Who is more dangerous, a coyote or a wolf? Wild coyote: photo and description of a predatory animal

Animal North America coyote One of the most adaptable in the world, this animal can change its breeding pattern, habits, diet and social dynamics to survive in a wide variety of habitats.

Member of the phylum Chordata, class mammal, family Canidae, relatives of wolves, foxes and jackals, there are 19 subspecies of coyote. Coyote About the same size as an average dog, they can resemble a dwarf shepherd, although they are smaller than their wolf relatives. The length of the body from the head to the sacrum is 80-95 centimeters. The tail adds another 41 centimeters to their length, and their weight usually ranges from about 9 to 23 kilograms.

Features and habitat of the coyote

The scientific name Canis latrans means barking dog. They have narrow elongated muzzles with yellow or amber eyes, erect ears, thin bodies covered with thick fur and long bushy tails.

The animals have gray, red, white or brown fur. Their coat color depends on where they live. Animal coyote lives in North America and roams the plains and mountains, rarely living in forests.

Favorite places residence - the deserts of Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. As people push the limits rural areas, coyotes have to adapt to life in cities in order to find food.

Today, residents of New York, Florida and Los Angeles are no longer surprised by the appearance of a coyote on the street. Coyotes are very fast creatures. However, most coyotes have never seen humans. They can reach about 64 kilometers per hour and are excellent swimmers and jumpers.

Character and lifestyle of a coyote

Wild coyote an extremely wary animal. They have a keen sense of smell and well-developed vision and hearing. Coyotes are solitary creatures and mark their territory with urine. During the winter, coyotes tend to become more social.

During the cold winter months, they join forces, creating hunting groups to easily find food. These hunters lead night image life, that is, they usually sleep during the day and go hunting at night.

To report your location coyotes howl. They also use other sounds to communicate, if you hear a bark like a dog, this is a sign of anxiety and threat, whining they greet each other, a howl can mean finding a large prey or reporting a location.

Coyote babies squeal when playing and often howl in the summer as they exercise their communication abilities. They live in burrows that are up to five meters long, about 60 centimeters wide and end in an expanded nesting chamber. In the spring, female coyotes dig their own den under trees in the forests, they may take over someone else's abandoned den, or use a cave or storm drain.

Coyote feeding

Coyotes are not picky eaters. It is believed that they are meat eaters; in fact, they are omnivores and also consume vegetation. They love to hunt small game such as rodents, fish, frogs, and can eat carrion or eat after other predators.

They snack on insects, fruits and herbs. If a pack of coyotes has gathered, there may be a large hunt, for example for deer. Often tracking its prey using its superior sense of smell, it also uses its stamina to pursue prey over long distances for a long time and when the victim is exhausted, it strikes.

During the dry season, they may try to dig out a water tank or find cattle water troughs. The vegetation that animals eat contains some moisture reserves.

Urban coyotes take advantage of swimming pools, dog water bowls, ponds and water hazards on golf courses and other water-bearing human sources of moisture.

Among people Wile E. Coyote It is considered a pest that can kill livestock and domestic animals. In cities, the coyote hunts domestic animals - cats, and sorts through garbage in cans. Coyotes can easily jump over a fence or wall that is three meters high.

Coyote Reproduction and Lifespan

You can see a couple coyotes in the photo, males are more massive than females. In some cases, coyotes create long-term unions, raising more than one offspring together, and sometimes they remain together as long as they live. The mating season lasts from February to March.

At the beginning of the mating season, several single males will gather around a female to court her, but she will only form a relationship with one of them. The couple will spend some time together before mating.

The gestation period is usually in April - May, when there is a lot of food. Gestation lasts 63 days, the brood ranges from three to twelve individuals. How much will it be large size brood depends on where it lives coyote.

Areas where there are many coyotes will have smaller litters. In areas with fewer coyotes, litter sizes will be larger. Both partners take part in caring for the young.

