Coyotes are seen as dangerous, so do coyotes eat squirrels?
Coyotes do eat squirrels, in fact, they will eat almost anything they can fit in their mouths. These animals are cunning and fast, they can outrun a squirrel and catch it with ease. The squirrel may try to distract the coyote with its tail, even breaking it off, but this distraction doesn’t always work.
Dubbed the “American Jackal”, the Coyote is a cunning and intelligent omnivore. This animal is deeply embedded in the history of North America. Coyotes are often depicted as tricksters by Native American folklore. They are a symbol of military might by the Mesoamerican cosmology, which flourished for 1000 years in North America before the Spanish colonization of the Americans.
The Anglo-Americas, especially farmers and ranchers, view the coyote’s cunningness and intelligence in a negative light. They saw coyotes as destructive, cowardly and untrustworthy animals. This has undoubtedly resulted in the hostile treatment of coyotes by humans.
Studies have shown that humans pose the greatest threats to coyotes more so than their natural enemies; cougars and gray wolves. This comes as no surprise as coyotes have been known to feed on livestock and pets and humans retaliate by hunting them.
Depending on the geography, a coyote’s fur colour can vary from light gray to red, dull orange and sometimes a light brown/tawny colour. They are smaller in size when compared to their closest relative, the wolf. Coyotes are often mistaken for the gray, eastern and the red wolf.
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Do coyotes eat squirrels?
Coyotes have been described as opportunistic predators capable of eating “almost anything’’ and squirrels, and all rodents alike, are no exception to their diet.
Squirrels are small to medium-sized rodents that live on a diet which is rich in protein, carbohydrates and fats. Once eaten, the protein, carbohydrates and fats are absorbed into the squirrel’s bloodstream and used by the squirrel for muscle and cellular growth and development. When the coyotes eat the squirrels they ingest the same nutrients resulting in cellular and muscle growth.
Squirrels are known for their speed, this is how they usually evade predators. The squirrel may try to run away to evade a coyote but this is futile. Coyotes won’t have an issue with catching squirrels. Coyotes are predators and over the years they have fine-tuned their prey catching techniques. A coyotes top speed is 34-42 mph while a squirrels top speed is 20 mph. Thus the coyote can easily outrun and catch a squirrel.
One way in which the squirrel can get away from the coyote predator is by distracting it with its tail. The squirrel creates a distraction by waving its tail. The tail can even break off while caught by the coyote, this allows the squirrel to escape.
What other animals eat squirrels?
The main animals that prey on squirrels include red and grey foxes, owls, eagles, dogs and cats. Snakes, bobcats and raccoons have also been observed hunting and feeding on them. These animals can catch and chase squirrels as they have adapted over time to be able to do so.
What else do coyotes eat?
90% of the coyote’s diet is meat and the remaining 10% is plant material. They have the ability to adapt their diet to the current climate, environmental conditions and availability of prey. Coyotes have been known to hunt and eat deer, rodents, rabbits, fish, amphibians, grass, fruits and livestock. They sometimes eat their prey alive, read more here.
Fruits and vegetables: These plants have key enzymes which are able to biosynthesis amino acids that coyotes can’t. They also offer the coyote a number of vitamins and minerals which cannot be acquired from eating animal meat.
Deer, rodents, rabbits/ wild animal meat: All this meat is rich in protein, iron, B vitamins (which help break down carbohydrates, protein and fats) are low in cholesterol (high levels of cholesterol can lead to plaque formation in the blood, which could block up arteries) and calories. They also eat dogs, skunks, raccoons and cats, click the links for more information.
Fish: Fish is a food source rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine, vitamin D and vitamin B2.
Frog: Frog meat provides the following nutrients to coyotes: proteins, calcium, phosphorus, iron and B Vitamins.
What do baby coyotes eat?
For the first 10 days after birth, the pups are only fed lactation (milk). The function of lactation is to provide nutrition and immune protection to the young. After 12 days, the pups start growing incisors and are introduced to regurgitated solid food as part of their diet.
It takes an average of four to six weeks for the pup’s milk teeth to grow and be fully functional. At this point, the pup’s are weaned off the milk and are fed a variety of solid food like mice, rabbits and carcass meat of larger animals.
How dangerous is a coyote?
Compared to their wolf relatives such as the gray wolf, coyotes are less aggressive and violent toward trespassers intruding on their territory. Gray wolfs will attack coyotes, read more here.
Animals seen trespassing on coyote territory are chased and sparred with but rarely killed. The only time a coyote will react with deadly force/violence towards intruders is during denning season. This is to protect the pups from any potential predators.
When threatened, coyotes pose a threat towards humans and pose an even greater danger to children and pets. Deadly encounters between humans and coyotes are mostly initiated by humans and have resulted in numerous coyote deaths.
When coyotes attack humans the humans will suffer minor injuries and bites marks. There have only been two recorded violent attacks by coyotes that have resulted in death.
Conclusion:
Coyotes are versatile animals with great adaptive skills. This has allowed them to conquer and evolve with the changing environment and climate.
Over the years they have steadily increased in numbers all across North America and have moved into central America, urban areas and been sighted in Panama. They have evolved, thrived and continue to grow in numbers regardless of the negative public opinion and the dangers posed to them by living in close proximity to humans.
From Native American folktales to the hit the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Coyotes will and forever be intertwined with North American history and culture
