Facts about Nature's Wiliest Predator

• American Indian cultures in the West revered the coyote for its intelligence and adaptability. The Flatheads of the northern Rockies believed that if a coyote howled three times, it meant a friend or foe would visit the next day.
• Two radio-collared coyotes were tracked through a Chicago suburb and passed a woman pushing a baby stroller. When a researcher (carrying telemetry gear) stopped to ask the woman about the coyotes, she said "the dogs" often frequented the neighborhood.
• USDA Wildlife Service trappers have dealt with extremely smart coyotes, including several that have taken the time to spring every trap on a trap line, kick dirt on the traps and leave a urine calling card at each set.
• According to the USDA Wildlife Service, some radio-collared coyotes have traveled up to 100 miles from their point of release.
• The Rocky Mountain News reported that a "pack" of coyotes in a Denver suburb set up residence in a local country club and preyed on area pets and waterfowl.
• Coyote attacks occur regularly in California. In 2001, several coyotes attacked two children during recess at an elementary school. An 8-year-old girl was bitten on the back of her neck, and a 7-year-old boy was bitten on his back and arm. Both children underwent precautionary rabies treatments.
• One study that focused on the coyote's sense of taste discovered that the animals have a weakness for sugar and will gorge themselves on a sugar and water concoction, which is a behavior they share with hummingbirds.
• According to the only documented study of coyote vision, coyotes probably don't see any better in the dark than humans, but their peripheral vision is much more acute.
• A coyote in a Utah research compound revealed its meaner side. After a local rancher baled the hay in a large pasture, one of the study coyotes systematically visited every hay bale and bit through the twine, causing the bales to fall apart as they were being loaded.
• Coyotes are responsible for most livestock predation, according to a National Agricultural Statistics Service survey. In 2000, coyotes were responsible for 65 percent of all cattle and calf losses, and a 1999 survey attributed 61 percent of all sheep and lamb predation to coyotes. Livestock losses due to predation total about $71 million annually.
• Wildlife experts believe that 75 percent of the coyote population could be killed each year without causing irreparable damage to the overall population.
• Ranchers and farmers often use llamas and donkeys to protect sheep from coyotes. The llamas and donkeys roam with the sheep and chase away coyotes, which are wary of the animals' powerful hind legs.
  

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