Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
through high-pitched yips to full-fledged howls. The sound of a coyote family vocalizing at full volume
on a dark night is both eerie and exciting!
All of this barking, yipping, and howling probably serves several purposes. It undoubtedly allows
family members to stay in touch with each other, and serves as a sort of vocal territorial marking sys-
tem. Also, at least in our area, coyotes tend to be most vocal in late summer and early autumn, when
the pups are learning to hunt with their parents. It appears that when the family is either in hot pursuit
of prey or has actually killed it, there's much excited yipping, yammering, and howling by the whole
group. At other times, perhaps, coyotes simply howl for the fun of it, or as a social activity.
Western coyotes are sexually mature and begin breeding at one year of age, but the larger eastern
coyote usually takes another year to reach breeding age. Mating, at least in northern climates, takes
place in February. The pups are born after a gestation that averages sixty-three days. Litter size can be
highly variable, from as few as two to as many as ten, though four to six is the norm. As already dis-
cussed, if the coyote population declines substantially, both litter size and survivability of the pups will
increase.
With the onset of winter, most of the pups, now nearly mature, will disperse to seek their own ter-
ritories, although they may rejoin their parents to cooperate in hunting big game. Still, by the time the
following spring rolls around, most of the young have gone off on their own.
Coyote are often referred to as pack animals, but they aren't, at least not in the sense of the large,
extended families that constitute wolf packs. The basic coyote social unit consists of a mated pair of
adults plus their offspring less than a year old. Occasionally a yearling will remain behind to help its
parents raise the next year's litter of pups. In the West, particularly, a handful of family members may
augment the breeding pair and their offspring of the year, so that the family group can contain five to
seven adults and perhaps a half-dozen pups.
On the other hand, coyotes can also operate singly and in pairs, so they aren't automatically tied to
group behavior. Although the larger aggregations of perhaps a dozen coyotes can be considered a pack,
they aren't typical, and a more usual situation is a family of four to seven or eight hunting together in
late fall and early winter, then gradually diminishing until they're mostly hunting alone or in pairs.
Experiences with wildlife aren't always serious and inspiring events; indeed, they can be downright
hilarious. A coyote was responsible for an event of the latter sort not long ago. I was deer hunting and
had just entered the woods. As I moved cautiously over a little knoll, a movement to my right caught
my eye. My first thought was that it was a deer, but it turned out to be a coyote headed in my direction.
I stood absolutely motionless and watched as the coyote trotted past me no more than twenty-five
feet away. There was no wind that I could detect, and the coyote went by unconcernedly, without so
much as a glance in my direction. Then a tiny breath of air must have carried my scent to the coyote,
which exploded into action.
The ground was bare, and so frantic were the coyote's efforts to escape that, like a car spinning its
wheels, its hind feet spun wildly in the leaves. Then, without warning, the coyote gained traction and
