Coyotes: The fox-like creatures that can make 11 different sounds
More than 70 years ago, a cartoon character named Wile E. Coyote ran into the imagination of kids, thanks to Warner Bros’ animated short film series named Looney Tunes by American animator and director Cluck Jones. But very few of us know about real coyote, a wild animal found in North America. What do they look like? These medium-sized wild animals initially restricted to North America's desert regions, weighing between 15 and 46 pounds. Today this species is spread into 19 subspecies. Although mistaken for dogs, the upright, pointed ears and drooping tails held below their back while running set them apart from domestic canines. Let’s look at some really interesting facts about this unique fox-like animal.
Fastest predators that provide pest control
Coyotes are omnivorous animals that thrive on the flesh of tiny mammals like mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, birds, snakes, and large invertebrates as their main diet but can survive on berries, melons, fruits and veggies too. Running at speeds of 65 kilometres per hour and having a capacity to jump up to 4 meters is what makes these coyotes excellent hunters.
These nocturnal predators with expertise in hunting are beneficial to have around to control pests like a mouse, rodent, voles, groundhogs, prairie dogs, and gophers. Due to their willingness to eat nearly everything, including human waste and domestic animals, coyotes can exist in any habitats.
Can communicate in 11 different notes
Coyotes in adulthood have a minimum of 11 vocalisations for different situations, used by either individuals or groups. This includes growls, huffs, woofs, barks, bark-howls, lone howls, group yip-howls, whines, greeting songs, and yelps. Wow! With these noises, they communicate with members of their family group or pack. For example, barking is sign of defending their den or killing the prey, and by howls and yips they convey marked territory with other animals. Because of these noises, even two to three coyotes might be mistaken for a larger group.
Coyotes started spreading to newer regions centuries back
Historians claim that nearly 2 million years ago, during the Pleistocene era in North America, coyotes diverged from a canid resembling wolves. Since then, they have evolved to be able to live in almost every habitat in North America. During 18 to 19th centuries, coyotes began to spread into new areas when Europeans migrated west, eradicating great predators like wolves, cougars, and bears. This kept coyotes in check, converting woods into cropland with a prairie-like appearance. From North American plains they went into taiga woods in the north, deciduous forests in the east, coastal temperate rain forests in the west, and tropical rainforests in the south.
Urban coyotes behave differently than the wild ones
Coyotes live and thrive in forests. If that's what you believe, then you are wrong. They live in suburbs and cities in the United States. But they often avoid people since coyotes are timid animals. Interestingly, urban coyotes behave differently. They have adapted to urban lives, are less timid and more prone to eat cats, food cooked by humans, ornamental fruits and seeds grown by humans, including figs, palms, and grapes, unlike their native species. The positive reinforcement coyotes frequently receive from people is why they have lost their shyness.