Coyote
Scientific Name: Canis latrans
Coyotes have a grizzled coat of varying colors that may include brown, gray, red, tan, white and black, and white under their chin. They have large ears and a bushy tail and look a bit like a small wolf, husky, or German Shepard dog. Although they often have a black tip on the tail, their size, head shape, and lack of a black stripe down the top of the tail distinguish them from a gray fox.
Coyotes are distinguished from domesticated dogs by their pointed, erect ears and drooping tail, which they hold below their back when running. The eyes have a yellow iris and round pupil. The nose is black and usually less than one inch in diameter. The ears are large in relation to the head and the muzzle is long and slender. The feet are relatively small for the size of the body.
Many coyotes hybridize with wolves, though there are no true wolves in New York State. You can tell a coyote from a wolf because they appear smaller and slimmer, with a narrower chest, more delicate legs, and smaller feet. Coyotes also have a more pointed face than wolves, with bigger and pointier ears. You can also distinguish them by their sounds! Wolves have long, deep howls that sound mournful, whereas coyotes make higher-pitched yips, barks and short howls.
Adult size: 4-5' nose to tail
Weight: 35-45 lbs (males larger than females)
Life span: The average life span of a wild coyote is about 4 years although they can live much longer in captivity.
Maturity: One year
Litter size: 4-6
Fun Fact
Northeastern coyote populations, especially along the northern front, have wolf DNA from hybridizing with Canadian wolves from the Great Lakes population.
Diet
Coyotes are opportunistic omnivores, meaning that their diet can vary depending on food sources available. They are known to consume carrion, white-tailed deer (although unlikely to frequently prey on healthy adult deer), cottontails, rodents, squirrels, other small to mid-sized mammals, insects, and plant material.
Habitat
Coyotes are a generalist species occupying many forested, rural, and even suburban habitats. They are adaptable and can persist in proximity to humans if it means there is a ready supply of food and prey.
Behavior
Coyotes tend to be shy and generally avoid humans except in some instances when individual animals become habituated to a nearby human food sources like garbage, food scraps, and gut piles from hunting etc. Coyotes are not generally harmful to humans but may pose a risk to pets, in particular free-roaming cats. Coyotes are more active at night but are not fully nocturnal and sometimes active during the day also.
Coyotes are monogamous and mate for life. Packs are made up of a mating pair, their offspring, and sometimes other related adults. They defend a home range of 2 to 15 square miles.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The mating season is January-March. Pups are often born in dens in the ground, but sometimes under brush, down trees, or under human structures. Pups stay in a pack with their parents usually dispersing by the time they are fully grown at 9 months.
Coyotes can hybridize with wolves and dogs although the amount of wolf and dog DNA in the eastern coyote population as a whole is relatively low but may be higher in areas of the northeast adjacent to wolf populations in Canada.
Population Status
Coyotes are listed as “of least concern” on the IUCN red list, since their populations are widespread and stable.
Coyotes moved into New York from range expansion of midwestern populations between 1920-1940 and were common by the 1970s. While local populations fluctuate, coyotes are fairly common throughout the state. It has been estimated there may be 14,500 breeding pairs in the state or up to around 30,000 individuals.
Viewing
Coyotes can be seen outside of urban environments over much of the state. Early morning hours and at and around sunset in less populated more rural areas of the state are the best opportunities to see them.
Range
Eastern coyotes live throughout New York State. They likely came to New York on their own through range expansion due to human land use changes and extirpation of large predators opening a niche for them. They have been in New York since at least the 1920s.
For more information on coyotes in New York please visit the NYSDEC page here.