The mother feeds the cubs with milk for five to seven weeks, after three weeks they begin to eat semi-liquid food, which the male brings and spits out. Caring father All the time he carries food to the female with her children and helps protect her from predators.

The female stays with the brood until their eyes open, which is approximately 11-12 days. By six months, young coyotes are quite mature and have permanent teeth. From this time on, the female teaches her offspring to look for food for themselves.

The family gradually scatters, and by autumn the puppies, as a rule, go hunting alone. During the year they go their own way, marking their territory with urine. Animals are ready to mate at 22 months. Animal coyote can also mate with dogs.

Their offspring are called koidogami. They are few in number, since males do not help females take care of their offspring and mating occurs during the winter, which leads to low survival rate.

Pictured is a kaydog

If we were Aztecs, we would call this animal “divine dog.” The Latin name was transformed as " barking dog" And contemporaries call it differently - “ coyote", "red dog", "red wolf" or "coyote". What kind of animal is this for which people have not spared so many names?

External description

The coyote is a mammal that is classified as a predator. These animals belong to the canine family. Outwardly similar to ordinary wolves, but smaller. You could even say that the largest coyote is smaller than the most inconspicuous and small adult of ordinary wolves. Maximum length The body of an adult coyote does not exceed 100 cm, the tail does not grow longer than 30 cm, at the withers the animal is about 50 cm. Well, the weight ranges from 7 kg (minimum weight) to 21 kg (maximum). An adult common wolf, with which we compared its meadow counterpart, has a minimum weight of 32 kg, and large individuals can reach up to 60 kg.

The meadow wolf has erect ears, and its tail can be called fluffy. The fur is quite thick and long, brown in color, with black and gray splashes. The color of the fur on the belly is much lighter. The shape of the muzzle is elongated and pointed, more reminiscent of a fox than a wolf. The tip of the tail is covered with black hairs.

Where do coyotes live?

Coyotes are typical inhabitants of the American plains. They are distributed throughout North America and are found in 49 US states, Canada and Mexico. The North American meadow wolf proliferated during the Gold Rush. Together with prospectors, this animal actively explored new territories, not disdaining any prey.

Red wolves are inhabitants of open areas. They inhabit prairies and deserts and are extremely rare in forests. Coyotes live not only in deserted places, but also on the outskirts of large cities.

What does it eat?

The American meadow wolf is not picky when it comes to food. This animal is considered an omnivore, but the main diet is the meat of hares, rabbits, dogs, gophers and marmots. Any smaller animal, including birds, insects and various aquatic life, can become the main dish of a hungry animal. And since coyotes often live near cities and towns, they can also hunt domestic animals, although they do this infrequently.

Coyotes rarely attack people. But the landfills that accompany human settlements are very attractive to them.

How does a coyote hunt?

The meadow wolf prefers solitary or pair hunting. But to hunt big game, they can unite in packs. In this case, the roles are distributed like among wolves. There are several beaters who lead the game to the flock or wear it out with a long pursuit.

Sometimes coyotes hunt together with badgers. This is a very successful combination, since the badger tears open holes in which potential prey lives or hides, and the coyote easily catches up and kills it. Coyotes are very agile, fast and good jumpers. They have a good sense of smell and excellent vision.

Adult animals have their own hunting grounds. The center of this territory is the predator's lair. The boundaries of the site are regularly marked with urine.

Coyotes howl frequently and loudly. In this way, animals communicate with each other, call a pack for hunting, inform their fellow tribesmen that they are on foreign territory, and call the female. At night on the American prairies, the howl sounds almost constantly, scaring away uninvited guests. Experts are trying to decipher and systematize sound messages in order to better understand the animals they are observing.

Way of life

Mostly these predators live in pairs. But there are loners and family groups. The American meadow wolf forms packs in places where the number of animals is high and food supplies are plentiful. A flock consists of 5-6 individuals, two of which are parents, and the rest are their young.

