Discover the Wild Side: Top 14 Entertaining and Unusual Facts About Coyotes You Never Knew

1. Mountain-Climbing Coyotes

Move over, Sherpas, we've got some four-legged mountaineers: Coyotes have been spotted at elevations up to 11,000 feet in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah and between 8,000 and 9,000 feet in Arizona's White Mountains, adapting to the heights in search of food sources like rabbits, marmots, and pikas.
Source => predatormastersforums.com

2. Monogamous Mates

Coyotes: putting most human relationships to shame since forever! In a world full of casual flings and heartbreak, these furry lovebirds commit to a monogamous partnership for life, staying true to their mate until death do them part – although, they're not always averse to sneaking in some extracurricular activities during estrus: Despite the occasional extra-pair copulation, coyotes generally remain faithful to their partner and maintain their relationship with just one lucky individual throughout their lives.
Source => academic.oup.com

Did you know foxes have over 20 unique vocalizations, using scent and body language to communicate? Discover their secret language!

=> Fun Facts about Foxes

3. Canine Party-Crashers

Coyotes, the party-crashers of the canine world, have been hitting it off with gray wolves, eastern wolves, and even your neighbor's Fido, making hybrid babies galore: While not all of their hybrid offspring are fertile, coyotes' genetic compatibility with their wolf relatives and domestic dogs has raised concerns about the conservation and purity of distinct wolf populations in areas where this interspecies mingling occurs.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Garbage Gourmands

Did you hear about the coyote culinary connoisseurs? Just call them the Garbage Gourmands of the Animal Kingdom: Urban coyotes have been found to munch on a diet consisting of 60 to 75 percent human food, including trash, ornamental fruits, and even domestic cats — proving that they'll take an all-you-can-eat buffet over rabbit à la carte any day!
Source => nps.gov

5. Interspecies Mingling

Forget speed dating, coyotes are into interspecies mingling: These crafty canines have been spotted hunting cooperatively with badgers and eavesdropping on crows' foodie gatherings. Often solo wanderers, they'll occasionally team up like a misfit buddy cop movie to take down prey, which has helped them thrive from the wilds to the city streets.
Source => nps.gov

6. Song Dog Idol

If a coyote crooned his heart out on American Idol, Simon might exclaim, "You've got a song in your soul, Mr. Song Dog!": Coyotes, also known as "song dogs," possess distinctive vocalizations, with group yip-howls and individual howls and barks for bonding and territory marking. Their unique "warbles" allow them to identify each other even at distances greater than a mile, proving they really have that X-Factor!
Source => adirondackalmanack.com

7. Canine Kings of Crooning

Move over, Sinatra: coyotes are the real kings of crooning! Providing canine concerts filled with yelps, barks, and howls that echo for miles, these cunning crooners manage to coexist peacefully among our urban neighborhoods while adapting their diet and lifestyle like true maestros.
Source => cosleyzoo.org

8. Masters of Ventriloquism

Coyotes: the original masters of ventriloquism, astonishing audiences with their seemingly omnipresent chatter, drawing curiosity from near and far. The serious reveal: Coyotes use a complex system of vocalizations including yip-howling, yaps, and barks to communicate amongst themselves, often creating an auditory illusion that there are more of them around than there actually are.
Source => weston.org

9. Canine Soap Opera Stars

In the thrilling world of canine soap operas where coyotes are the sly protagonists with a knack for stirring up trouble: these cunning canids display assertive behavior when protecting their territory and family, which may include following or nipping at dogs they perceive as threats, but it's wise for us humans to give them space, as they can turn aggressive if feeling threatened.
Source => coyoteyipps.com

10. Speedy Sprinters

If the flash and the roadrunner ever had a ferocious fur baby, it would be the coyote: These lightning-quick creatures can sprint at a jaw-dropping 43 mph (69 km/h) to catch their dinner or skedaddle from danger, but don't expect them to win a marathon, as they can only maintain their top speed for a mere quarter mile (0.4 km)!
Source => zooologist.com

11. Prankster Protagonists

Meet the original prankster, coyotes: giving the mischievous teenagers in your favorite high school movies, and your crazy uncle who pulled pranks at every family gathering, a run for their money. These sly animals are considered both heroes and tricksters in Indigenous cultures such as Syilx Okanagan and Secwepemc, shaping societal knowledge, spirituality, and worldviews through their adventurous antics while also gifting elements of the natural world such as food, plants, medicines, and animals to their ecosystems.
Source => okanagan.bc.ca

12. Doggy-Devouring Myth Debunked

Though coyotes may have gained a reputation as sly, doggy-devouring schemers (probably thanks to that pesky Wile E. Coyote and his never-ending pursuit of the Road Runner), the truth about these cunning creatures might just surprise you: Contrary to popular belief, coyotes don't actively hunt down other canines, especially small dogs, but prefer to munch on rodents and other small mammals, occasionally socializing with other dogs rather than plotting their demise.
Source => forfoxsakewildlife.com

13. Treasure-Hunting Coyotes

Coyote treasure hunters, burying everything, including the kitchen sink: Coyotes boast impeccable memory, allowing them to efficiently cache an array of items, like odoriferous moles, snake skins, and even rocks, exhibiting a first-come, first-serve hierarchy while sharing their buried loot.
Source => coyoteyipps.com

14. All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Bandits

Meet the furry bandits with an all-you-can-eat buffet mentality: coyotes are opportunistic predators that feast on rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, fawns, and even calves, making them one of the most hunted animals in North America.
Source => montanadecoy.com