How does a wild animal live so close to people? Coyotes live in forests, grasslands and deserts, and even in cities. The big city of Los Angeles has coyotes too.

A coyote is about four to five feet long from its nose to the tip of its tail. The tail has a black tip. The eyes are yellow. A grown coyote weighs about 20 to 50 pounds.

Coyotes mostly eat small animals such as rabbits and rodents. They eat fruit as well as meat. They also eat birds. They also eat large insects.

Coyotes are opportunistic eaters. That means they take the food that is easy to find. A coyote will eat almost anything it can find. It also eats animals that are already dead. These are called carrion.

Coyotes are most active at night. In the Chicago area, coyotes are mostly active at night too.

Coyotes howl to tell other coyotes where they are. They make many different sounds, such as howls, yips and barks. A coyote also has a keen sense of hearing.

Coyotes often live in pairs or in family groups. They are less likely to form packs than wolves are.

Coyotes mate in late winter. The pups are born about two months later, in spring. A coyote family often has five to seven pups at a time.

Coyotes have spread east across North America over the last hundred years or so. Today they live over most of North America. Scientists call coyotes very adaptable animals. Coyotes have adapted well to places that people have changed.

Words to know

• opportunistic: takes easy food
• carrion: dead animals
• mate: pair up
• rodents: mice and rats