The coyote, Canis latrans, is a highly adaptable canid that successfully occupies diverse North American habitats. These animals exhibit a high degree of parental investment, with both the male and female caring for their young for many months. This parental care guides the pups from complete dependence to full independence and eventual dispersal from the family unit. The journey to leaving their mother is a gradual process tied to physical maturity and the acquisition of survival skills.
Early Development and Den Life
Coyote pups are born in the spring, between April and May, following a gestation period of about 63 days. Litter sizes range from five to seven pups, which are born blind, deaf, and weighing only about a pound. For the first two to three weeks, pups are completely dependent on the den for safety and the mother’s milk for nourishment.
Pups begin to open their eyes and straighten their ears around 10 to 12 days old, taking their first steps around 20 days old. They remain in the den for three to five weeks before venturing just outside the entrance. Weaning from the mother’s milk starts around four to six weeks of age.
The transition to solid food begins with parents and sometimes older siblings delivering regurgitated meat. By six to eight weeks of age, the pups are fully weaned and consuming dead prey brought back to the den site. As they outgrow the den, the family moves to above-ground “rendezvous sites,” which are protected areas with thick cover used as safe havens.
Achieving Functional Independence
The period from two to six months of age is the primary learning phase where pups begin to achieve independence. Although no longer restricted to the den, they remain under the close supervision of the family unit. At the rendezvous sites, pups practice nascent hunting skills, initially pouncing on insects and small rodents.
As summer progresses, adults continue to bring back whole prey, and pups are guided on foraging excursions and taught to recognize threats. By late summer or early fall, around six months of age, the pups are nearly full-sized and have developed most survival skills, including the ability to hunt and feed themselves. This marks the achievement of independence, meaning they can survive without parental provision.
The pups’ continued presence in the family group is important for refining these skills through observation and practice. They travel with their parents and older siblings, learning the territory boundaries and the best hunting strategies for their specific environment. The family unit stays together until this independence is fully established, often remaining cohesive through the fall months.
The Timing and Process of Dispersal
The final separation from the mother and the natal territory is known as dispersal, occurring between 8 and 18 months of age. This process begins in the late fall and continues through the following spring, before the parents prepare for the next breeding season. The timing is variable; some individuals leave as early as six months, while others may stay with the family for up to two years or longer.
Dispersal is driven by several factors, including the increasing competition for resources as the pups mature and the need to avoid inbreeding. As the pups reach sexual maturity, the breeding pair may become more assertive, encouraging the young coyotes to leave to establish their own territories. The onset of the breeding season in late winter serves as a natural prompt for the previous year’s offspring to depart.
The process is often perilous, as the dispersing young, known as transients, must cross unfamiliar and sometimes dangerous landscapes to find a vacant territory. Males tend to disperse earlier and travel greater distances than females, sometimes covering over 50 miles from their birthplace. A small number of pups, particularly females, may delay dispersal and remain with the family as “beta” coyotes, assisting the parents with the next litter.