# Urban Coyotes **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 8, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311 "2023-12-08T20:11:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/1 "2023-12-08T20:11:10Z")
I have kind of a fascination with the urban coyote and the role he plays in urban America. The one thing I find the most puzzling is how it seemed to adapt to city life somewhat suddenly and even more strangely almost simultaneously all across the country. The coyote is well adapted to city living so that doesn’t puzzle me all, it is the timing that puzzles me. I have been racking my brain trying to identify changes in urban settings that may have contributed to this rather dramatic sudden adaptation. Some of the things that cross my mind but might be meaningless. Leash laws being more tightly enforced, up until the 1970’s big dogs still roamed most neighborhoods and would have discouraged coyotes. Feral cat populations had grown significantly, more greenspaces being allowed for in developments. And the last one that there sems to be fewer kids on the street playing. What else?? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/2 "2023-12-08T20:13:08Z")
Habitat encroachment by another invasive species. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/3 "2023-12-08T20:19:40Z")
That is the first one than most folks go to but in the case of the coyote his range spread alongside humans. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/4 "2023-12-08T20:23:27Z")
From [Coyote - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote#Range:) > [@](#): > > A 2017 genetic study proposes that coyotes were originally not found in the area of the eastern United States. From the 1890s, dense forests were transformed into agricultural land and wolf control implemented on a large scale, leaving a niche for coyotes to disperse into. There were two major dispersals from two populations of genetically distinct coyotes. The first major dispersal to the northeast came in the early 20th century from those coyotes living in the northern Great Plains. These came to New England via the northern Great Lakes region and southern Canada, and to Pennsylvania via the southern Great Lakes region, meeting together in the 1940s in New York and Pennsylvania. > > These coyotes have hybridized with the remnant gray wolf and eastern wolf populations, which has added to coyote genetic diversity and may have assisted adaptation to the new niche. The second major dispersal to the southeast came in the mid-20th century from Texas and reached the Carolinas in the 1980s. These coyotes have hybridized with the remnant red wolf populations before the 1970s when the red wolf was extirpated in the wild, which has also added to coyote genetic diversity and may have assisted adaptation to this new niche as well. Both of these two major coyote dispersals have experienced rapid population growth and are forecast to meet along the mid-Atlantic coast. The study concludes that for coyotes the long range dispersal, gene flow from local populations, and rapid population growth may be inter-related. Sounds like it could be a few different inter-related factors. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/5 "2023-12-08T20:29:19Z")
What is your basis for asserting that urban coyotes have spread suddenly and recently? [This map](https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/coyote-info/north-american-distribution) shows them distributed across most of the US, except for the deep South, in the early 1900s, and encroaching into the South in “1940-1990”. [This page](https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7d48d93ad02045b181c3d607a9eda335) has a similar animated map that shows a steady spread from 1900 to the present, and the text says “Beginning in the 1900s, coyotes began their expansion both westward and eastward from their historical range in central North America.” It also notes some reasons for the spread: > As humans moved across the continent they [altered the landscape](https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052%5B0185:TCITSE%5D2.0.CO;2) by logging, clearing land for agriculture, and developing towns and cities. Large predators such as bears and wolves were also lethally removed from many landscapes by humans. Both of these changes allowed for coyote expansion as the habitat became more suitable and the predators that limited coyote numbers through competition were suddenly gone. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/6 "2023-12-08T20:33:49Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > What is your basis for asserting that urban coyotes have spread suddenly and recently? [This map](https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/coyote-info/north-american-distribution) shows them distributed across most of the US, except for the deep South, in the early 1900s, and encroaching into the South in “1940-1990”. [This page](https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7d48d93ad02045b181c3d607a9eda335) has a similar animated map that shows a steady spread from 1900 to the present, and the text says “Beginning in the 1900s, coyotes began their expansion both westward and eastward from their historical range in central North America.” It also notes some reasons for the spread: I wasn’t puzzled by their rapid spread; it was the somewhat sudden adaptation to urban living that puzzled me. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/7 "2023-12-08T20:36:00Z")
Or humans came to his neck of the woods. The coyote being a lazy hunter found out these humans left nice edibles around in big piles, just for the taking. You know _Trash_. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/8 "2023-12-08T20:41:13Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > The coyote being a lazy hunter found out these humans left nice edibles around in big piles, just for the taking. Also, alas, pet cats and small dogs allowed to roam outside, plus feral cat populations. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/9 "2023-12-08T20:45:42Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Also, alas, pet cats and small dogs allowed to roam outside, plus feral cat populations. The coyotes nearly wiped out the feral cat populations as well as the raccoon and possum counts. I am hoping that ones who did survive will pass on a little more coyote resistant strain. Song bird populations have improved, and some evidence that owls are moving back in because of the rats and mice. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/10 "2023-12-08T21:14:32Z")
Predators go where the food is. Urban and suburban areas offer house cats and small dogs. And the bowls of food left outside for both that bring in racoons, also prey. Bird feeders offer food for squirrels and other animals that are food for the coyotes. And all of these prey animals are semi-tame due to the kindness of the humans that feed them. It really isn’t a mystery why you have coyotes in town. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/11 "2023-12-08T21:25:02Z")
