The Eastern Coyote

The Eastern Coyote moved East from the West of the Mississippi and finally appeared in Vermont in the late 1940s. It is a bit larger that its Western ancestors, it gained its size by breeding with Eastern Wolves in Southern Canada before it moved to our area (Vermont.) The Eastern Coyote has evolved and adapted to the environment and the climate. Due to evolution the Eastern Coyote has adapted to the heavy winter, over time their fur grew thicker.

Habitat/Environment

The Eastern Coyotes home range may include forested areas of "hard wood and soft wood trees", open areas like pastures and fields, wetlands, and even developed areas. Mind you the Eastern Coyote can adapt to any habitat in Vermont that includes suburban and rural areas.

Fun Facts

• The Eastern Coyote can also be called Canis Latrans
• They are typically quieter than their Western Ancestors
• A family groups home range size is up to 15 Sq. Miles
• Eastern Coyotes contain 60% Western Coyote, 30% Wolf, and 10% Dog

Environmental/Habitat Problems

Territorial Issues

A family pack of Coyotes settle in a new spot, also known as their new territory. The father Coyote is the leader of the pack, (so they say.) He goes around their territory and marks it by peeing, this is done to let other Coyotes know that this was their land. Life for the family of Coyotes was going well until they got invaded by a stray Coyote. The family pack was sleeping peacefully during the invasion, the morning following, the morning following this incident their happened to be a food shortage. Surely enough the pack of Coyotes were gonna be just fine. All they had to do was hunt and remark their territory.

Food Shortage

A new pack of Coyotes had just settled into a new territory, without knowing what food was around. The Coyotes were fine for the first few days until food supplies started to run low, there were a few things left like small rodents but they were way to quick to catch. Days later the pack was starving, they decided that it was time to change homes. The Coyotes searched and searched around until they found a perfect spot, there was protection, food, and a river near by.

Fear of Humans/Being Hunted

Overtime the number of Coyotes fluctuates between 4,500-8,000. The reason onto why the numbers grew and continued to climb was because people started hunting them more and more often, "As the number of Coyotes in an area decreases, their reproductive rates increase."

Reproduction

Mating season usually begins in February. Coyotes start breeding at just two years s of age and may mate for life. A female Coyote is usually pregnant for up to nine weeks, with an average litter size of 6 pups.

During the nine weeks the female and male coyote find a place to den. Here are a few places that they den at..

• They dig out Fox or Woodchuck holes
• Caves
• Crevices in ledges
• Holes created by over-turned trees

Bibliography

"Blog Archives." Natural History Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <http://naturalhistory.crowspath.org/types/animal>.

"Coyote." Coyote - Vermont Fish and Wildlife. VT Fish and Wildlife, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/cms/One.aspx?portalId=73163&pageId=148991>.

Leeson, Pat, and Tom Leeson. "Coyote (42 Images)." Coyote - Images | Tom & Pat Leeson. Tom & Pat Leeson, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <http://leesonphoto.photoshelter.com/gallery/Coyote/G0000u_pBjQnVDAs/>.