Another reason for grouping is the lack of small game. In this case, the purpose of the pack is to hunt large animals that the coyote cannot handle alone.

Married pairs among meadow wolves are permanent. They live side by side for many years, without being distracted by other partners. Most often, a couple stays together all their lives.

Mating occurs in winter, between January and February. Female coyotes are very fertile. A litter can range from 5 to 19 puppies. The gestation period is approximately 3 months. Birth takes place in the main family den, but each couple has several backup shelters. These holes or crevices are used in case of danger. The male takes care of the female and the cubs, he gets food and protects the home. Meadow wolf - caring parent. He is involved in raising puppies along with his mother. Grown-up males go into independent life, and females can remain with their parents.

IN wildlife Coyotes can live more than ten years, and in captivity their lifespan is even longer. Some pairs in zoos survived for 15-16 years.

Myths and legends

The red wolf, the photo and description of which was presented to your attention, is a character in the myths of many Indian tribes of North America. This is a playful and mischievous character who plays petty tricks not to cause harm, but simply because it’s fun. Such characters are called tricksters, that is, trickster gods, or antiheroes who cannot take responsibility for their pranks.

Among some Indian tribes, the meadow wolf is the god who patronizes hunters, warriors and lovers. The Indians considered this deity a great sorcerer. And some tribes have preserved myths that the “divine dog” accidentally created people from dirt and her blood during a game. The Indians of North America did not hunt coyotes because they considered them totem animals.

Coyotes, also known as meadow wolves (Latin Canis latrans) are widespread predatory mammals belonging to the canine family. From the Aztec language the word coyotl. translates as “barking dog.”

Description of a coyote

The Coyote species is represented by nineteen subspecies, sixteen of which inhabit the territory of America, Canada and Mexico, and three subspecies live in Central America. In the New World, meadow wolves occupy the same niche as jackals in Eurasia.

Appearance

Coyotes are noticeably smaller in body size. The length of an adult predator is only 75-100 cm, and the tail is about a quarter of a meter. The height of the animal at the withers does not exceed 45-50 cm. Average weight predator varies between 7-21 kg. Along with other wild dogs, prairie wolves have erect ears and a long bushy tail.

This is interesting! Coyotes living in mountainous areas have darker fur, while desert predators have light brown fur.

Coyotes are characterized by fairly long brown fur with gray and black patches. In the belly area the fur is very light, and at the tip of the tail it is pure black. Compared to ordinary wolves, coyotes have a more elongated and pointed muzzle, which is slightly reminiscent of a fox in shape.

Character and lifestyle

Coyotes have adapted much better than wolves to living near human habitation and are developing territories almost in parallel with people. Prairie wolves tend to avoid forest zones and give preference to flat areas - prairies and deserts. Sometimes found on the outskirts of megacities and fairly large settlements. Representatives of all subspecies are characterized by maximum activity at dusk.

Adult coyotes are good at digging holes, but are also capable of settling in other people's empty homes.. The standard territory of a predator is about nineteen kilometers, and for movement the animals use paths marked with urine. In areas where common wolves are completely absent or their numbers are small, coyotes are able to reproduce very quickly and actively.

Despite its small size, carnivorous mammal can jump three to four meters and run at speeds of up to 40-65 km/h. Quite numerous representatives of the Canidae family have been moving in the footsteps of discoverers for a long time and have taken root in almost any new conditions without problems. Initially, the habitat of coyotes was exclusively southern and central areas on the territory of North America, but currently almost the entire continent is inhabited by subspecies.

How long do coyotes live?

In the wild, coyotes usually live no more than ten years, and average duration The life of a predator in captivity is approximately eighteen years.

