Coyotes such as this one seen Aug. 2 have golden yellow eyes, long ears and slender bodies. (Photo: Karl Niemi)

We have all seen or know someone who has seen a coyote nearby. The 12,000 eastern coyotes (Canis latrans var.) in Massachusetts are around us, perhaps hiding as you walk by. They observe and learn from us much more than we do from them.

Eastern coyotes are more than just coyotes. These canids first mated with wolves in the Great Lakes region. After this, they expanded their range eastward until reaching the Northeast. DNA studies show that eastern coyotes are on average 64 percent western coyote (Canis latrans), 13 percent western gray wolf (Canis lupus), 13 percent eastern timber wolf (Canis lycaon) and 10 percent domestic dog (Canis familiaris). Because of their wolf and dog ancestors, eastern coyotes are different from western coyotes.

A coyote catches a squirrel in Malden on Dec. 4. (Photo: Karl Niemi)

First, eastern coyotes are larger than western coyotes and smaller than wolves. They weigh about 45 to 55 pounds. (Western coyotes weigh 25 to 30 pounds. Wolves weigh 60 to 145 pounds.) Eastern coyotes have longer legs than western coyotes, and their teeth erupt in a different order. Eastern coyote pups are more playful than western coyotes, and they reach sexual maturity later. 

Eastern coyotes appear in a range of colors from dark brown to reddish to grayish. Brownish-gray is the most common color, but occasionally, people might even see a black eastern coyote. (The black color comes from dog genes.) 

Although coyotes often live in groups, they usually hunt alone. (Photo: Karl Niemi)

There are even white coyotes! In 1985, a few eastern coyotes made their way to Newfoundland in Canada. For two decades, there were not many offspring. Then beginning in 2003, the population exploded. And some of these coyotes had white fur. They were not albinos. Scientists discovered that the white coyote gene is a recessive gene. A coyote needs a copy of this gene from both parents to be white. This recessive gene is also found in golden retrievers. Coincidentally enough, in March 2001 (coyote breeding season), a golden retriever in Newfoundland ran off with a coyote and was never seen again. If the two mated, some of the pups would have this recessive gene. Later, if two coyotes with this recessive gene mated, some offspring could be white. (In coyotes, this gene turns fur white instead of golden.)

A coyote trots through snow in Ten Hills, Somerville, on March 1, 2022. (Photo: Richard George)

Wolves most likely mated with coyotes 150 to 190 years ago when wolf populations were nearly wiped out in the Great Lakes region. Coyotes expanded their range into what had once been wolf territory. There, male wolves, unable to find a female wolf partner, mated with coyotes. These coyotes continued moving eastward into territories where wolves had once lived, since without wolf competition, these areas had abundant prey.

DNA evidence suggests that male dogs mated with female coyotes between 11 and 24 generations ago. Coyotes and dogs do not usually interbreed today because there are usually plenty of coyotes to mate with. Coyote pairs are monogamous and work together to raise their pups. Male dogs do not help females raise pups, so coyote survival is better when coyotes mate with other coyotes. Coyotes mate from January to March but most often in mid-February. During this time, male coyotes do not tolerate other canines in their territory. Conflicts with domestic dogs most often occur during this period.

This coyote, like all, pounces to catch rodent-sized prey such as this one on Nov. 4, 2022, though they chase larger animals. (Photo: Tom Murray)

Soon after mating, the female looks for den sites. She might dig out an existing hole or find a good spot among fallen trees, brush piles or under a shed. The den often has more than one entrance. Coyote females move pups to other dens if the first one is disturbed. Except when they are raising pups, coyotes do not live in dens. 

Like wolves, eastern coyotes form groups. Coyote groups, however, are families and not as structured as wolf packs. The female gives birth to four to eight pups in April or May. Only the highest-ranking female in a group mates and has pups. If coyote density in an area is low, young females leave their family groups early, mate and have larger-than-normal litters. In this way, even when they are heavily persecuted, coyote populations survive. (And they are persecuted: people kill half a million or more coyotes per year in the United States.)

A coyote pauses in Cambridge on Nov. 6, 2016. (Photo: Brian Rusnica)

Coyote pups remain with the mother in the den for about a month. The father brings food to the female. After two weeks, in addition to milk, the parents regurgitate food for the pups. The family abandons the den when the pups are weaned at about six weeks. In the fall, adolescent coyotes may leave the family to stake out their own territory. These coyotes may be solitary for a while, traveling 50 to 100 miles looking for a new territory. While rearing pups, the amount of food coyotes need greatly increases and encounters with humans are most likely to occur. 

When two species interbreed, the offspring are often less fit than either parent. But this is not what has happened with wolf, coyote and dog hybrids. Because of their greater genetic diversity, eastern coyotes are remarkably adaptable. Some eastern coyotes have adapted to live in forests, like wolves. (Western coyotes do not live in forests.) Others have prospered in urban areas, near humans. (Although coyotes are extremely wary of people in areas of Massachusetts where they are hunted and trapped.)

A smaller western coyote in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 6. (Photo: Kevin Desinger)

Coyotes use scat and urine to mark their territories and communicate by scent marking, but also by growling, howling, yipping, whining or barking. They are one of the most vocal of all North American mammals. In fact, the name Canis latrans means “barking dog.” Aggressive/submissive calls include woofs, growls, huffs, barks, yelps, and whines. Greeting calls include howling, yipping and wow-oo-wows. Contact calls include howls and yips. These calls announce territory, warn trespassing coyotes to stay away and reunite pack members after a bout of hunting. High-ranking coyotes do most of the vocalizing, although pups like to practice howling and can be raucous in late summer.

Urban eastern coyotes eat mostly rodents and rabbits, helping to keep these populations under control. But they are adaptable and will eat whatever is most attainable, including worms, squirrels, geese, snakes, young deer, frogs, berries, roadkill and garbage. It is thought that coyotes may help to slow the spread of Lyme disease by preying upon the white-footed mouse, the primary carrier of the Lyme disease bacteria. As you can tell, coyotes play an important role in our urban ecosystem, and we might be well advised to leave them alone so they can carry on their beneficial efforts.

Have you taken photos of our urban wild things? Send your images to Cambridge Day, and we may use them as part of a future feature. Include the photographer’s name, date and the general location where the photo was taken as well as any other relevant information.

Jeanine Farley is an educational writer who has lived in the Boston area for more than 30 years. She enjoys taking photos of our urban wild things.