Coyotes
canis latrans
God's Dog
Prarie Wolf
Coyotes are something like groundhogs, which I wrote about in my last post. They have increased their range since human encroachment began. We have been creating ideal circumstances for them.....where there are no wolves, or bears or what have you, coyotes can live quite happily. Coyotes have been filling the ecological niche of wolves. They also feed, quite happily, on food scraps in garbage. They are small, resourceful and live either alone, or with a mate, rather than large packs, something which gives them a significant edge over wolves when it comes to urban dwelling. They will eat rodents of many kinds, mice, rats, shrews and rabbits, as well as foxes. In a pinch, they will eat fruits, grasses, and vegetables. in some places where Coyotes have completely filled the wolf's niche, they will hunt in packs and bring down larger prey. An animal designed for survival.
I have seen coyotes, though never here. I have, however, heard them at night sometimes, howling at one another. I've read that in rural areas, once they get started, they will respond to human howls, or recordings of coyote howls, though I cannot, as yet, confirm this through personal experience. It's all at once an eery, and a cheering sound, a sound that makes part of me want to run off with my animal brethren....who would, in all likelyhood, bite me if I tried anything untowards, so it's probably all for the best I don't . I would like to see our local coyotes, but even without that, I treasure the times I have seen them. They really are marvelous animals....a lovely sandy colour, and so small.... the average coyote is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) high, and weighs in at some 31 pounds (14 kilograms). There ARE, of course, coyotes larger than that, but anything much larger probably has some red wolf, or dog in it's lineage. They look at you with an expression divided between thinking that you owe them something and humour, with a healthy dose of "what fools this mortals be" mixed in for good measure. It's easy to see how the Coyote became a trickster figure.
That's another thing. they have featured prominently in myths. Most people seem to have heard of Old Man Coyote, for example, and he has worked his way into alot of popular fiction, the novels of Thomas King and Charles de Lint, for example. however, he was not limited to the role of trickster. in some traditions, Coyote was a creator of sorts, either through intent, or by mistake. I recall a myth....I forget from which tradition, though I DO know it's one of the southwestern nations,in which the creator is making people from clay. He asks Coyote to watch the clay people in the kiln, and tell him when they are ready. During one attempt, Coyote removes the people too quickly, thus leaving them pale, so the creator sends them away. Caucasians as one of God's mistakes, thanks to Coyote. I've always rather liked that one, although it does cast a less than flattering light on my ethnic origins. He has also been a culture hero, creating traditions, passing down taboos, and occasionally fooling the white man for the sake of the natives. The Navajo traditionally reffered to the Coyote as God's Dog, though not, of course, in english. There are two books, both of which I would very much like to posses, with that particular name as title. One is a work of natural history, and the other one of fiction.
Many believe that Coyotes are a threat to livestock. Some sources, which I have since lost and thus cannot list with any degree of accuracy, however, claim that the real threat comes not from pure Coyotes, but from Coydogs, Coyote-dog hybrids, and theorem supported by the fact that coyotes very rarely hunt in packs, and are too small to bring down any large prey on their own, though I would not want to leave my chickens running about if i knew there were Coyotes in the neighbourhood. They can, afterall, interbreed with both dogs and wolves.
You can, perhaps, tell that I have a great respect, and even affection for Coyotes. It would be more evident from my possesions, but Coyotes are, i feel, sorely under-represented in art and industry. One can find all manner of things with wolf motifs, but in Canada at least, coyotes are in short supply. I've often tried to find paintings, prints, scultures or stuffed animals with no success. Wile E. Coyote doesn't count, as much as I am fond of Loony Toons.
Sometimes I think that to be a coyote would be a very fine thing indeed.
canis latrans
God's Dog
Prarie Wolf
Coyotes are something like groundhogs, which I wrote about in my last post. They have increased their range since human encroachment began. We have been creating ideal circumstances for them.....where there are no wolves, or bears or what have you, coyotes can live quite happily. Coyotes have been filling the ecological niche of wolves. They also feed, quite happily, on food scraps in garbage. They are small, resourceful and live either alone, or with a mate, rather than large packs, something which gives them a significant edge over wolves when it comes to urban dwelling. They will eat rodents of many kinds, mice, rats, shrews and rabbits, as well as foxes. In a pinch, they will eat fruits, grasses, and vegetables. in some places where Coyotes have completely filled the wolf's niche, they will hunt in packs and bring down larger prey. An animal designed for survival.
