The coyote is an adaptable canid that thrives across North America. In many ecosystems, the coyote is a mesopredator, meaning it occupies a middle position in the food web. While it preys on smaller animals, it must also evade larger, more powerful carnivores. This dynamic places the coyote in a world where it is both the pursuer and the pursued.
Apex Predators of Adult Coyotes
Full-grown coyotes face threats from larger predators capable of overpowering them. Gray wolves are a primary adversary, often killing coyotes to eliminate competition for resources. Studies have shown that the reintroduction of wolves into areas like Yellowstone National Park led to a significant decline in coyote populations, as wolves actively hunt and displace their smaller canid relatives.
Mountain lions, also known as cougars, are another predator of adult coyotes. Unlike the competitive-driven killing by wolves, mountain lions are more likely to hunt coyotes as a direct food source. Bears, including both grizzlies and American black bears, will also prey on coyotes opportunistically. For a lone coyote, an encounter with any of these apex predators is often lethal.
Threats to Coyote Pups
The dangers for a coyote are most pronounced in its earliest stages of life. Coyote pups are far more vulnerable than adults and face a wider array of predators. Their small size makes them a target for animals that would not typically challenge a full-grown coyote.
Among the most effective predators of pups are large birds of prey. Golden eagles, in particular, are known to hunt and carry off young coyotes from their dens. On the ground, bobcats present a threat to pups, being formidable enough to prey on the young. In some instances, other coyotes may kill the pups of a rival pack to reduce local competition for food and territory.
The Human Factor
Beyond the natural food web, the most significant source of mortality for coyotes comes from human activities. While animals like wolves or bears impact coyote populations in specific ecosystems, human influence is widespread and multifaceted, making it the single largest factor affecting their survival today.
Organized hunting and trapping programs, often state-regulated, are a direct method of population control. Vehicle collisions are another major source of death, especially in suburban and urban areas where coyote habitats overlap with human development. This habitat fragmentation and loss also forces coyotes into closer contact with people, sometimes leading to conflicts that result in the removal or death of the animal.