Coyote Coyote
Canis latrans
Coyote Tracks
Front track on the left. Hind track on the right.
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Click to hear the coyotes howl. |
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| Coyotes are very intelligent animals that have been able to adapt to many different
environments. Some live in major cities such as Los Angeles, feeding off human garbage and
hunting mice and rats. In fact, the city of Los Angeles is home to about 3000 coyotes who
roam the streets at night. They have adapted so well to the urban environment, that few
people even know the coyotes are there.
Their tracks average 2½ inches long. The hind print is smaller than the front one. The inner two toes are smaller than the outer two. Coyotes have great stamina. They are good runners and swimmers. They can eat a wide variety of foods, such as small mammals, eggs, fruit, berries, nuts, rodents, fish, carrion, insects, grains, vegetation, and even human garbage. Dens are usually located in hollow trees, stumps, rock piles, or in brush. A coyote digs its own den, but will sometimes enlarge the burrow of another animal. Young coyotes, usually three to nine pups per litter, are born in a den or shallow burrow in April or May. After they are about ten weeks old, the pups begin hunting together. By fall, they can survive on their own. Coyotes hunt both night and day.
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Coyote scats found in the Mojave Desert of California. |
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| Front foot of a coyote cast in plaster of Paris. | Hind foot cast in plaster. Slightly smaller than front foot. |
| Canine vs. Feline tracks (Is it a cat or a dog?) | |
Personal Notes on Coyotes
The coyote has a wonderful voice. I remember many nights when I sat up late listening to the coyotes howling at each other. It is a spine-tingling sound. I heard my first coyotes in the Hacienda Heights area of southern California. There were some wild areas in those hills back then. Coyotes and mountain lions hunted for deer and small mammals.
Joshua Tree National Monument (now a National Park) was another of my favorite coyote listening areas when I lived in southern California. I’d get off work in Los Angeles and drive to Joshua Tree for a weekend of camping and exploring. Fascinating area.
Now, I’m up in the redwood country where coyotes are not as common. However, I do hear them occasionally in the Cuneo Creek area of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. (California’s largest redwood state park and my personal favorite park. Not to mention my first web site.) Sometimes, on a quiet night, the coyotes will begin their song. It always stops me in my tracks. (No pun intended.)
Find coyote posters, greeting cards, postage stamps and more in my new store.
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Now available: "Animals Don't Cover
Their Tracks - An Introduction to Animal Tracking" on CD! (Version 3.0)
New drawings, more species, more photos, more extensive sections on tracking
humans, more detailed directions for plaster casting, mystery tracks section,
tracking stories section, and more. The CD features over 100 species, including
special bonus sections with the tracks of some African and Australian
animals. A large section on tracking lost people for search and rescue is
included, with over four pages of photos showing the details of tracks and
signs people leave. Easy to use format. This web site is limited
by bandwidth, but the CD-ROM is not. The CD is available in my online store at:
www.dirt-time.com
Works with Mac or PC. Happy tracking!!
What else can you find in the nature store? Beartracker's animal tracks coloring book, T-shirts, sweatshirts, journals, book bags, toddler and infant apparel, mouse pads, posters, postcards, coffee mugs, travel mugs, clocks, Frisbees, bumper stickers, hats, stickers, and many more items. All with tracks or paw prints, or nature scenes. Custom products are available. If you don't see the track you want on the product you want, email me and I can probably create it. Proceeds from all sales go to pay the monthly fees for this web site. You can help support this site as well as get great tracking products! Thank you! |
| Find other tracking products: www.zazzle.com/tracker8459* |
| Also visit these fine
stores for more products of interest: NDN Pride shop - For Indian Pride items for all tribes. Custom items available on request. ASL Signs of Love - For anyone who uses or is learning ASL, American Sign Language. Custom name items and more are available here. Sales from all stores give commissions to Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den, which helps keep this site online as a free service. We are celebrating ten years online this year! |
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Looking for a Gift? This site lets you customize a gift card with your own photo. Commissions earned when you buy from this link help
keep Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den online! Thank you! |
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If you wish to help keep this site online, donations are
accepted through PayPal. |
Got a coyote story? E-mail me and tell me about it.
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Copyright © 1997-2008. Text and drawings by Kim A. Cabrera
Page Updated: December 27, 2007
Copyright © 1997-2008. Text, drawings, and photos by Kim A. Cabrera - Desert Moon Design
