Coyote - 'Wylie'

This is WYLIE. Wylie is a female Coyote, about a 6 year old. She was hit by a car and brought in because of her special needs.

The name coyote is a Spanish alteration of the original Aztec name coyotl. The Latin name Canis latrans, means barking dog.

Relying on teeth alone, prey is is grasped by the throat and suffocated. A coyote kill can always be identified by tooth punctures around the throat. Much predation to deer and domestic sheep has been blamed on coyotes, but multiple animal attacks are more commonly roaming packs of dogs. Dogs most often mutilate their prey on several parts of the body and mangle the flanks and hindquarters, but do not usually eat animals they have killed.

Coyotes will feast on livestock killed by dogs and will shun fresh meat for something that is a day old or more. Tracks around the dead livestock are another way to determine whether the attack was dogs or a coyote. Coyote tracks are oval shape with the front track larger than the hind track. Dog tracks are rounder, and the nails show more prominently.

Coyotes are more visible between April and August because the majority of coyote kits are born in spring and throughout the following months. Although folklore suggests they are howling at the moon, the coyote's howl, a more high-pitched yipping than a true howl, is perhaps used to declare their territory or warn others to respect territorial boundaries.