9/3/2015 CitySlinkers|Science|Smithsonian

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CitySlinkers
Whyarecoyotes,thosecunningdenizensoftheplainsandrural
west,movingintourbancenterslikeChicagoandWashington
DC?

Coyotesindenselypopulatedareas(aLosAngelessuburb)canbealarming.Butwildlife
expertssaytheyfillanicheintheurbanecology.(TroyBoswell/LosAngelesAnimal
Services)

ByChristineDell'Amore
SmithsonianMagazine|Subscribe
March2006

KenFerebeewasoneofthefirsttonotice.He'saNationalParkServicebiologistassignedtoRockCreek
Park,a1,755acreswathofwoods,ballfieldsandpicnicareasintheheartofWashington,D.C.Since
2004,he'dobservedthatdeerkilledbycarsweremysteriouslybeingdraggedaway,andhedheard
strangeyipsandyowls.Then,ayearago,hesawacoyotedartacrossaroadjustafterdawn.

Thecoyote,thatcunningcanineofwideopenspaces,hascometothenation'scapital.AndtoNewYork,
Chicago,LosAngelesandothercities.Infact,coyoteshavespreadtoeverycorneroftheUnitedStates,
shiftingtheirbehaviorstofitnewhabitatsandspurringresearcherstocopewithaworrisomenewkindof
carnivore:theurbancoyote.

InaclearingneartheedgeofRockCreekPark,Ferebeestompsthroughdensethornbushesandpeeks
undertherootsofafallentreeatacoyoteden.Hesaysitprobablyshelterednewbornpupsafewmonths
earlier.Ferebeesaysthatlargelybecauseoftheirtasteforlivestock,"Coyoteshaveabadrap,like

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wolves."Hestoopstolookforcoyotescat."Werenotgoingtocatchthem,"headds."Idon'tseeitasa
badthingforapark.Iseeitasgoodforkeepinganimalpopulationsincontrol,likethesquirrelsandthe
mice."

Coyotesoriginallyinhabitedthemiddleofthecontinent,betweentheRockyMountainsandthe
MississippiRiver,andAlberta,Canada,andcentralMexico.In1804,LewisandClarkdubbedtheanimal
the"prairiewolf."In1823,naturalistThomasSaygaveittheLatinnameCanislatrans,orbarkingdog.
Oneofitsmostcelebratedtraitsisitstrickinesscoyoteshavebeenoutsmartingtrappersforcenturies.
Recently,biologistJonWay,whohasbeenstudyingthepredatorsinMassachusetts,setatrapnearthe
BostonAirport.Coyotessomehowsnaggedtheribmeatputoutasbaitwithoutgettingcaught.Inthe
Navajoversionofthecreationoftheworld,oldmenhadjustfinishedembroideringtheskyinbrilliant
patternswhenthetricksterCoyoteranacrosstheirwork,scatteringthestars.

Thecoyote'scraftinessmadetheanimalanotoriouspesttoWesternsheepfarmersand,occasionally,
cattleranchers.Inthemid19thcentury,cowboyscarriedsacksofstrychnineintheirsaddlebagstoinject
intoanimalcarcasses,topoisonthecoyotesthatscavengedthem.A1927LiteraryDigestarticlesaid
Kansasrankedthecoyote"inthecategoryofevilsalongsidebeer,cigarettesandWallStreet."Ranchers
andhunters,aswellasafederalagencycalledPredatorandRodentControlaforerunneroftoday's
WildlifeServicestrapped,shotandpoisonedmorethanamillioncoyotesinthe1900s.Itsstilloneof
America'smosthuntedanimalsin2003,WildlifeServiceskilled75,724ofthem.

Yetthecoyotehaspersevered.Bytheendofthe20thcentury,theanimalhadcolonizedthetundraof
Alaska,thetropicalforestsofPanamaandtheurbanjungleofNewYorkCity.(Theonlymajorlandmass
intheeasternUnitedStateswhereyoucan'tfindthecoyoteisLongIsland,althoughtheyhavebeen
spottedtryingtoswimacrossLongIslandSound.)Howhasthecoyotepulledoffthisextraordinaryfeat?
"Iguessifyouwantedtouseoneword,it'dbe'plasticity,'"saysEricGese,apredatorecologistatUtah
StateUniversity.Coyotescanlivealone,asmatedpairs,orinlargepackslikewolveshuntatnightor
duringthedayoccupyasmallterritoryorlayclaimto40squaremilesandsubsistonallsortsoffood
livingordead,fromlizardsandshoes,tocricketsandcantaloupes.Althoughtheirnativedietconsistsof
smallrodents,GesehasseenapacktakedownasickelkinYellowstoneNationalPark."Coyotesare
withoutadoubtthemostversatilecarnivoresinAmerica,maybeevenworldwide,"saysMarcBekoff,an
animalbehavioristwhohasstudiedthemfor30years.

