Coyote

Range:
From Alaska, throughout Canada and the United States, and south into northern Central America

Habitat:
Deserts, mountains, scrub, as well as plains and grasslands.

Size:
Head and body length 30-39in; Tail length 12-16 in.Weight: depends on region (northern regions up to 75 lbs., deserts of Mexico ~25 lbs.)

Young (# and name: foal, calf, cub, etc.):
1-19 pups, averaging 6 pups

Gestation:
63 days

Diet (wild):
Opportunistic omnivores. 90% of their diet is mammalian meat and fruit is a large part of their diet as well

Diet (zoo):
Dog chow, small mice, chicken pieces, fruits and vegetables

Life spans (wild):
Up to 15 years

Life spans (captivity):
Up to 22 years

Status (common, threatened, endangered, etc.):
Protected in 12 out of 50 states.

Threats (to the wild population):
Coyotes are hunted for fur, for sport, and by farmers due to mostly unwarranted attacks on their livestock. Coyotes are trapped, poisoned, and often shot. They are also prone to distemper in pups, rabies, roundworms, and hookworms.

Anatomy/Physiology (anything unique or interesting):
Their coat is brownish yellow to dark grey with pale under parts. The coat has black ticking and there is a solid black long tail, used for balance when running. They have non-retractable claws to provide grip when running. They have binocular vision, with less color vision than humans. They have long ears that provide keen hearing and a long, narrow muzzle that provides acute sense of smell to detect their prey. They also have a Jacobson's organ that gives scent information to the brain.

Social/Family units:
Coyotes are generally solitary, but may hunt in breeding pairs. They have a home range of 14-65 square kilometers.

Habits (unique to species/collection animals):
They will scent mark using these glands to aid in individual recognition and to mark territory. They may also mark with urine, which when another coyote smells it, causes the flehmen response.

Communication (vocalization, etc.):
At least 11 have been recorded. These help in long range communication. The most familiar is howling. Each individual has a different howl.

Defensive/Aggressive behavior:
They will raise the hair above their shoulders, pull back their lips, put their ears straight up, and have their tail extended horizontally or lifted.

Prey items:
Rabbits, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, and sometimes carrion

Predators:
Wolves, cougars, and bears

Locomotion (type, top speeds, etc.):
They are quadrupedal. Coyotes can run up to 40 mph and jump up to 4 meters. They are great travelers, as well. One tagged coyote was found 400 miles away from where it was captured.

Activity (diurnal, nocturnal):
crepuscular and nocturnal

Any interesting story/fact (species or collection animal):
They can kill prey up to the size of pronghorn and mountain sheep. They may stalk an animal for 20-30 minutes, exhausting the prey, before pouncing on it. They may also hunt with badgers. The coyote will detect and locate the prey, and the badger will dig it up. They will then share in the reward.