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Coyotes: Natural Science

Coyotes

What are Coyotes?

Coyote, (Canis latrans), also called prairie wolf or brush wolf, New World member of the dog family (Canidae) that is smaller and more lightly built than the wolf. The coyote, whose name is derived from the Aztec coyotl, is found from Alaska southward into Central America, but especially on the Great Plains. Historically, the eastern border of its range was the Appalachians, but the coyote has expanded its range and now can be found throughout the United States and Canada.

The coyote stands about 60 cm (24 inches) at the shoulder, weighs about 9–23 kg (20–50 pounds), and is about 1–1.3 metres (3.3–4.3 feet) long, including its 30–40-cm tail. The fur is long and coarse and is generally grizzled buff above and whitish below, reddish on the legs, and bushy on the black-tipped tail. There is, however, considerable local variation in size and colour, with the largest animals living in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica

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Coyotes In Our Area

Coyotes were not originally found in Connecticut, but have extended their range eastward during the last 100 years from the western plains and midwestern United States, through Canada and into the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Coyotes were first reported in Connecticut in the mid-1950s.  Continue reading from CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Link to Coyote at the Kitchen Door Stephen DeStefano in the Catalog
Link to Understanding Coyotes by Michael Huff in Hoopla
Link to Connecticut Wildlife by Geoffrey A. Hammerson in the Catalog
Link to A Field Guide to Mammals of North America by Fiona Reid in the Catalog
Link to Mountain Lion vs. Coyote by Thomas Adamson in the catalog