Coyote
Canis latrans
Appearance
Coyotes have yellow-grey coats, large ears, pointed noses and bushy black-tipped tails.
Range & Habitat
They are found throughout B.C., except for Vancouver Island.
Diet & Behaviour
Coyotes feed mostly on rodents, rabbits, berries and carrion. They hang out alone, in groups or in packs. They are similar to wolves in that only one male and one female in each pack mate while the rest of the pack hunts for food and defends the pups. A coyote can jump four metres and run 65 kilometres per hour. They are good swimmers but poor climbers.
Lifecycle & Threats
They can have up to 19 pups at once. The biggest threat to coyotes is human “predator-control” programs to remove them because they are eating farm animals.
Status
COSEWIC: Not at Risk
CDC: Yellow
More Information
Photo: Onwuma