Coyote

Physical Description and Characteristics

Coyotes exhibit notable size variation across their geographic range, with northern subspecies generally larger than their southern counterparts. Males typically weigh between 8 and 20 kilograms, while females are slightly smaller, ranging from 7 to 18 kilograms. Northern subspecies average around 18 kilograms, whereas the southern subspecies in Mexico average about 11.5 kilograms. The largest coyote ever recorded was a male killed near Afton, Wyoming, on November 19, 1937, which measured 1.5 metres from nose to tail and weighed 34 kilograms. Total length averages from 1.0 to 1.35 metres, including a tail about 40 centimetres long, with females being shorter in both length and height.

The animal's fur is predominantly a mix of light gray and reddish or fulvous tones, interspersed with black and white guard hairs, though coloration can vary with habitat. Coyotes living at high elevations tend to have more black and gray in their coats, while desert-dwelling individuals are often more fulvous or whitish-gray. The fur consists of short, soft underfur and long, coarse guard hairs, with northern forms having longer and denser fur than southern forms. Some Mexican and Central American coyotes have fur that is almost hispid, or bristly. Adult coyotes typically have a sable coat colour, a dark neonatal coat, a bushy tail with an active supracaudal gland, and a white facial mask. Albinism is extremely rare in coyotes. Out of 750,000 killed between 1938 and 1945, only two displayed traits consistent with the condition.

The coyote's physical build is more gracile than that of the gray wolf, featuring a thinner frame, a relatively larger braincase, and longer ears. Its skull and jaws are narrower than a wolf's, indicating a weaker bite force less specialized for holding large prey. This is further evidenced by the coyote's low or totally flattened sagittal crest and molars with larger chewing surfaces, adaptations for a more omnivorous diet. The species carries its tail downwards when running or walking, rather than horizontally as the wolf does. Key identification features include the active supracaudal gland at the upper side of the base of the tail, which is a bluish-black colour, and a white facial mask. Coyote tracks are more elongated and less rounded than dog tracks, and unlike dogs, the upper canines of coyotes extend past the mental foramina.

Taxonomy and Historical Accounts

The coyote was first scientifically described by naturalist Thomas Say in September 1819 near Council Bluffs, 24 kilometres up the Missouri River from the Platte, during a government-sponsored expedition with Major Stephen Long. Say had the first edition of the Lewis and Clark journals, which contained an account by Meriwether Lewis from May 1805 describing the "small wolf or burrowing dog of the prairies." Say's formal description, published in 1823, meticulously detailed the animal's colouration as cinereous or gray varied with black above, and dull fulvous or cinnamon, with a bushy, fusiform tail. He was the first to clearly document the difference between the "prairie wolf" (coyote) and the larger wolf he named Canis nubilus on the very next page of his journal. The early history of coyote observation in North America includes several key accounts that document its presence and characteristics.

• 1750: A local priest in Kaskaskia, Illinois, recorded "wolves" that were smaller and less daring than European wolves, likely describing coyotes.
• Early 1800s: An account from Edwards County, Illinois mentioned wolves howling at night, which were also likely coyotes.
• 1804 to 1806: The Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the species several times. It was already well known to European traders on the upper Missouri.
• May 5, 1805: Meriwether Lewis provided a detailed description in northeastern Montana, noting they associated in bands of ten or twelve, burrowed near game passes, and barked like a small dog.
• 1780: The first published usage of the word "coyote" appeared in Francisco Javier Clavijero's *Historia de México*.
• 1824: The word first appeared in English in William Bullock's *Six months' residence and travels in Mexico*, transcribed as 'cayjotte' and 'cocyotie'.

The common name "coyote" derives from the Nahuatl word coyōtl, entering English via Spanish. Pronunciation varies regionally, with a three-syllable version common in eastern states and near the Mexican border, and a two-syllable version in western and central states. Alternative English names include "prairie wolf," "brush wolf," "cased wolf," "little wolf," and "American jackal." By the 1880s, the spelling was standardized as "coyote."

Evolution and Fossil Record

Leading authorities on carnivore evolution, Xiaoming Wang and Richard H. Tedford, proposed that the genus Canis was the descendant of the coyote-like Eucyon davisi, whose remains first appeared in the Miocene 6 million years ago in the southwestern US and Mexico. By the Pliocene 5 million years ago, the larger Canis lepophagus appeared in the same region, and by the early Pleistocene 1 million years ago, Canis latrans was in existence. This progression from Eucyon davisi to C. lepophagus to the coyote is considered an example of linear evolution. C. lepophagus was similar in weight to modern coyotes but had shorter limb bones, suggesting it was less adapted for running, and a more slender skull and skeleton.

