33 Interesting Coyote Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

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]