Coyotes, highly adaptable wild canids found across North and Central America, navigate diverse environments from forests to urban settings. Their widespread presence often leads to questions about their dietary habits, especially regarding less conventional food sources like carrots. This article aims to clarify the opportunistic diet of coyotes, examining what they typically consume and how their eating patterns adjust to available resources.
The Likelihood of Coyotes Eating Carrots
While coyotes are classified as omnivores, carrots are not a primary or preferred food. As highly opportunistic feeders, they might consume carrots if readily available, such as from a garden, or when other food sources are scarce. Studies indicate their typical plant diet includes wild fruits, berries, and grasses, rather than root vegetables like carrots. However, some sources list carrots, alongside other garden vegetables like tomatoes, cantaloupe, and watermelon, as items coyotes might eat, especially in human-inhabited areas.
A Coyote’s Diverse Diet
Coyotes are primarily carnivorous, with meat making up a significant portion, often around 90%, of their diet. Their natural prey includes a variety of small to medium-sized mammals such as rodents, rabbits, hares, and squirrels. They also hunt birds, insects, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Coyotes are also known to scavenge, readily consuming carrion, or dead animals, which can range from roadkill to larger carcasses like deer.
Beyond animal matter, coyotes supplement their diet with various plant materials, especially seasonally. Common plant-based foods include wild fruits such as peaches, blackberries, pears, blueberries, and apples. They also eat grasses and grains, particularly during winter. This dietary flexibility allows coyotes to adapt to changing food availability across different seasons and habitats.
Coyotes in Human Habitats
Coyotes frequently venture into human-populated areas, drawn by readily available food sources. This opportunistic behavior extends to items found around homes and gardens, such as pet food left outdoors, fallen fruit from trees, and even contents from unsecured trash bins. While some studies suggest human-related food, including garbage and ornamental fruits, can make up a notable portion of urban coyote diets, other research indicates that natural prey still forms the majority of their intake even in urban settings.
To discourage coyotes from frequenting residential areas, it is advisable to remove potential attractants. This includes securing garbage, bringing pet food indoors, and clearing fallen fruit from yards. Such measures help prevent coyotes from associating human dwellings with easy meals.