Special Segment: Urban Coyotes
If you want more general information about me check out the Ohio Department of Natural Resources site (link below):
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/coyote/tabid/6598/Default.aspxTuesday, April 9, 2013
General Coyote Information
We are found in rural, urban and suburban areas. We are classified as Illinois’ largest carnivore but remember our diet changes as the seasons change and we eat a great amount of berries and fruit when in season (see our ecological role, below). Generally, we live in a pack which is like a family but often do most things alone. I am about the size of a medium-sized dog which is interesting because we share the same taxonomical family and ancestry. Dogs really went the easy route letting people take care of them. Not us the coyotes, we work very hard to avoid human contact and provide for ourselves. You can also identify us from a characteristic black tip of the tail. We generally are pretty slender (around 20 pounds for a female) but can get as large as 50 pounds for an adult male. Some people say we look scrawny but our slender bodies are a perfect fit for the dens we build.
Click on the link below to watch this fantastic news clip (Well done Ron Magers - ABC News Anchor). You will see some of my friends and an interview with Stan Gehrt – who spends his life chasing us. Stan has not yet gotten a radio collar around me yet but he is doing a great job. There so much to learn about us.
Special Segment: Urban Coyotes
Special Segment: Urban Coyotes
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Wow!! Thank you so much for creating this blog!! I have seen coyote in my backyard and have been very afraid of them especially since I have children. It is encouraging to know that they are more afraid of me and would rather be left alone. I am still going to go the other way if I see a coyote, but I feel safer knowing that they are more afraid of me.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am glad to see a blog published that helps people understand the true nature of this animal. Coyotes are to be respected as wild animals, but they shouldn't be a source of concern when spotted.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good reminder to keep your cats indoors. I live in Seattle and in one area adjacent to a forested park that began seeing coyotes five years ago. Soon we began noticing a flurry of posters pleading for information about lost cats. They were not lost--they had become Coyote snack food. Coyotes have been seen chasing down very small dogs, initially attracted to them by their high pitched barks; in all cases that i know of, the owners successfully interceded, including one case where the coyote actually picked the dog up in its mouth.
ReplyDeleteBack to cats--all of which should be indoor kitties. They are the single biggest predator of native birds in the world. All over. In some places, their predation is the biggest overall cause of bird mortalities. So keep them indoors for their sake and the birds' sakes.