The oldest fossils that fall within the range of the modern coyote date to 0.74-0.85 million years ago in Hamilton Cave, West Virginia. 0.73 million years ago in Irvington, California. And 0.35-0.48 million years ago in Porcupine Cave, Colorado, and Cumberland Cave, Pennsylvania. Pleistocene coyotes, classified as C. l. orcutti, were larger and had a more sturdy build than modern Holocene coyotes, likely in response to larger competitors and prey available at the time. Their teeth were more adapted to shearing meat, showing fewer grinding surfaces suited for processing vegetation, indicating they were more specialized carnivores than their descendants. Modern coyotes arose 1,000 years after the Quaternary extinction event, and their reduction in size occurred within that millennium as their large prey died out.

The coyote represents a more primitive form of Canis than the gray wolf, as shown by its relatively small size and comparatively narrow skull and jaws. In these respects, the coyote resembles the fox-like progenitors of the genus more so than the wolf. The big-game hunting niche left vacant after the extinction of the dire wolf was rapidly filled by gray wolves, which likely actively killed off the large coyote forms, with natural selection favouring the modern gracile morph. C. latrans is closely related to C. aureus (the golden jackal) and C. edwardii, a species that spanned from the mid-Blancan (late Pliocene) to the close of the Irvingtonian (late Pleistocene).

Genetic Studies and Hybridization

Genetic studies reveal a complex history of admixture across North American canids. A 1993 study proposed that North American wolves display skull traits more similar to the coyote than wolves from Eurasia. A 2010 study found the coyote was a basal member of the clade that included the Tibetan wolf, domestic dog, Mongolian wolf, and Eurasian wolf. A 2016 whole-genome DNA study proposed that all North American wolves and coyotes diverged from a common ancestor about 51,000 years ago, though this timing conflicts with the discovery of a coyote-like specimen dated to 1 million years ago. The study indicated that all North American wolves have a significant amount of coyote ancestry and all coyotes some degree of wolf ancestry.

A major 2018 study used whole genome sequencing to compare members of the genus Canis. It indicated that the common ancestor of the coyote and gray wolf genetically admixed with a ghost population of an extinct, unidentified canid that was genetically close to the dhole. This ghost canid evolved after the divergence of the African wild dog from other canid species. The basal position of the coyote compared to the wolf is proposed to be due to the coyote retaining more of the mitochondrial genome from this unknown extinct canid. The 2018 study, which mapped the largest dataset of nuclear genome sequences against a wolf reference genome, supports that North American gray wolves and wolf-like canids resulted from complex gray wolf and coyote mixing. A polar wolf from Greenland and a coyote from Mexico represented the purest specimens in the study. The levels of admixture vary dramatically across populations, as detailed in the following table.

Coyotes occasionally mate with domestic dogs, producing crosses known as "coydogs," but such matings are rare in the wild due to non-coinciding mating cycles and general antagonism. Hybridization usually only occurs when coyotes are expanding into areas where other coyotes are few and dogs are the only alternatives. Even then, pup survival rates are lower than normal because dogs do not form pair bonds with coyotes, making pup-rearing difficult. In captivity, first-generation hybrids tend to be more mischievous and less manageable as pups than dogs, and are less trustworthy on maturity than wolf-dog hybrids. Both first and second-generation hybrids resemble their coyote parents in terms of shyness and intrasexual aggression, and they are fertile through at least four generations. Melanistic coyotes owe their black pelts to a mutation that first arose in domestic dogs.

Subspecies and Geographic Variation

As of 2005, 19 subspecies of coyote are recognized. Geographic variation in coyotes is not extreme, but clear trends are evident across the continent. Taken as a whole, the eastern subspecies, such as C. l. thamnos and C. l. frustor, are large, dark-coloured animals. There is a gradual paling in colour and reduction in size westward and northward in subspecies like C. l. texensis, C. l. latrans, C. l. lestes, and C. l. incolatus. Subspecies show a brightening of 'ochraceous' tones, deep orange or brown, towards the Pacific coast in C. l. ochropus and C. l. umpquensis. There is a reduction in size in the Aridoamerica region, represented by subspecies like C. l. microdon and C. l. mearnsi. Mexican and Central American populations show a general trend towards dark reddish colours and short muzzles. The fur of northern subspecies is longer and denser than in southern forms, an adaptation to colder climates.

Behaviour, Ecology, and Human Relations

Coyotes exhibit highly flexible social organization, living either in nuclear family units or in loosely knit packs of unrelated individuals. A typical family unit consists of a mated pair and their offspring from the current and previous years, which often help raise the new pups. This social flexibility allows them to efficiently exploit different food sources and habitats. Communication is complex, with a signature vocalization being a howl that changes rapidly in tone and pitch, used for long-distance communication and territory defence. They also use barks, yips, and whines for closer-range interaction. The coyote is primarily carnivorous but is an opportunistic omnivore, and its diet consists of a wide variety of prey and forage.

• Mammals: deer (often as carrion or fawns), rabbits, hares, rodents.
• Birds and reptiles: various species, including their eggs.
• Amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.
• Fruits and vegetables, consumed on occasion.