I have seen coyotes, though never here. I have, however, heard them at night sometimes, howling at one another. I've read that in rural areas, once they get started, they will respond to human howls, or recordings of coyote howls, though I cannot, as yet, confirm this through personal experience. It's all at once an eery, and a cheering sound, a sound that makes part of me want to run off with my animal brethren....who would, in all likelyhood, bite me if I tried anything untowards, so it's probably all for the best I don't . I would like to see our local coyotes, but even without that, I treasure the times I have seen them. They really are marvelous animals....a lovely sandy colour, and so small.... the average coyote is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) high, and weighs in at some 31 pounds (14 kilograms). There ARE, of course, coyotes larger than that, but anything much larger probably has some red wolf, or dog in it's lineage. They look at you with an expression divided between thinking that you owe them something and humour, with a healthy dose of "what fools this mortals be" mixed in for good measure. It's easy to see how the Coyote became a trickster figure.
That's another thing. they have featured prominently in myths. Most people seem to have heard of Old Man Coyote, for example, and he has worked his way into alot of popular fiction, the novels of Thomas King and Charles de Lint, for example. however, he was not limited to the role of trickster. in some traditions, Coyote was a creator of sorts, either through intent, or by mistake. I recall a myth....I forget from which tradition, though I DO know it's one of the southwestern nations,in which the creator is making people from clay. He asks Coyote to watch the clay people in the kiln, and tell him when they are ready. During one attempt, Coyote removes the people too quickly, thus leaving them pale, so the creator sends them away. Caucasians as one of God's mistakes, thanks to Coyote. I've always rather liked that one, although it does cast a less than flattering light on my ethnic origins. He has also been a culture hero, creating traditions, passing down taboos, and occasionally fooling the white man for the sake of the natives. The Navajo traditionally reffered to the Coyote as God's Dog, though not, of course, in english. There are two books, both of which I would very much like to posses, with that particular name as title. One is a work of natural history, and the other one of fiction.
Many believe that Coyotes are a threat to livestock. Some sources, which I have since lost and thus cannot list with any degree of accuracy, however, claim that the real threat comes not from pure Coyotes, but from Coydogs, Coyote-dog hybrids, and theorem supported by the fact that coyotes very rarely hunt in packs, and are too small to bring down any large prey on their own, though I would not want to leave my chickens running about if i knew there were Coyotes in the neighbourhood. They can, afterall, interbreed with both dogs and wolves.
You can, perhaps, tell that I have a great respect, and even affection for Coyotes. It would be more evident from my possesions, but Coyotes are, i feel, sorely under-represented in art and industry. One can find all manner of things with wolf motifs, but in Canada at least, coyotes are in short supply. I've often tried to find paintings, prints, scultures or stuffed animals with no success. Wile E. Coyote doesn't count, as much as I am fond of Loony Toons.
Sometimes I think that to be a coyote would be a very fine thing indeed.
Labels: mammals
posted by Gaelan | 7:05 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for the background on coyotes. I had heard of them referred to as "God's dog". I am trying to remember that title for them even when they eat my sheep.
I became interested in the coyote when I moved out to Alberta in 2004. I lived in the Badlands, outside of Drumheller.
I loved hearing them howling at night. Some times I would see a couple of them from my window lying beneath one of the olive trees early in the morning. They are very clever and very caring for their family.
Many people killed them for their fur and because they were going after their cattle. Cattle in Alberta take up so much land there.
A couple of young men used to hunt them by using a recording to call them out from their dens and then they would shoot them with their high powered rifles. They would then bring them to the Hutterites, who would then skin them and sell their fur. As some people out there use to say, "The only good coyote is a dead coyote."
It's too bad that humans have not let learned to share the land with all creatures.
Needless to say, I only stayed there a year and returned to Ottawa.
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