33 Interesting Coyote Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer—Reviewed for accuracy by the FactRetriever editorial team

Published March 24, 2019Updated October 4, 2019

Although coyotes resemble wolves, they are two completely different species._[4]
Coyotes are often seen as pests, but they actually help control the population of rodents and other problematic animals._[4]
Within both urban and rural coyote populations, coyote parents work together to raise their pups, which helps increase survival rates._[4]
Coyotes can breed with both wolves and dogs. For example, a type of coyote hybrid named the eastern coyotes contain genes of both wolves and dogs and are known as "coywolves" and "coydogs."_[1]
Coyotes are great swimmers, which has helped them colonize islands and spread their populations._[1]
A rare population of "snow coyotes" lives in Newfoundland. They are unique because they have genes that turn their coats snow white. Scientists believe that the gene mutation occured when a coyote mated with a golden retriever._[7]

Coyotes are not only wily, they are also faithful

Coyotes are monogamous and mate for a lifetime._[4]
Western Canadians tend to pronounce "coyote" as "ky-ote," while those from Ontario rhyme it with "Wile E."_[4]
Coyotes can run up to 43 miles per hour (69 km per hour). The top speed of a human is 28 mph (45 km per hour)._[6]
Coyotes eat pretty much anything they can find, including rabbits, rodents, birds, fish, frogs, deer, fruit, grass, and carrion._[3]
Some Native American tribes, such as the Chinook, Maidu, Paiute, Pawne, and Ute, portray the coyote as the companion of the Creator._[4]
Even though they have been hunted and trapped for over 200 years, there are more coyotes today than when the U.S. Constitution was signed._[5]
The coyote is also known as Medicine Dog, Brother, Old Man Coyote, and Little Wolf._[5]
The mythology of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest tells how the coyote put salmon in the rivers and taught humans how to make fish traps and salmon spears._[5]
The scientific name for "coyote" is Canis latrans, which means "barking dog."_[1]

Wildest of all beasts is the wolf, and wildest of all wolves is the coyote.

- Julian Hawthorne (1846–1934)

A human has about 5 million olfactory receptors in their nose. Scientists estimate a coyote has about 300 million olfactory receptors.
_[5]
Coyotes sometimes walk on their toes to make as little noise as possible._[3]
The coyote is also known as the American jackal._[4]
Low desert and valley coyotes weigh much less than those living in mountainous terrain, weighing in at about 20 pounds. In contrast, mountain coyotes can reach up to 50 pounds ._[5]
The coyote is one of the most adaptable animals in the world. They can change breeding habits, diets, and social dynamics to survive in a wide variety of habitats._[4]

Coyotes are one of the most vocal predators in the United States.

Only 20% of coyote pups survive their first year._[1]
The coyote is listed as "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, because the coyote is distributed widely and abundantly._[4]
As of 2005, scientists have recognized 19 coyote subspecies._[1]
The greatest threat to coyotes are humans, followed by cougars and gray wolves._[1]
In Mesoamerican mythology, the coyote is seen as a symbol of military might. However, after the European colonization of the Americas, it was seen as cowardly and untrustworthy._[4]
DNA studies show that most North American wolves have coyote DNA._[1]
Coyotes can jump a distance of over 13 feet (4 meters)._[4]

Coyotes are amazing athletes

The largest coyote on record was a male killed in Afton, Wyoming, in 1937. He measured 4 ft 11 in (1.5m) from nose to tail, and he weighed 75 lb (34 kg)._[4]
Coyotes living at higher elevations usually have more black and gray shades in their coats than desert-dwelling coyotes._[1]
Naturalist Thomas Say first described the coyote scientifically in September 1819. He was also the first to describe the differences between a wolf and a coyote._[2]
Coyote attacks on humans are rare and usually do not cause serious injuries. Attacks, however, have increased, especially in California._[4]
There have been only two confirmed fatal coyote attacks on humans. Three-year-old Keely Keen was killed by a coyote in Glendale, California; 19-year-old Taylor Mitchell was killed in Canada._[4]
Coyotes kill more livestock in western North America than any other predator._[2]