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Coyote howling from high point on red sandstone

Coyote

With its blood-curdling nocturnal howl, the coyote is emblematic of North American wildlife. Extraordinary adaptability has led to an expansion of their range from Panama to all but the northernmost portions of Canada. Primarily carnivorous, coyotes can sprint at speeds of 65kph - making them one of North America's fastest mammals - though such speed is of little use in their hunt for fruit, insects and human refuse. One of the coyote's most interesting traits is the formation of hunting partnerships with American badgers: the coyotes sniff out rodents, the badgers dig them out, and both share the proceeds.

Did you know?
Reaching speeds of 65kph, coyotes are one of the fastest terrestrial mammals in North America.

Scientific name: Canis latrans

Rank: Species

Common names:

  • American jackal,
  • Prairie wolf

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Distribution

The Coyote can be found in a number of locations including: North America. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Coyote distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Least Concern

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Population trend: Increasing

Year assessed: 2008

Classified by: IUCN 3.1

About

The coyote (US pron.: /kaɪˈoʊtiː/ or /ˈkaɪ.oʊt/, UK /kɔɪˈjoʊteɪ/, or /kɔɪˈjoʊt/;Canis latrans), also known as the American jackal, brush wolf, or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States, and Canada. It occurs as far north as Alaska and all but the northernmost portions of Canada.

Currently, 19 subspecies are recognized, with 16 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and three in Central America. Unlike the related gray wolf, which is Eurasian in origin, evolutionary theory suggests the coyote evolved in North America during the Pleistocene epoch 1.81 million years ago (mya) alongside the dire wolf. Although not closely related, the coyote evolved separately to fill roughly the same ecological niche in the Americas that is filled in Eurasia and Africa by the similarly sized jackals. Unlike the wolf, the coyote's range has expanded in the wake of human civilization, and coyotes readily reproduce in metropolitan areas.

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