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Canis latrans latrans Pennington County SD.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Madeleine H. · CC BY 2.0

Field guide · species

Coyote

Canis latrans

The coyote is an adaptable North American canid that can live in natural and human-modified landscapes. Its success reflects flexible food use and behavior, not an absence of ecological needs.

Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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Tree of lifeScientific lineage

Advanced classification

Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

cellular organisms cellular root
Eukaryota domain
Opisthokonta clade
Metazoa kingdom
Eumetazoa clade
Bilateria clade
Deuterostomia clade
Chordata phylum
Craniata subphylum
Vertebrata clade
Gnathostomata clade
Teleostomi clade
Euteleostomi clade
Sarcopterygii superclass
Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
Tetrapoda clade
Amniota clade
Mammalia class
Theria clade
Eutheria clade
Boreoeutheria clade
Laurasiatheria superorder
Carnivora order
Caniformia suborder
Canidae family
Canis genus
Canis latrans species

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Physical traits

A pointed muzzle, upright ears and a bushy tail accompany a grayish to tawny coat.

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Habitat and range

Grasslands, scrub, forests and some developed environments can provide habitat.

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Diet and nutrition

Small mammals are important prey, with carrion, fruit and other foods used when available.

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Behavior and activity

Individuals may forage alone, in pairs or in family associations. Social organization changes with resources and season.

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Geographic distribution

The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, United States.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