PeopleunwittinglyhelpedcoyotesflourishwhentheyexterminatedmostofthewolvesintheUnited
States.Coyotesbecametopdog,fillingthewolf'secologicalniche.Deforestationandagricultureopened
uppreviouslydensetractsofforest,andhumansettlements,withtheirgarbage,vegetablegardens,
compostpilesanddomesticpets,providedfood.

Theexpansionofcoyotesintourbanareas,though,isrecent.Untilthe1990s,thefarthestthatcoyotes
hadventuredintoChicagowastoforestedreservesnearthecitylimits.But"somethinghappened,"says
StanGehrt,awildlifebiologistatOhioStateUniversity,"somethingwedon'tcompletelyunderstand."
Withintenyearsthecoyotepopulationexploded,growingbymorethan3,000percent,andinfiltratedthe
entireChicagoarea.Gehrtfoundterritorialpacksoffivetosixcoyotes,aswellasloneindividuals,called
floaters,livingindowntownChicago.Theytraveledatnight,crossingsidewalksandbridges,trotting
alongroadsandduckingintoculvertsandunderpasses.Onepairraisedpupsinadrainageareabetweena
daycarefacilityandapublicpoolalonefemalespentthedayrestinginatinymarshnearabusy
downtownpostoffice.PerhapsmostsurprisingtoGehrt,Chicago'surbancoyotestendedtoliveaslong
astheirparklandcounterparts.Nooneknowswhycoyotesaremovingintocities,butGehrttheorizesthat
shrewder,morehumantolerantcoyotesareteachingurbansurvivalskillstonewgenerations.

InSouthernCalifornia,wherecoyoteshavebeenlivingamongpeoplesincetheonsetofurbansprawl
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afterWorldWarII,theanimalshavebecomemorenumerousinthepast20yearsorso.Therehavebeen
atleast160attacksonpeopleintheUnitedStatesinthepast30years,mostintheLosAngelesCounty
area.Themajoritywerebites,ofteninflictedwhilepeoplewereprotectingtheirpets.Onecoyoteattack,
ona3yearoldgirlplayinginherfrontyardinGlendalein1981,wasfatal.Afterward,residentsofthe
LosAngelessuburbstartedacampaigntoeducatepeopleaboutnotfeedingcoyotesorleavingpetfood
andgarbageunsecured.That,plusanintensivetrappingprogramintheneighborhood,cutdownonthe
coyotepopulation.

Thecoyote'saffinityforlifeinthebigcityhassurprisedmanyresearchers.Butodderstillisthecoyote's
propensityforbreedingwithwolves.CaninespecieswithinthegenusCanis,whichincludescoyotes,
wolvesanddomesticdogs,arecapableofinterbreeding,buttheyusuallystickwiththeirownkind.The
"coywolf"hybridislargerthanapurebredcoyote.ItisfoundinnortheasternMinnesota,southern
OntarioandsouthernQuebec,MaineandNewYork.Researchersrecentlystudiedthegeneticprofilesof
100coyoteskilledbyhuntersinMaine.Ofthoseanimals,23hadsomewolfgenes.Mostcrossesoccur
betweenmalewolvesandfemalecoyotes.Someofthehybridsgoontomatewithotherhybrids,creating
whatoneresearchercallsa"hybridswarm"thathasthepotentialtoevolveintoanewspecies.Eastern
coyotesareheftierthanthoseintheWest:onecoyoteinMainetippedthescalesat68pounds,afarcry
fromtheslim15poundersintheGreatPlains.Researchersdon'tknowifthelargerEasterncoyotescarry
wolfgenesorhaveindependentlyevolvedalargersize.Ortheymayjusthavearicherdiet,withplenty
ofaccesstodeer.

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