Types of coyotes

There are currently nineteen known subspecies of prairie wolves living today:

• C.latrans latrans;
• C.latrans carttis;
• C.latrans cleticus;
• C.latrans diskeyi;
• C.latrans frustrоr;
• C.latrans goldmani;
• C.latrans hondurensis;
• C.latrans impavidus;
• C.latrans incolatus;
• C.latrans jamesi;
• C.latrans lestes;
• C.latrans meаrnsi;
• C.latrans microdon;
• C.latrans ochropus;
• C.latrans peninsulae;
• C.latrans techensis;
• C.latrans thamnos;
• C.latrans umpquensis;
• C.latrans vigilis.

Range, habitats

The main distribution area of ​​the meadow wolf is the West and central part of North America. Mass clearing of forested areas and the extermination of the main food competitors represented by wolves and red wolves allowed coyotes to spread over vast areas compared to their original historical range.

This is interesting! Coyotes very easily adapt to the anthropogenic landscape, and in mountainous areas such predators are found even at two to three thousand meters above sea level.

A century ago, prairie wolves were the original inhabitants of the prairie, but now coyotes are found almost everywhere, from Central America to Alaska.

Coyote diet

Coyotes are omnivorous and extremely unpretentious predators in food, but a significant part of the diet consists of food of animal origin, including hares and rabbits, and gophers, small rodents. Coyotes often prey on raccoons, birds, and even some insects. Meadow wolves swim very well and are able to successfully hunt all kinds of aquatic life, including fish, frogs and newts.

In the last ten days of summer and early autumn, meadow wolves happily eat berries and all kinds of fruits, as well as groundnuts and sunflower seeds. With the onset of winter, coyotes living on northern territories, switch to a more acceptable diet and feed on carrion and weakened, old or sick animals. Predators inhabiting national parks, quickly get used to people, so they are able to take food even from human hands.

In accordance with the analysis of the gastric contents of coyotes, the standard diet of a predator is represented by:

• carrion – 25%;
• small rodents – 18%;
• livestock – 13.5%;
• wild deer – 3.5%;
• birds – 3.0%;
• insects – 1.0%;
• other animals – 1.0%;
• products plant origin – 2.0%.

For adult and large livestock, and wild deer meadow wolves attack extremely rarely, but are capable of forced hunting of lambs or newborn calves.

Reproduction and offspring

Coyotes apparently form pairs once and for life. Meadow wolves are very responsible and attentive parents, touchingly caring for their offspring. The active breeding season occurs in January or February. Pregnancy lasts a couple of months. After the babies appear, adult coyotes hunt in turns and reliably guard the den, which is represented by a shallow hole or rocky crevice. Each family of meadow wolves necessarily has several spare dwellings, where parents transfer their offspring at the slightest suspicion of danger.

Meadow wolves reach sexual maturity at the age of approximately one year, but, as a rule, married couples are added up only after reaching two years of age. Most often, four to twelve puppies are born in a litter, which become sighted only at ten days of age. For the first month, coyotes feed on their mother’s milk, after which the cubs begin to gradually leave their den, and the puppies become completely independent only in the fall. Males most often leave the parental burrow, while sexually mature females, on the contrary, prefer to remain in the parental pack. The most large number the young die during the first year of life.

Care for growing children is shared equally by both parents.. In the very first days after the birth of the puppies, the female does not leave the hole at all, so all problems of obtaining food are completely solved exclusively by the male, who leaves rodents at the entrance to the hole, but can also regurgitate semi-digested food. As soon as the puppies grow a little older, both parents begin to participate in the hunt. Quite often, in a large den, puppies from two or three females are born and raised together. There are also well-known cases of coyotes interbreeding with wolves or domestic and wild dogs, resulting in the birth of hybrid individuals.

