found in abandoned ruins and abandoned wells. Coyotes are cowardly animals. Even if he is pursuing prey, and the fleeing victim turns around and goes on the offensive, the coyote retreats. A turkey can protect its offspring if it goes into battle with its wings against the enemy.

Meadow wolves live in pairs. In places of abundant food, and when the number of small rodents is reduced, they live in flocks. Catch big catch they can only do so in packs. In packs, one leader wolf dominates. But most of the time they live on their territory and protect it. They mark their territories with their own droppings and urine. The boundaries of the territories of one flock can reach one hundred and forty kilometers. Marked territories mean that the area is occupied. Coyotes are peaceful animals; even when a stranger invades their territory, they do not fight.
If one coyote gets caught in a trap, the other one stays near it for a long time. Couples do not change their life partners.

Meadow wolf diet

Most of the diet is animal food. They catch hares and rabbits. They wait in the field for marmots, gophers and small rodents. Coyote can swim. You manage to catch ducks, fish, newts and a frog. Loves birds and their eggs. Easily copes with insects. Eats berries, watermelon fruits, forest fruits. The animal's diet is varied.

In winter it feeds on carrion. Chases a herd of elk, deer, bison and eats stragglers. In summer, there is a chance of attacks on sheep to feed their young. Can eat a calf when

Coyotes, also known as meadow wolves (Latin Canis latrans) are widespread predatory mammals belonging to the canine family. From the Aztec language the word coyotl. translates as “barking dog.”

Description of a coyote

The Coyote species is represented by nineteen subspecies, sixteen of which inhabit the territory of America, Canada and Mexico, and three subspecies live in Central America. In the New World, meadow wolves occupy the same niche as jackals in Eurasia.

Appearance

Coyotes are noticeably smaller in body size. The length of an adult predator is only 75-100 cm, and the tail is about a quarter of a meter. The height of the animal at the withers does not exceed 45-50 cm. The average weight of the predator varies between 7-21 kg. Along with other wild dogs, prairie wolves have erect ears and a long bushy tail.

This is interesting! Coyotes living in mountainous areas have darker fur, while desert predators have light brown fur.

Coyotes are characterized by fairly long brown fur with gray and black patches. In the belly area the fur is very light, and at the tip of the tail it is pure black. Compared to ordinary wolves, coyotes have a more elongated and pointed muzzle, which is slightly reminiscent of a fox in shape.

Character and lifestyle

Coyotes have adapted much better than wolves to living near human habitation and are developing territories almost in parallel with people. Meadow wolves, as a rule, avoid forest areas and prefer flat areas - prairies and deserts. Sometimes found on the outskirts of megacities and fairly large settlements. Representatives of all subspecies are characterized by maximum activity at dusk.

Adult coyotes are good at digging holes, but are also capable of settling in other people's empty homes.. The standard territory of a predator is about nineteen kilometers, and for movement the animals use paths marked with urine. In areas where common wolves are completely absent or their numbers are small, coyotes are able to reproduce very quickly and actively.

Despite its small size, carnivorous mammal can jump three to four meters and run at speeds of up to 40-65 km/h. Quite numerous representatives of the Canidae family have been moving in the footsteps of discoverers for a long time and have taken root in almost any new conditions without problems. Initially, the habitat of coyotes was exclusively southern and central areas on the territory of North America, but currently almost the entire continent is inhabited by subspecies.

How long do coyotes live?

In the wild, coyotes usually live no more than ten years, and average duration The life of a predator in captivity is approximately eighteen years.

Types of coyotes

There are currently nineteen known subspecies of meadow wolves living today:

• C.latrans latrans;
• C.latrans carttis;
• C.latrans cleticus;
• C.latrans diskeyi;
• C.latrans frustrоr;
• C.latrans goldmani;
• C. latrans hondurensis;
• C. latrans impavidus;
• C.latrans incolatus;
• C.latrans jamesi;
• C.latrans lestes;
• C.latrans meаrnsi;
• C.latrans microdon;
• C.latrans ochropus;
• C.latrans peninsulae;
• C.latrans techensis;
• C.latrans thamnos;
• C.latrans umpquensis;
• C.latrans vigilis.

