Javier Mendoza  /  The Animals  /  Land
North America · Land

Coyote

Canis latrans

While most large wildlife lost ground over the last century, the coyote spread across North America and into its biggest cities. California has always been home ground.

A coyote walking straight toward the camera along a path through soft, wildflower-dotted grassland.
Home Ground · California · © Javier MendozaOrder this print
~40 mph
Top speed, with a trot it can hold for hours
National Geographic
20–35 lb
A typical Californian adult; eastern coyotes run larger
California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
49 states
Every state but Hawaii, and most big cities
National Geographic
Least Concern
IUCN Red List; expanding range
IUCN

The survivor

Coyotes eat whatever the season offers: rabbits, rodents, fruit, insects, carrion. That, and a knack for living in pairs or small family groups rather than big packs, let them fill the space left when wolves were removed, and then follow the suburbs into Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

In Southern California they live in the canyons, the flood channels and the hills above the coast. Most people only hear them: the yips and howls that earned the Navajo name song dog. Keep pets in at night, never feed them, and they stay what they are, wild neighbours.

In the collection

1 frame · prints from 12″ to 40″+
A coyote walking straight toward the camera along a path through soft, wildflower-dotted grassland.
Home GroundCalifornia

A coyote picks its way down a worn path through the sage and wildflowers, holding the camera's gaze — wild and unhurried on its home ground.

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Museum-quality prints from 16-bit masters — metal, canvas or archival fine-art paper, printed in the USA.
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Questions people ask

Are coyotes dangerous to people?

Rarely. Attacks on people are very uncommon; most problems come from coyotes fed by people, on purpose or through pet food and trash. Small pets should be kept indoors at night.

How big is a coyote?

In California most adults weigh 20 to 35 pounds, about the size of a small German shepherd but much lighter built. Eastern coyotes, which carry some wolf ancestry, are bigger.

Sources
  1. IUCN Red List, Canis latrans
  2. California Department of Fish and Wildlife: Keep Me Wild, coyotes
  3. National Geographic: Coyote
  4. National Park Service: urban coyote research, Santa Monica Mountains
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