Coyotes

A wide variety of habitats across the United States are home for the coyote and they are found throughout the park. At Theodore Roosevelt, coyotes are usually seen among prairie dog towns and patrolling hillsides near the scenic drive. Coyotes are active throughout the day, but they are more easily seen early in the morning and around sunset. Each individual coyote or pack has a home territory they use on a regular basis, but they do not actively defend it except during breeding season and when the coyote pups are in their dens.

Coyote dens are found in a variety of places, including rocky ledges, brushy slopes, hollow logs, and even small caves. Sometimes they will use the shelters of other small animals, like badgers. They may even use the same den from year to year. Notably, den sites are primarily used when rearing pups and are abandoned for the rest of the year. It is not uncommon for coyotes to move to another den early in the spring while their pups are quite young. Relocating pups is suspected to be driven by disturbances near the original den, avoiding other nearby predators, or an infestation of parasites, like fleas or lice. These moves are generally not far because the mother coyote carries each pup, one by one, to the new den.

Coyotes breed between January and March. The pups are born about two months later, blind and helpless. They are cared for by the mother and other helpers, usually siblings from a previous year. The adult males of the pack help rear the young by bringing food to the mother and later, after weaning, to the pups themselves. The pups emerge from the den after about three weeks, playful and ready to learn from their parents how to fend for themselves. This learning relationship often lasts for about a year.

Coyotes are very vocal and communicate with each other by howling, yipping, and barking. Listen for coyotes howling at dusk year-round.