Range, habitats

The main distribution area of ​​the meadow wolf is represented by the West and central part North America. Mass clearing of forested areas and the extermination of the main food competitors represented by wolves and red wolves allowed coyotes to spread over vast areas compared to their original historical range.

This is interesting! Coyotes very easily adapt to the anthropogenic landscape, and in mountainous areas such predators are found even at two to three thousand meters above sea level.

A century ago, prairie wolves were the original inhabitants of the prairie, but now coyotes are found almost everywhere, from Central America and to Alaska.

Coyote diet

Coyotes are omnivorous and extremely unpretentious predators in food, but a significant part of the diet is represented by food of animal origin, including hares and rabbits, and gophers, small rodents. Coyotes often prey on raccoons, birds, and even some insects. Meadow wolves swim very well and are able to successfully hunt all kinds of aquatic life, including fish, frogs and newts.

In the last ten days of summer and early autumn, meadow wolves happily eat berries and all kinds of fruits, as well as groundnuts and sunflower seeds. With the onset of winter, coyotes living in the northern territories switch to a more acceptable diet and feed on carrion and weakened, old or sick animals. Predators inhabiting national parks quickly get used to people, so they are able to take food even from human hands.

In accordance with the analysis of the gastric contents of coyotes, the standard diet of a predator is represented by:

• carrion – 25%;
• small rodents – 18%;
• livestock – 13.5%;
• wild deer – 3.5%;
• birds – 3.0%;
• insects – 1.0%;
• other animals – 1.0%;
• products of plant origin – 2.0%.

Meadow wolves rarely attack adult livestock, large livestock, and wild deer, but they are capable of being forced to hunt lambs or newborn calves.

Reproduction and offspring

Coyotes apparently form pairs once and for life. Meadow wolves are very responsible and attentive parents, touchingly caring for their offspring. The active breeding season occurs in January or February. Pregnancy lasts a couple of months. After the babies appear, adult coyotes hunt in turns and reliably guard the den, which is a shallow hole or rocky crevice. Each family of meadow wolves necessarily has several spare dwellings, where parents transfer their offspring at the slightest suspicion of danger.

Meadow wolves reach sexual maturity at the age of approximately one year, but, as a rule, married couples form only after reaching two years of age. Most often, four to twelve puppies are born in a litter, which become sighted only at ten days of age. For the first month, coyotes feed on their mother’s milk, after which the cubs begin to gradually leave their den, and the puppies become completely independent only in the fall. Males most often leave the parental burrow, while sexually mature females, on the contrary, prefer to remain in the parental pack. The most a large number of the young die during the first year of life.

Care for growing children is shared equally by both parents.. In the very first days after the birth of the puppies, the female does not leave the hole at all, so all problems of obtaining food are completely solved exclusively by the male, who leaves rodents at the entrance to the hole, but can also regurgitate semi-digested food. As soon as the puppies grow a little older, both parents begin to participate in the hunt. Quite often, in a large den, puppies from two or three females are born and raised together. There are also well-known cases of coyotes interbreeding with wolves or domestic and wild dogs, resulting in the birth of hybrid individuals.

The coyote is originally an inhabitant of the prairies and deserts of North America. Now common in all US states (except Hawaii), as well as in Western Canada and Central America. Body length is 75-100 centimeters, tail - 30 centimeters, weight - up to 20 kilograms (Canadian and Alaskan populations), more often 10-13 kilograms. Outwardly similar to a wolf, it is smaller in size, more graceful in build, relatively long muzzle. The fur is thicker than that of a wolf, the main color is gray, speckled with black, and very light on the belly. The color often contains brown and fawn tones; occasionally almost black individuals are found. Lives in pairs or family groups based on a single breeding pair. Pregnancy - 60-65 days. There can be from 3 to 19 puppies in a litter, but usually 5-10. Both parents take care of the offspring. Puppies reach physiological maturity by nine months of age. Life expectancy in nature is 10-13 years, in captivity - 16-18. Easily produces hybrids with domestic dogs and red wolves (perhaps occasionally also with common wolves). Natural enemies — common wolf, less often - bears, pumas. Unsuccessfully pursued by man. There are 18 subspecies in the species, but the unity of the species and its identification among other canids is beyond doubt.