In the section on the question How is a coyote different from a wolf? given by the author *Liz* XD the best answer is Wolf, gray wolf, the common wolf (lat. Canis lupus) is a predatory mammal of the canine family. Together with the coyote (Canis latrans) and the jackal (Canis aureus), it forms a small genus of wolves (Canis). The wolf is the largest animal in its family: its body length (including tail) can reach 160 cm, height at the withers up to 90 cm; body weight up to 62 kg.
By general appearance The wolf resembles a large, pointy-eared dog. Legs are high and strong; the paw is larger and more elongated than a dog's, the length of the footprint is about 15 cm, the width is 7 cm, the middle two fingers are brought forward, which makes it possible to distinguish the tracks of a wolf from those of a dog. The head is broad-browed, the muzzle is relatively wide, strongly elongated and framed on the sides by sideburns.
The massive muzzle of the wolf distinguishes it well from the jackal and coyote, in which it is narrower and sharper. In addition, it is very expressive: scientists distinguish more than 10 facial expressions: anger, anger, humility, affection, fun, alertness, threat, calmness, fear. Wolves' fur is thick, quite long and consists of two layers, which is why sometimes the animal looks larger than it actually is.
KoyoL9;t, meadow wolf (lat. Canis latrans) is a predatory mammal of the canine family. The name comes from the Aztec coyotl, "divine dog". The species' Latin name means "barking dog"
The coyote is noticeably smaller in size common wolf. Body length - 75-100 cm, tail - about 30 cm, shoulder height - 50 cm; weight - up to 21 kg. Like other wild dogs, the coyote has erect ears and a long, bushy tail.
The fur is longer than that of a wolf. The color is brown, speckled with black and gray, and very light on the belly. The end of the tail is black.
Differences: refer to different types, structure, appearance.
distribution coyote (distributed in the New World, from Alaska to Panama.) wolf wider distribution, lifestyle and diet, social culture and reproduction.
Wolf

Reply from Ira mak[guru]
coat size and color

Reply from Yovetlana Berezhnaya[guru]

Reply from Dmitriy Aleksandrovich[newbie]
Coyotes are smaller than wolves. They are less picky about food than wolves, and, hunting a wide variety of living creatures, do not disdain carrion, and in the autumn-summer time they happily eat berries, fruits and nuts.
Unlike wolves, coyotes are non-aggressive and rarely conflict with each other.

Jackals and Coyote.

The jackal is very similar in appearance to the wolf, but only smaller, the size of a small mongrel. Also, a jackal is different from a wolf narrow muzzle, a bushy tail that is held down, and a light build.

Jackals live in arid areas, even deserts. The striped, black-backed and now rare Ethiopian inhabitant is common in Africa; common jackal - in northern Africa, Central and South Asia, South-Eastern Europe.

They live in pairs that form once and for life. And where there is a lot of food, families gather in flocks.

They search for prey at night, deftly hunting small game, reptiles and birds. And most of the jackals’ diet consists of plant foods - they are gourmets and prefer melons, visiting plantations, and grapes. Jackals choose melons and watermelons carefully - only the ripest and sweetest; They bite into them and if the taste is not right, they throw them away.

They do not disdain to “feast” on carrion, so they often feast on landfills, and at night they visit chicken coops, trying not to catch the eye of people.

At night, the jackal is identified by its loud and whining cry, which at the same time sounds like laughter, moaning and crying.

This animal is reputed to be cowardly, but this is far from the case, the jackal is cautious and cunning, because, given the opportunity, any predator can easily deal with it.

A relative of the wolf, small in size, which is called a coyote, or meadow wolf. Previously, coyotes inhabited the prairies and deserts of Central and North America. But settlers from Europe who settled in these areas began to actively cut down forests and destroy wolves - the main competitors of coyotes. And coyotes began to expand their range, so at the moment they are found in the territory from Panama to Alaska.

These animals are not afraid of being close to humans; on the contrary, they try to go even to the centers of large cities, where there is a lot of food in landfills. Indeed, in their way of life, they are close to the jackal of the Old World: they hunt at night; They feed mainly on birds, rabbits, and reptiles.

Back in the nineteenth century, coyotes gathered in large packs and followed herds of bison, eating the dead from disease, weakened young animals and the elderly.

The Indians, the indigenous inhabitants of North America, specially tamed coyotes, who acquired the skills of ordinary hunting dog and brought the spoils to their master.