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COYOTE
canis latrans
The coyote, canus latrans is a member of the dog family, Canidae, which includes the domestic dog, canus lupus familiaris.
Adult coyotes are medium-large in size.
People often describe them as being like a thin German Shepard, or a small wolf, or a really big fox.
The fur is medium length, and a blend of grey and reddish or golden tan.
Coyotes usually live alone, or as a pair - a male and female who mate for life. They also travel as a family group while pups are not yet old enough to be on their own.
Coyotes are not dogs. They are very smart, skillful predators, able to adapt to different environments.
They generally avoid people, even when they eke out a living in an urban area. And urban areas provide a lot of food - pet food left out in a yard, garbage cans left out overnight. Not to mention the mice and rats which are attracted to that same pet food, or compost bin.
Pet cats are easy prey and dogs, even large ones, are not difficult considering that a coyote can take down a deer.
Sometimes, people have described in amusement, the way a coyote has playfully bounded around, trying to engage their dog in a game of chase - unaware that the plan is to lure the dog away, tire it out and attack.
Coyotes are not the enemy. They are intelligent survivors, looking for an opportunity. If people make it easy for coyotes to find food in urban areas, then we have problems.
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Keep coyotes wild and wary of humans
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| Secure garbage cans. Do not put out food scraps until the day that garbage is to be picked up. Discarded food can be kept in the freezer until then.
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| Never leave pet food outside.
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| Secure and rat-proof compost bins.
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| Keep your cat in at night, dusk and early morning.
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| Keep your dog on a leash in wooded areas. Do not leave small dogs in a yard - especially if the yard is close to forested areas.
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| Never feed a coyote.
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| Never approach a coyote or entice it to approach you.
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Here on the North Shore, we live in close proximity to mountains which edge a huge wilderness.
Large animals such as deer, bear, and coyote often follow the ravine and stream corridors that connect the mountains and sea. They also use the green spaces and lanes between.
But most residents will never see these animals, and that's how it ought to be.
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