The Coyote quickly shifts his ears when he hears a sound that you could not hear, maybe just a little rustle. This animal can smell a mouse under the snow. Could you smell it? Coyotes are omnivores. They eat watermelons, rodents, insects and other plants and animals. Sometimes badgers help coyotes get their food. The badger digs up the hole to find an animal and the coyote eats the leftovers.

The coyotes scientific name is in Latin is Canis Latrans and means barking dog. The coyote is related to the dog and the wolf.

The coyote can run up to 40 mph on only two toes. It can weigh up to 75 pounds but it usually weighs 25 pounds. It is 28 inchs from the shoulder to it paws. It is 46 inchs long. Coyotes howl at other coyotes to tell them that it's their territory. They howl every evening. Their fur is dark if they live in a forest and it is light if they live in the desert. Coyotes live almost everywhere in North America.

The pups are born in the spring. The parents spit out the food from their mouth so it's easier for the pups to chew. They are kept in a den so they're safe from enemies. Coyotes enemies are wolves, cougars and humans. Humans are the worst.

I got my information from a Wildlife Explorer pamphlet on coyotes published by International Masters, COYOTES written by Sandra Lee, and THE COYOTE by Mark E. Ahlstrom.

As slow as a slug, the coyote stocks his prey. Suddenly he shoots out like a bolt of lightning. Say, do you know what the coyote's predators are? They are the grizzly bear and the timber wolf. Hey, can you hear a mouse under a foot of snow? Well, a coyote can. Coyote experts say coyotes are the ultimate survival animal because they can live in all kinds of habitats and eat mostly everything. Coyotes can be found throughout the western United States, Canada, and Mexico from sea level to 10,000 feet in elevation. Coyotes eat animals like rabbits, moles, ground squirrels, voles, and chipmunks. Did you know a coyote can reach speeds of 64 kilometers per hour?

I got my information from Nature's Children, COYOTE by Caroline Greenland.

In the cool night there is a yelling noise. A pack of coyotes are nearby. If you see a dog-like creature with a slender face it may be a coyote. Does it have pointy ears? Does it wag its tail? If so, it is a coyote. Howling is one of the social things that coyotes do in a pack or in pairs. It starts with a small bark or yelp then a long yell. Coyotes howl to show their territory. Coyotes eat two to three pounds of food a day. They hunt on cool nights and cool evenings in groups of two or three. They don't just eat meat. They enjoy fruit too. They could make a mess of a melon patch in a hurry. Pups get food from their parents until they are old enough to go out of the den. Females give birth to six pups at a time. The largest litter known had nineteen pups in it. Pups have good covering fur and have closed eyes when they are born. The parents make a den to protect the pups from people, cougars and eagles. People are the worst enemies because they are shooting, poisoning and trapping them.

I got my information from THE COYOTE by Mark E. Ahlstrom.

Illustrated by Thomas H.