by Rodney Schwencer

Created on: June 03, 2008

Did you know the coyote has five toes on their front feet and it only has four toes on it's hind feet. Coyotes can walk thirteen miles in one hour when walking,when they are trotting they can average twenty miles per hour and when running their top speed can reach up to thirty miles per hour.

Coyotes have excellent hearing,sight and smell. They scan the sky from time to time looking for flocks of birds hovering in the air. When they see such a flock,they get to it as fast as possible,instinctively knowing the birds have found a carcass.

Three or four coyotes howling can sound like a dozen. Coyotes howl for reasons such as,possible danger,discovering some food and at times just because their lonely. Coyotes are not a vicious animal,coyotes are independent,high spirited and very nervous. If a coyote acquires more than enough food for their very large appetite,they will bury the excess for a future meal.

Coyotes are natural wanderers,often traveling fifty miles in a single night. Much of this roaming is in the search for food. A coyotes main diet consist of,berries,fruit,grasses, rabbits,rodents,insects and fish. There are records of coyotes bringing food to others caught in traps. Healthy coyotes are also known to have provided care for sick and injured coyotes.

Most coyotes mate for life or with the same individual for several years. Dens can be anywhere,near a house,in a hollow tree or log,on the side of a cliff,under a pile of rocks,between the roots of a tree,or in a culvert under a busy road. Underground dens consist of a tunnel one to two feet in diameter and can range from five to thirty feet deep depending on the texture of the soil. The tunnel ends in a chamber a little larger in height than the passageway.

The breeding season for coyotes begins in late January and continues until the end of February. Young females usually whelp earlier than their elders. Gestation lasts approximately sixty-three days. The average litter is between five to seven puppy's. Pups are born blind and helpless weighing about a pound at birth,coyote pups double that in a week. Pups can walk at 8-10 days old and are capable of running at one month old. By the time the coyote pup is nine weeks old they are weaned from their mother.

Coyotes live for 6-8 years in the wild and have been known to live as long as 18 years in captivity. As a matter of fact "THE COYOTE" is far to adaptable,cunning,and intelligent to be destroyed by it's worst enemy- MAN!

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