Geographic range and origin: Coyote is native to both Central and Northern America. The range is as far south as the Panama Canal then reaches far north only avoiding the most northern tips of Canada.
Habitat: Coyotes have adapted to almost all conditions and climates. They can be found in areas of agriculture, grasslands, plains, forests, deserts, swamps and even suburban settings. They do avoid wolves home range.
Description: The coyote is smaller than a wolf and larger than a fox. To humans they may be considered a large domestic dog, but the trait that sets the two most apart is the coyote's tail. The coyote keeps their tail low towards the ground when walking or running and have naturally pointed and erect ears. The coat coloration always has gray, but with either a yellowish or redish undercoat with a dark brown/black dorsal stripe. Their underbelly is whitish-tan with tan legs. The coyote muzzle is very distinctive with the narrow snout and black nose no larger than 1 inch. One of the other most notable features are a coyote's eyes. The iris is yellow and pupils are round.
Coyote (Canis latrans) (Photo by trial camera 1 on 4/11/2018)
Coyote (Canis latrans) (photo taken by trail camera 10 3/28/2018)
Reproduction: Breeding season is between late January and late March, but courtship begins 2 to 3 months before mating. A male and female are both monogamous for the year and may choose to remain monogamous for multiple years. The female is pregnant for about 60 days with an average litter size of 6 pups, but can have up to 19 pups. The pups remain in the den and need both parents for survival during their first month. After the first month the pups leave the den then at 6 to 9 months the male pups will find a new pack while the females remain. At 12 months the pups are considered adults and have reached sexual maturity.
Conservation status: Least concern, species is very abundant across all regions.
Ecological importance: Coyotes keep the small mammal population in check. The coyote's main food source are considered agricultural pests. If we lost the coyote population the small mammal population threaten the environment's health.
References:
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) 2008. Canis latrans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2017-3
Tokar, E. 2001. "Canis latrans" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.