The coyote holds a prominent place in the folklore of many Indigenous peoples of North America, particularly in Aridoamerica. It is most commonly depicted as a trickster figure, using deception, humour, and cunning to rebel against social conventions and natural order. In Mesoamerican cosmology, the coyote was respected as a symbol of military might. Following European colonization, the perception in Anglo-American culture shifted largely to a negative one, viewing it as a cowardly and untrustworthy animal. This negative perception has persisted, in contrast to the improved public image of wolves, with attitudes remaining largely negative as of 2012.

Humans are the coyote's greatest threat, followed by cougars and gray wolves. Between March 1938 and June 1945, a total of 750,000 coyotes were killed by federal and cooperative hunters in the United States. The species' versatility and ability to adapt to human-modified environments have ensured its survival and expansion, making urban coyotes common in many Canadian and American cities. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia, though the coyote is generally larger. The eastern coyote in northeastern North America is a larger subspecies resulting from historical and recent matings with various types of wolves, though it is still smaller than wolves. Eastern wolves also still mate with gray wolves, providing an avenue for further genetic exchange across canid species.

Questions about Coyote

Are coyotes dangerous to humans?

Coyotes are generally wary of humans and attacks are extremely rare. They are not considered a significant threat to human safety. However, like any wild animal, they can become habituated to people if fed intentionally or unintentionally through accessible garbage or pet food. This loss of fear can lead to bolder behaviour. It is important to never feed coyotes, secure garbage, and supervise small pets when outdoors in areas where coyotes are known to live. Most conflicts arise from coyotes preying on unattended pets or becoming conditioned to human food sources.

What is the difference between a coyote and a wolf?

Coyotes are significantly smaller than gray wolves, with longer ears, a more pointed muzzle, and a thinner frame. When running, a coyote carries its bushy tail downwards, whereas a wolf holds its tail more horizontally. The coyote's scent glands are smaller than the wolf's but are the same bluish-black colour. Vocally, coyote howls are higher-pitched and include more yips and barks. Ecologically, wolves are more specialized pack hunters of large prey, while coyotes are adaptable generalists often hunting alone or in small family groups and consuming more vegetable matter.

What do coyotes eat?

Coyotes are opportunistic omnivores with a highly varied diet. They are primarily carnivorous, feeding on small mammals like rabbits, hares, and rodents. They will also eat birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. They commonly scavenge deer carcasses and may prey on deer fawns. Plant matter, including fruits, vegetables, and grasses, forms a seasonal part of their diet. In urban settings, they primarily hunt natural prey like rodents but may scavenge from unsecured garbage or compost bins. Their dental structure, with molars having larger chewing surfaces, reflects this dietary flexibility compared to more specialized wolf teeth.

What is a coydog and how common are they?

A coydog is a hybrid between a coyote and a domestic dog. Such matings are rare in the wild because the breeding cycles of the two species do not align perfectly, and coyotes are usually aggressive towards dogs. Hybridization is most likely to occur where coyote populations are low and dogs are the only available mates. The offspring, or F1 hybrids, are typically intermediate in size and appearance between the parents. These hybrids are fertile but often face lower survival rates because dogs do not typically form pair bonds to help raise the pups. In captivity, first-generation hybrids are noted to be more mischievous and less manageable as pups than pure dogs.

How far have coyotes spread and what are eastern coyotes?

Coyotes have expanded their range across the entire North American continent. They are now found in every Canadian province and territory and every U.S. state, and were sighted in eastern Panama for the first time in 2013. Their expansion into eastern North America accelerated during the 20th century. The eastern coyotes in regions like Ontario and the northeastern U.S. are often larger due to historical and recent interbreeding with eastern wolves, producing admixed animals sometimes called "coywolves. Genetic studies show these eastern coyotes can have between 5% to over 60% wolf ancestry, depending on the specific population.

How many subspecies of coyote are there and how do they vary?

There are 19 recognized subspecies of coyote. They show gradual geographic variation in size, colour, and fur texture. Eastern subspecies like C. l. thamnos tend to be larger and darker, while western and northern ones like C. l. latrans are paler and smaller. Subspecies in the arid southwestern U.S. and Mexico, such as C. l. microdon, are generally smaller. Those along the Pacific coast, like C. l. ochropus, have brighter orange-brown tones. Mexican and Central American populations trend toward dark reddish colours and shorter muzzles. Despite these variations, the differences between subspecies are not extreme, reflecting the species' relatively recent and rapid expansion.

Sources and further reading

• Coyote (Wikipedia)
• General Information About Coyotes (urbancoyoteresearch.com)
• Coyote Profile (projectcoyote.org)
• Coyotes, City of Toronto (toronto.ca)
• Coyote (hww.ca)

Checked by the Your Space Hamilton desk. Last updated 2026-10-18.