Coyotes (and other wildlife) have learned to use rail corridors to travel in urban areas, as they are usually free of humans and cars and are often overgrown with brush. They can travel for miles and get into neighborhoods in search of food. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/12 "2023-12-08T21:29:24Z")
yes, flood control channels are another travel route. Smooth easy path. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/13 "2023-12-08T21:35:37Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > The coyote is well adapted to city living so that doesn’t puzzle me all, it is the timing that puzzles me. > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I wasn’t puzzled by their rapid spread; it was the somewhat sudden adaptation to urban living that puzzled me. ?? (and characters) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/14 "2023-12-08T21:36:48Z")
In Edmonton’s case, I think it went this way: The city decided that all our stormwater lakes should become ‘natural wetlands’, even though there’s nothing natural about them, and stopped cutting the grass, removing the bullrushes etc. They also stopped cutting grass on some boulevards and park areas and allowing it to go ‘natural’. We had an explosion of mice and rabbits. For a couple of years we had mice everywhere, and rabbits so common that on any given walk you’d see one or two of them in yards, etc. Now I don’t see as many rabbits and mice, but we have a LOT of coyotes around. We live on a stormwater lake, and we can’t let our dog out in our yard for long any more because she just barks incessantly at the coyotes. One night she was barking and I went out with a flashlight and turned it on towards the lake - and saw four or five pairs of glowing eyes looking back at me. A pack of coyotes probably trying figure out how to get at the dog. Occassionally we’ll see one just lying in the grass, enjoying the day. If sirens go off at night, it results in a cacaphony of coyote howls. I don’t know if I buy the ‘encroachment’ argument. We never had coyotes around 10 years ago, and now we do. There’s been no significant development in Coyote habitats in that period that I know of. I think they just go where the food is, and our cities are increasingly providing food for coyotes. In the process they are starting to become domesticated and less afraid of people, increasing their presence. In Vancouver, some people are afraid to walk their small dogs in Stanley Park because Coyotes are now brave enough to run out of cover during the day, snatch a dog on a leash, and run away with it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/15 "2023-12-08T21:56:00Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I wasn’t puzzled by their rapid spread; it was the somewhat sudden adaptation to urban living that puzzled me I will join the chorus in suggesting that this isn’t what actually happened. Coyotes have been underfoot around human encampments since forever. At least within their range. You may have suddenly become more aware of this, but it isn’t new. Ref @Sam_Stone’s excellent points just above, what _has_ been happening in North America since about the end of WW-II is the explosion of suburbia into what had been farms, woodlands, or rangelands, and the extermination of anything big enough to prey on coyotes (other than Fords). Plus of course the last 20-ish years fashion for lots of small dogs, and few roaming large ones. To the degree modern suburbia tries for a less-clearcut more park-like look than e.g. 1965 suburbia, that will provide more habitat. Plus as **Sam** said, the increasing awareness on the part of government landowners that it’s “better” from an eco-greenery standpoint to leave land wild-ish than to plant grass everywhere then mow weekly. Cheaper too. The potential unintended consequence being actually reintroducing a self-supporting, albeit still truncated, ecosystem of plants, insects, small herbivores, small carnivores, and coyotes as the apex predators enjoying this happy new buffet. And of course however noticeable one coyote is in one town, 100 is much more than 100 times as noticeable. Couple that with the advent of the internet where we all can easily research curiosity items from all over the country, and it’d be easy to conclude that there’s been a sudden massive change. There’s _has_ been a sudden massive change. But it’s mostly in each of our’s ability to research items of curiousity and to obtain info about local conditions in non-local locations from non-local sources. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/16 "2023-12-08T22:06:32Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There’s _has_ been a sudden massive change. But it’s mostly in each of our’s ability to research items of curiousity and to obtain info about local conditions in non-local locations from non-local sources. By sudden I am talking 50 years. I have always communicated with and read about hunting and fishing all over America. 50 years ago I heard rare mentions of coyotes in the city, each decade from that point on multiplied rapidly. Nothing to do with research beyond the fact that articles and stories have steadily increased during that same time period. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/17 "2023-12-08T22:16:18Z")
Not only Coyotes, but also Ravens- they used be be sorta rare in CA, but now they have adapted to us humans, and the lovely roadkill and garbage we leave. Not to mention mice. Also Peregrine falcons, who have found we make the bestest cliffs, with all sorts of fat tasty stupid pigeons. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/18 "2023-12-08T22:34:43Z")
I recently read a really interesting book, _Coyote America_, by Dan Flores. He made the point that there are stories of coyotes frequenting human encampments from before Europeans came to the continent. He also correlates the explosion of the coyote population and their spread to the eastern US with the near obliteration of the wolf population by the government. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/19 "2023-12-08T22:38:56Z")
A couple of the issues raised above (coyote-wolf hybrids due to wolf population collapse, and urbanization) were the subject of a PBS/Nature documentary, “Meet the Coywolf.” It’s no longer available on PBS, but it’s on YouTube [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30QxVnYKkEg). I, at least, found it fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311/20 "2023-12-08T22:44:05Z")
Hybridization was my first guess, but I’m surprised it’s wolves and not domestic dogs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-coyotes/994311.md?page=2)