One of the most characteristic predators of the American fauna has two names: coyote and prairie wolf. The first goes back to the Aztec word “coyotl” - “divine dog” (in the literature you can often find the version “barking dog”, but this is a misunderstanding: “barking dog” - Canis latrans - is the official Latin name coyote in zoology). In fact, among many Indian tribes, the coyote was part of the pantheon of animal gods, and played in it the role of a trickster - the god of a trickster, deceiver and prankster. But the name “meadow wolf,” although less commonly used, most accurately reflects the origin of the coyote. Translated from Latin, the word “prairie” really means “meadows,” but it is still more applicable to the name of the vast grassy expanses of the American Midwest, that is, the real steppes. And their native coyote, which as a species formed about 2.5 million years ago, separated from a common ancestor with wolves, is a true steppe wolf.

Like any “grass” landscapes, prairies are the kingdom of ungulates, and large canines are the best collective hunters of them. It would seem that this “profession” was destined for the coyote, but he took a different path, turning into a universal predator-scavenger-gatherer, similar to the jackals of the Old World. In practice, this means that the coyote will eat anything it can catch without too much difficulty. In his homeland on the prairies, the basis of his menu, and in some areas up to three-quarters of what he eats, are rodents, hares and rabbits. But not a single creature smaller than it can be insured against its attacks: it catches birds, including such large ones as pheasants, destroys nests, eats frogs, newts, fish, does not neglect large insects, but can (especially if more there is no easy prey) to attack a raccoon or beaver. In the dry steppes and deserts of the southwestern states, coyotes often catch snakes and other reptiles. And in more fertile regions they willingly eat blueberries, blackberries, wild and cultivated fruits, and visit melon trees. When peanuts ripen, coyotes living near plantations rely on peanuts for up to half of their food. And those that live in Canada and Alaska organize real driven deer hunts, mainly in winter, when most of regular food is not available. True, even then coyotes prefer to simply follow the deer herds. And only if no one in the herd dies for a long time or, for example, breaks a leg, do the predators, who have lost patience, decide to drive.

Usually, providing food does not take much effort from this animal. In a characteristic deceptively lazy manner, he trotts around his lands, scouring left and right, laying loops and lingering at points that interest him: what’s here? whose hole is this? What is that smell coming from the hollow? This is at the same time a hunt, and entertainment, and a game, and a regular inspection of the territory: has a stranger appeared on it? With a passion for all these aspects, coyotes stand out even among other canids. In their family, games are generally honored - wolves, foxes, jackals are always ready to frolic if there are no more important matters. And in the life of coyotes, all kinds of outdoor games - with each other, with caught prey, a bone or a branch - from the outside look as if they do not grow up, remaining teenage puppies for the rest of their lives.

Among other things, this wolf is considered the most “sporty” representative of his family. When jumping, it flies up to 4 meters (and can jump 2 meters without a running start), while running it reaches speeds of up to 50 km/h, and at critical moments up to 65. But it doesn’t have any endurance records - the coyote doesn’t tire itself out with prolonged exertion. loves.

However, there is one aspect of life that the meadow wolf takes very seriously - family. His marriage lasts a long time, usually until the death of one of the spouses. Intimate relationships strictly seasonal (in the coyote’s native prairies they are confined to the end of winter). After conception, the couple continues to stay together, but closer to childbirth, the female settles in a den (converted from a fox or badger hole, or dug herself somewhere in a secluded and dry place) and devotes the remaining days to its improvement. At this time, as well as after the birth of the offspring, the male provides food for both himself and his spouse, bringing crushed rodents to the den or (as is customary in many canine species) regurgitating semi-digested food. Then the female begins to gradually go out to hunt, and from the age of six weeks the puppies also come out. By autumn they reach the size of an adult animal and can begin independent life. However, it is not uncommon for young coyotes (usually females) to remain with their parents for several seasons. In this case, only the parent pair reproduces, while the others are content with the role of assistants in the hunt and in raising the younger ones.

Generally forms family life coyotes are very diverse. Among them there are loners (although these may be animals that have lost their family or have not yet created one), there are large and friendly flocks consisting of a married couple and their offspring of different ages. In maintaining their unity, nightly “choral singing” plays a significant role: the whole family, regardless of whether they are together this moment or separately, produces drawn-out, coordinated roulades. And from beyond the boundaries of the family plot, neighbors respond...

