We all remember the never-ending funny cartoon ‘œcatch me if you can’ race between a coyote and a road runner. A cartoon programme cannot show us the horror of one animal killing another and so sadly, the coyote never caught the road runner. What the cartoon does try to portray is the cunningness of a coyote which he uses to create fantastic contraptions and complicated plans to catch the road runner.

Some interesting facts about the cunning coyote are:

• Coyotes are also known as the ‘œtrickster’ because of their adaptability and wily ways of surviving.

• They are omnivores and will eat anything smaller than them to survive. In recent time, coyotes living near human habitats even eat human waste and small pets.

• Coyotes are from the dog family, Canidae, and make similar range of sounds. Their voices can be heard for long distances giving the illusion of numbers.

• Coyotes can run up to 43 miles per hour when escaping a predator or chasing a prey and are actually very good swimmer. They have well developed senses.

• Winter time is mating season for coyotes and like dogs, they have a litter of an average of 6 pups which are fully weaned in 6 weeks after which they leave their parents territory to make their own in the world.

• They are blind when they are born and only open their eyes at 9 days.

• Though coyotes are hunted, their population has still increased. This is because they are survivors and also their litter size increases when their numbers decrease.

• A coyote is also killed for its fur.

• Because wolfs and lions no longer exist in populated areas, coyotes have no predators to be scared of anymore. Vehicles are more of a threat to them than other animals.

• A coyote is the master of disguise and his tracks and droppings are indistinguishable from a dog. The way to differentiate a coyote is to look at his eyes which are yellow with dark pupils and shine green gold in the dark.

• They can interbreed with dogs and wolfs. Coyotes bred with wolves are bigger in size.

• They are pack animals leaded by mates ‘“ an alpha male and female. Coyotes are also monogamous which means that the male and female mates stay together for years. They’re most active at dawn and dusk.

• Coyotes can be scared away by loud noises and aggressive behaviour.

• They are as vulnerable to rabies as any member of the dog family.

• Project Coyote is a group of people protesting against the killing of coyotes and they believe that humans can peacefully coexist with wildlife.

Coyotes do have a bad reputation for causing trouble but in truth, like most animals, they will not disturb if they are not disturbed and they will only hunt when hungry of for their young. While this could include livestock and pets if they are near human populated area, a smart person will ensure his animals are safe before leaving then unattended to the ‘œpaws’ of a coyote.