The New Year brings a host of new things- resolutions we will forget next month, cold winter weather, and coyote mating season in Ohio. You may have noticed increased coyote activity in your backyard, at your local parks, or even in areas that are more developed. Coyote confrontations, even with pets, are fairly rare, but the ability to coexist with them is vital for the preservation of Ohio’s natural environment. We hope that through sharing some information about coyotes, people will understand the important role in our ecosystem they play and learn how to coexist with them without conflict.
Coyotes are a recent introduction into Ohio’s ecosystem. Prior to the 20th century, coyotes were only found west of the Mississippi, and over the last century have expanded eastward as more forests were cleared. Today, we find coyotes in all 88 of Ohio’s counties, filling the niche of predators that were once prevalent in Ohio- black bears, mountain lions, and timber wolves- but are now extirpated. They generally weigh somewhere between 20-35 pounds, are between 1.5 and 2 feet tall, with pointed ears, a narrow muzzle, and a black-tipped tail.
As we enter mating season and see an uptick in sightings, you may also hear them communicating with each other- people tend to think that this means that coyotes travel in packs because it sounds like a large group, but coyotes are generally loners when hunting or travelling. Only alpha pairs are known to hunt together. These monogamous alpha pairs mate in February and mate for life. They will look for a den in April after a gestation period of around 65 days and will give birth to anywhere from 4-11 pups. Coyotes are omnivorous, with most of their diet consisting of small rodents and vegetation, but can also include carrion, birds and their eggs, and insects.
Coyotes provide many benefits to our ecosystem, and it is important that we find ways to coexist with them. They are now apex predators, and help control populations of rodents, Canadian Geese, and other small nuisance animals. They also help us to keep our environment clean- they clear environments of carrion and help reduce the spread of Lyme and other zoonotic diseases. Coyotes are vital to maintain a balanced ecosystem. Below, we have shared a few tips that can protect your family and pets, hopefully allowing us to coexist with this important species:
- Always bring in your pet food at night
- Keep birdseed off the ground, and remove bird feeders if you spot a coyote on your property
- Keep your trash cans secure with tight fitting lids
- Always keep your pets on a leash when out for walks
- Supervise your pets and children when playing outdoors
- Fencing can be very helpful in keeping coyotes off your property
- Keep compost in a secure container
- Close off crawl spaces under decks and in places where coyotes may den
- If you see coyotes in your backyard, make loud noises with pots, pans, or whatever you can find
Coexistence truly is a group effort- share this advice with neighbors and community members, and we can find a way to allow both populations to exist without conflict. For more information:
https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/
For a deeper dive:
https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/resources