Like all their relatives, coyotes are territorial. An individual, a pair or a pack owns a family plot, the size of which is relatively small and can vary: if the land is scarce, then even a single animal can hold a “latifundia” of 50 km2, and if there is a lot of prey, then the whole family enough territory is 10 times smaller. Borders are guarded vigilantly, but without wolf frenzy, when a violator can be torn to death. Often the matter is done without any physical contact at all: the owners demonstrate to the stranger that the place is occupied, and he obediently leaves. This allows young coyotes, in search of free land, to calmly travel hundreds of kilometers of territories inhabited by their relatives. In 1978, a radio-collared female coyote walked 323 kilometers before finding a permanent home. This took her more than six months, so the average pace of movement was 12 kilometers per week - nothing like the rapid forced marches of the wolves.

This is how the coyote slowly set off a century and a half ago to conquer America. Until the 1850s, prairie wolves lived only between the Mississippi and the Sierra Nevada mountains, reaching as far north as Alberta in Canada and deep into Mexico as far south as they did. Today they live from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic, from Alaska to Costa Rica (and according to some sources, even to Panama). People cut down forests, plowed up prairies, drained swamps, turned deserts into pastures - for many inhabitants of natural landscapes this became a disaster, but the coyote perceived it differently. He learned to find food in trash cans and city dumps, raise puppies in the garden of a suburban home, and smuggle soybean or cottonseed meal from pig troughs. Already in the 1970s, several hundred coyotes constantly lived within Los Angeles, including on the ridges and canyons separating the areas of America's second metropolis. And in northern California, Canada and Alaska, coyotes, according to the generally accepted version, came after gold miners, feeding on their horses and mules that died in the hard way. The gold rush subsided long ago, but the meadow wolves remained forever and even managed to evolve a little.

Man rendered them another service by clearing vast areas of his main natural enemy - the wolf, which suppresses and displaces the coyote in the forest zone. The coyote dealt with another close relative himself, and in a sophisticated and peaceful way. Until recently, the red wolf (Canis rufus), similar in size and lifestyle to a coyote, lived in the southeastern United States. The expansion of the latter to the east and the simultaneous reduction in the number of red wolves led to constant hybridization of the two species, and the rare red wolves almost completely “dissolved” in the numerous coyotes.

Here and there a person helped a coyote deliberately. Thus, meadow wolves were brought to Georgia and Florida in the middle of the last century as valuable game. However, more often people tried to get rid of unexpected newcomers. In pastoral areas (especially where sheep were bred), a total and unrestricted war was declared on them, since timid sheep and especially lambs were perfect prey for a smart and nimble predator. Coyote turned out to be illegal; it could be killed at any time of the year and by any means. Sheep farmers shot from barrels of all calibers, set traps, scattered poisoned baits, destroyed dens, scrambled hunting planes... And yet they lost this war: by the 1960s, it became clear that measures to exterminate coyotes were ineffective. But many other, often rare and valuable animals die in traps and from poisons: bears, lynxes, large birds of prey. Finally, the damage itself from the meadow wolf turned out to be not so great: when in 1978 the American Forest Service and water resources surveyed ranchers in 15 Western states, 45% of sheep farmers said coyotes do not cause any harm to their herds at all.

In 1971, the US government banned poison bait. In the 1990s, the right to unlimited destruction of the animal was abolished, and normal fishing regulations were extended to it. However, this does not apply to private property, so many ranchers still shoot a coyote at the first opportunity.

But the only thing that people managed to achieve in this war was to teach the coyote to be extremely careful: it is almost impossible to see him on private lands even for a glimpse. But in national parks meadow wolves treat people so calmly that they take food from people’s hands and even come to tourist sites to get it. Man is also an interesting creature, especially when he doesn’t shoot.

Boris Znachkov

North American animal coyote One of the most adaptable in the world, this animal can change its breeding pattern, habits, diet and social dynamics to survive in a wide variety of habitats.

