# Things I did not know about coyotes



## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

* It walks only with his toes touching the ground.
* Inhabit North and Central America
* The name comes from the Aztec word, coyoti
* They occupy a range of no more than 10 or 12 square miles
* An adult weighs between 15 to 50 pounds
* Coyotes select a mate for life.
* A coyote can reach speeds of 40 mph
* Coyotes are sometimes called prairie wolves or brush wolves
* 19 recognized subspecies
* hunt in groups of 2 or 3
* can live in the wild between 10 to 14 years
* Communicate with up to 11 vocalizations such as howling, yelping, barking and huffing
* in the wild only 25% of pups make it to maturity
* an average litter consists of 6 pups
* Coyotes are clever enough to trick other animals and even birds
* a coyote has 42 teeth

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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Those are cool facts! Although the prospect of running into a coyote while I'm walking Zooey terrifies me (I live in a high coyote area), I think they are neat animals. I used to enjoy seeing them a safer way--when I'd take my horse on trail rides.


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## babycake7 (Jan 30, 2012)

Interesting info to know. I live in a high traffic coyote area. We regularly have them walking through our property - sometimes very close to the barns in broad daylight - seemingly without any regard to the fact that we may be standing right there. Cats do not do well around here because of the high number of coyotes. Sometimes at night, we can't sleep because they are so vocal and I occasionally have heard a cat or dog "meet it's maker" at the hands of a pack of coyotes. It's a horrible thing to hear. Needless to say, Bella is never ever allowed to be outside off leash and/or alone. I walk her right by the house to do her potty business and for our daily walks, we drive into town to the local park where I can walk here without worrying about crossing paths with a coyote.


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## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

babycake7 said:


> Sometimes at night, we can't sleep because they are so vocal and I occasionally have heard a cat or dog "meet it's maker" at the hands of a pack of coyotes. It's a horrible thing to hear.


I had posted here, I think, how one night I was awakened by the 'yapping' of a pack of coyotes in the fields behind us.. followed by the squeals of whatever they had gotten... it disturbed me so...I couldn't get back to sleep...I couldn't get that sound out of my head!


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

We live in coyote territory too here. They go after feral cats. After all they need to eat too. There has been one or 2 incidents here where they killed a dog. But if people don't want to lessen when they are told to keep their dogs on leash, they are to blame too. Charlie is always on a leash when walked outside. He is never left alone in the yard who is fenced.


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

We have them here too. I saw one early one morning, thought it was a straggly German Shepherd. Wrong! Cats don't live long if they are loose either. I've heard they will jump fences, and aren't much afraid of humans. At the dog park a mom was saying her pooch had contracted heartworm, been an increase around here, vets are blaming the coyote population.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I just read where coyotes are found in al 88 counties of Ohio. I've never seen one, and hope that I don't. The hawks are enough for me to look out for!LOL I think they're beautiful, as most wild animals are, I just don't want to encounter any !


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Jane -- I knew some of those things about Coyotes but certain not all of them. As we live in the SW where Coyotes are all around us, it's good to know as much as possible about them.

Thanks for sharing.


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## Katkoota (Feb 18, 2006)

I didn't know most of what you posted about them, Jane, but learning about a new-to-me info about an animal always interests me. Thanks for sharing


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## LuvMyBoys (Jan 2, 2012)

My husband saw one on the golf course in our neighborhood not too long ago. It was in the afternoon, on the edge of the woods on a hole within walking distance of our house. I had always been worried about the owls that I hear in the woods behind our house, now I gotta worry about coyotes too! Jasper and Dusty look like tastey little rabbits I am sure. Scary stuff!


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## MoonDog (Jun 6, 2011)

I saw a huge one in our neighbor's yard a few years back. Also saw a small pup napping on my other neighbor's driveway. I ran in to get the camera but it was gone when I got back. Several acres nearby had been cleared so a lot of wildlife had lost their homes. Made me sad.


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## cynthia's (Dec 30, 2011)

Thanks for sharing! I just moved here in April and a couple of weeks ago a coyote ran up the driveway in front of me ( I was driving in) and he ran a ways and then into a field right before he got to the yard area! I didn't know they were in this area but I sure watch my little fur baby extra well now! Scary!!!


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

We have them too, haven't seen them in a while, since we do have a hunting season bounty for them, I think it's thinned them down quite a bit. I used to hear them at night but haven't in a couple years. Now it's eagles we have to watch out for....

I keep mine on leash at dusk, night and early morning too.... just in case. I watch them like hawks and don't leave them out long in the day time , just long enough to potty. In this heat, hardly anything is out in the day time now...

When I lived in Naples several small dogs were snatched while on leash,in some very affluent gated golf communities..so a leash helps but no guarantee. It's why ,when I walk my dogs, I carry a gun! Protection from strangers on a country walk and coyotes.
A coyote can scale a 6 ft fence...


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## Tanner's Mom (May 27, 2005)

They must be everywhere. I live on the edge of a swamp & can hear them howling at nite. Really eerie.


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## poptart (Mar 10, 2008)

I saw a show on the national geographic channel the other night & they were talking about how animals are becoming bolder with humans...wild dog packs actually killing people & they also showed some coyotes living in the city of Detroit....they have lots of coyotes in the city that roam the yards in the neighboorhoods at night...they had night vision cameras & they rode around different neighboorhoods & found some coyotes just hanging out on people's lawns...it's because people are encroaching on their territory...it's just scary to me.

Hugs, Blanche & The Malty Crew


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## CorkieYorkie (Apr 10, 2012)

I live in the Chicago suburbs and we have them too... very scary... I even read that there have been mountain lion spottings in the city..?!

That is scary hearing that they can still get your dog even if you have it on a leash... I always keep Ozzie on a leash since I live in a woodsy condominium association with all sorts of critters, but now I am going to be extra careful...

I am not a 'gun' person (my bf is -- country boy/army) but if maybe I should start carrying a knife when I take Ozzie out late at night to potty... plus i don't think carrying a gun in IL is legal!!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Not many wild animals in my neighborhood. The houses are close together and there's a lagoon in our back yard. When Archie was a puppy, I used to be scared to death that a sea gull would swoop down and get him. But, 8 years later....I'm no longer afraid that will happen. :blush:

I few miles west of here is the Pine Barrens....and everyone knows the Jersey Devil lives in there!!!!!! :w00t::w00t: :w00t: .....but I'm not sure anyone's ever seen him though. 

It's nice not having to worry about wild animals who might eat my babies.


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## missalita (May 4, 2012)

Another tidbit I heard on tv was that all of the eastern coyotes have wolf DNA which is why eastern and western coyotes have some different behaviors.

I remember Oprah saying years ago that Halle Berry's maltese had been killed by coyotes. They had scaled the wall around her yard and gotten them. That sticks with me and makes me very cautious. I know they are around here but I've never seen or heard one in our area.


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## CorkieYorkie (Apr 10, 2012)

missalita said:


> I remember Oprah saying years ago that Halle Berry's maltese had been killed by coyotes. They had scaled the wall around her yard and gotten them. That sticks with me and makes me very cautious. I know they are around here but I've never seen or heard one in our area.


I didn't know that!! I knew she had Maltese but didn't know they were killed by coyotes...  But I do remember (and forgot to mention in my previous post) that Jessica Simpson's Malti-poo, Daisy, was also victim to coyotes in the backyard... :'( she tried to post fliers and everything, but of course... nothing came of it 

I would never leave Ozzie outside unattended... though we would leave our Yorkie outside for 10 min. at a time... lucky he never got into it with any critters!!


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