BLESS - the Big Lake Environment Support Society - Newsletter March 2010

In This Issue

Beavers

Syncrude

Binoculars

Get To Know

Front Page

Get To Know: The Coyote

From ancient literature and trickster myths to your neighbor's story about her missing cat, the coyote has been an infamous North American predator for as long as humankind has known it. Unlike many larger predators, coyotes thrive in urban environments as well as in the wild, even when actively hunted by human populations.

The coyote can be seen as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico, in tundra and in desert, in the city and in the wild, anywhere it can find food.

And it can find food anywhere. Although coyotes feed primarily on small mammals like rabbits, voles, and mice, they owe their success to their willingness to eat just about anything. Eating carrion has earned them the dubious title of "scavenger", despite the fact that they prefer to hunt. They'll eat fish, birds, lizards, or snakes, and, unlike wolves or cougars, their small size means they can survive in the city while avoiding human beings.

The coyote's success comes from more than its appetite, though. They've had a lucky break; humans have driven their biggest competitor and predator, the wolf, far away from the cities. Surveys have shown that, as the number of wolves in an area decreases, the number of coyotes increases. Part of this is due to their intellect; coyotes, like dogs, have well-developed brains, which keeps them out of humankind's way. Coyotes are also hunted less aggressively; their smaller size means they rarely attack livestock much bigger than they are. Finally, wolves have been known to kill coyotes, both competitively and for food; with the wolves gone, coyotes have a wide-open ecological niche to fill, and no one to stop them.

Because they're small, coyotes almost never attack humans unless threatened; even an unarmed human is more than a match for a single coyote, and they rarely hunt in groups bigger than a pair. The best way to be safe from coyote attacks is never to feed them, and to always keep a close eye on small children in rural areas or parks. Coyotes only attack humans if they've become accustomed to them first, and then only if they're frightened, or if the human is small enough for them to kill.

Like most wild animals, your best bet is to watch them from a respectful distance. Coyotes are smart, smart enough to survive in an age of increasing urbanization, smart enough to thrive all over the continent, and certainly smart enough to leave you alone.

Article: Cat McDonald