Member of the phylum Chordata, class mammal, family Canidae, relatives of wolves, foxes and jackals, there are 19 subspecies of coyote. Coyote About the same size as an average dog, they can resemble a dwarf shepherd, although they are smaller than their wolf relatives. The length of the body from the head to the sacrum is 80-95 centimeters. The tail adds another 41 centimeters to their length, and their weight usually ranges from about 9 to 23 kilograms.

Features and habitat of the coyote

Scientific name Canis latrans means barking dog. They have narrow elongated muzzles with yellow or amber eyes, erect ears, thin bodies covered with thick fur and long bushy tails.

The animals have gray, red, white or brown fur. Their coat color depends on where they live. Animal coyote lives in North America and roam the plains and mountains, rarely living in forests.

Favorite places residence - the deserts of Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. As people push the limits rural areas, coyotes have to adapt to living in cities in order to find food.

Today, residents of New York, Florida and Los Angeles are no longer surprised by the appearance of a coyote on the street. Coyotes are very fast creatures. However, most coyotes have never seen humans. They can reach about 64 kilometers per hour and are excellent swimmers and jumpers.

Character and lifestyle of a coyote

Wild coyote an extremely wary animal. They have a keen sense of smell and well-developed vision and hearing. Coyotes are solitary creatures and mark their territory with urine. During the winter, coyotes tend to become more social.

During the cold winter months, they join forces, creating hunting groups to easily find food. These hunters lead night look life, that is, they usually sleep during the day and go hunting at night.

To report your location coyotes howl. They also use other sounds to communicate, if you hear a bark like a dog, this is a sign of anxiety and threat, whining they greet each other, a howl can mean finding a large prey or reporting a location.

Coyote babies squeal when playing and often howl in the summer as they exercise their communication abilities. They live in burrows that are up to five meters long, about 60 centimeters wide and end in an expanded nesting chamber. In the spring, female coyotes dig their own den under trees in the forests, they may take over someone else's abandoned den, or use a cave or storm drain.

Coyote feeding

Coyotes are not picky eaters. It is believed that they are meat eaters; in fact, they are omnivores and also consume vegetation. They love to hunt small game such as rodents, fish, frogs, and can eat carrion or eat after other predators.

They snack on insects, fruits and herbs. If a pack of coyotes has gathered, there may be a large hunt, for example, for deer. Often tracking its prey using its superior sense of smell, it also uses its stamina to pursue prey over long distances for a long time and when the victim is exhausted, it strikes.

During the dry season, they may try to dig out a water tank or find cattle water troughs. The vegetation that animals eat contains some moisture reserves.

Urban coyotes take advantage of swimming pools, dog water bowls, ponds and water hazards on golf courses and other water-bearing human sources of moisture.

Among people Wile E. Coyote It is considered a pest that can kill livestock and domestic animals. In cities, the coyote hunts domestic animals - cats, and sorts through garbage in cans. Coyotes can easily jump over a fence or wall that is three meters high.

Coyote Reproduction and Lifespan

You can see a couple coyotes in the photo, males are more massive than females. In some cases, coyotes create long-term unions, raising more than one offspring together, and sometimes they remain together as long as they live. The mating season lasts from February to March.

At the beginning of the mating season, several single males will gather around a female to court her, but she will only form a relationship with one of them. The couple will spend some time together before mating.

The gestation period is usually in April - May, when there is a lot of food. Gestation lasts 63 days, the brood ranges from three to twelve individuals. How much will it be big size brood depends on where it lives coyote.

Areas where there are many coyotes will have smaller litters. In areas with fewer coyotes, litter sizes will be larger. Both partners take part in caring for the young.

The mother feeds the cubs with milk for five to seven weeks, after three weeks they begin to eat semi-liquid food, which the male brings and spits out. A caring father always brings food to the female with her children and helps protect her from predators.

The female stays with the brood until their eyes open, which is approximately 11-12 days. By six months, young coyotes are quite mature and have permanent teeth. From this time on, the female teaches her offspring to look for food for themselves.

The family gradually scatters, and by autumn the puppies, as a rule, go hunting alone. During the year they go their own way, marking their territory with urine. Animals are ready to mate at 22 months. Animal coyote can also mate with dogs.

Their offspring are called koidogami. They are few in number, since males do not help females take care of their offspring and mating occurs during the winter, which leads to low survival rate.

Pictured is a kaydog