Coyote

Canis latrans

Coyote. Photo:Mont St-Hilaire Nature Center

An extremely adaptable animal, the coyote has invaded almost every type of habitat presented to it. Coyotes can be found throughout most of Canada except for Labrador, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Vancouver Island. They are very social, maintaining a hierarchy and high level of cooperation among the pack. Coyotes are very intelligent hunters often setting traps for their prey, but may become overzealous at times, attempting to capture large ungulates which often results in the coyotes defeat and retreat. With the ongoing expansion of the human population coyotes are forced to co-exist with people and subsequently are considered pests on farms and border towns as they hunt domestic animals and pets. In the wild coyotes feed mainly on small rodents (by pouncing on them) and carrion.

Distribution of Coyote in Canada