The Coyote (Canis latrans), also by its other names prairie wolf and brush wolf, is a canid native throughout most of North and Central America. The species is versatile, able to adapt and expand into environments modified by humans. Its range has expanded into urban areas in the eastern U.S. and was sighted in eastern Panama for the first time in 2013. The coyote has 19 recognized subspecies.
While coyotes aren't wolves, people sometimes confuse coyotes with gray wolves, but here are the differences. Wolves are gray to black. Coyotes are light gray to brown. Wolves are bigger at 5 to 6 feet long. Coyotes are smaller at 4 feet long. Wolves have round ears. Coyotes have tall pointed ears. Gray wolves have broad snouts. Coyotes have narrow snouts.
The coyote is highly versatile in its choice of food, but is primarily carnivorous, with 90% of its diet consisting of meat. They mostly hunt rodents, rabbits, birds, lizards, and snakes. If working in packs or pairs, coyotes may have access to larger prey including deer, elk, and pronghorn. Although coyotes prefer fresh meat, they will scavenge when the opportunity presents itself, and will also feed on fruits and insects when needed. Garbage makes up a large supplement of the food consumed by coyotes living in urban environments. Excluding the insects, fruit, and grass eaten, the coyote requires an estimated 600 g (1.3 lb) of food per day.
Coyotes may live as solitary individuals, in pairs, or in small family groups, both in rural and urban areas. Coyotes are generally monogamous, with pair bonds frequently lasting for many years, and some for life. Both male and female coyotes actively maintain territories that may vary in size from 2 to 30 square miles.
Reproduction is generally once per year and limited to the group’s leaders, while other females remain behaviorally sterile. Breeding season peaks in mid February, followed by 4-8 pups born in a den in April or May. Pup mortality is high, with an average of 50-70% dying within their first year. Some juveniles disperse in late fall to seek new territory, and some individuals remain with their parents and form the basis of the pack.