coyote

coyote, originally uploaded by RicKarr.

The coyote (Canis latrans, meaning "barking dog" ) is a canine, or a relative of the domestic dog and wolf. Coyotes are native to North America and even parts of Central America. Rarely coyotes will creates packs like their wolf relatives, but for the most part, coyotes travel alone. Coyotes live an average of about 6 years. The word "coyote" was borrowed from Mexican Spanish, which itself borrowed the term from the Aztec word cóyotl which may have meant "singing dog". Coyotes are essentially nocturnal, but they will occasionally hunt during the day. Their behavior can vary widely depending on where they live, but in general they live and hunt singly or in monogamous pairs in search of small mammals including rabbits, mice, shrews, voles, and foxes. The coyote is an omnivore and adapts its diet to the available food sources including fruits, grasses, and vegetables along with small mammals. Coyotes mate for life. They breed around the month of February and four to six pups are born in late April or early May. Both parents help to feed the pups. At three weeks old the pups leave the den under close watch of their parents. Once the pups are eight to twelve weeks old they are taught to hunt. Families stay together through the summer but the young break apart to find their own territories by fall. They usually relocate within ten miles.