Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumCoyotes have expanded their range to 49 states--and show no signs of stopping.
She pops up suddenly from behind a green tarp and trots through the construction site, pausing every so often to swivel her large, triangular ears. The beep beep beep of a cement paver and the deafening roar of buzzsaws are just background noise to 1242.
A few weeks ago her mate for life, 1244, was shot near this new high school going up outside Chicago. Now Lauren Ross, a field technician with the Max MacGraw Wildlife Foundation, has pinpointed the radio-collared females location with a telemetry unit, the constant ping revealing her exact location. Even so, its rare to see urban coyotes during the day, as most have learned to be active at night to avoid people. But 1242 has pups to feed. And in the indefatigable coyote spiritthat same quality that has propelled the predator into every corner of the United Statesthis lanky single mother is making it work without her partner.
We consistently underestimate this animal and its ability to adjust and adapt, says Stan Gehrt, a wildlife ecologist with Ohio State University and the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. Gehrt has studied Chicagos coyotes since 2000, not long after the animals surfaced in the nations third biggest city. They push the boundaries of what we perceive to be constraints, Gehrt says.
For instance, at the beginning of his research, he thought coyotes would be restricted to parks and green spaces. He was wrong. Now we have coyotes everywhereevery neighborhood, every suburban city, and downtown. The only place we dont have them is airports, and thats because they kill them.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/coyotes-have-expanded-their-range-to-49-states-and-show-no-signs-of-stopping/ar-BBXvexv?li=BBnbfcL
It's because we killed all the wolves off. Wolves will typically kill coyotes which they see as a competitor for prey.
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)not know we have coyotes here😳
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)In the eastern US and Canada, most coyotes are part wolf ("coywolves" ). On average they are 25% eastern gray wolf and 10% dog. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/ There are coyotes (coywolves?) in my urban residential Minneapolis neighborhood.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,298 posts)I've seen photos of coywolves and they are gorgeous.
hlthe2b
(101,729 posts)Cartoonist
(7,298 posts)Up near the Wolfback ridge.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)Coyotes meals consists of rabbits, cats, occasional small dog, rubber shoes, and some other odds things (LA Times listed some of what they like to eat).
About six months ago, I was at home outside watering the grass and saw a really strange looking dog walking down the street. Even people on the block that were outside and even cars going down the street had to slow down and look at this strange dog. The dog was unfazed by the lookie-loos and continued to walk down the street.
We later, we found out it was a coyote.
fleur-de-lisa
(14,615 posts)This airport is one of our clients. The coyotes live in an area of shrub-scrub. The airport has water on three sides and a very populated industrial area on the fourth. Nobody knows where they came from. Theyre creating a lot of problems because they come out at night and roam around the runways and taxiways. Not afraid of humans at all.
The airport commissioned a wildlife management plan recently that recommended exterminating them.
Golden Raisin
(4,600 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,906 posts)hunter
(38,264 posts)Our dogs didn't like it, they were barking like crazy and banging against our side gate, so I walked out front to see what was upsetting them.
The coyote turned and looked at me, and calmly kept walking down the sidewalk and then around the corner.
They are usually invisible.
I tell neighbors there are coyotes around here, especially those who let their cats wander, but some of them don't seem to believe it, or they assume any coyotes they do catch glimpses of are dogs.
But mostly it's the raccoons who are trouble. They are the wildlife tipping over trash cans, etc., although I once saw a raven couple tip over a trash can as well.
We live in a higher density suburban neighborhood.