How the cooperation of coyote mothers is key to the species’ survival
COYOTE
While most North American mammal species are suffering declines, there is one species that bucks the trend quite dramatically, even in the face of intense persecution. Coyotes are North America’s most oppressed animal – more than 400,000 are exterminated every year, 80,000 by the US federal government, which co-opts helicopters and snipers to shoot down this ‘pest’ species. Yet despite this lethal activity, numbers continue to rise.
Since the 1950s, these wily canids have increased their habitat by 40 per cent, more than any other North American carnivore. They can be found in every US state (apart from Hawaii) and from the far north of Alaska, they’ve even spread into Central America. A large part of their extraordinary success is a flexible approach to motherhood.
The coyote is a close relative of the wolf, albeit three times smaller – the average coyote weighs around the same as a standard Schnauzer. They are much hated by farmers, who claim they kill their livestock. The truth is these opportunistic eaters mostly subsist on far smaller prey such as rodents, rabbits and even reptiles. Coyotes are also not averse to plant matter and have even been known to climb trees to graze on berries.
A wide-ranging diet has certainly helped them colonise a variety of habitats, from deserts to prairies, mountains to cities. Coyotes also boast shrewd intelligence and high mobility – they can run at 64kph and cover large distances. But it is their family life that’s proved to be the real winner. Coyotes form monogamous pairs that mate for life. Their loyalty is such that death is the only reason a coyote will seek out a new partner. The breeding pair hold alp
