Coyote

(Canis latrans)

Conservation  •  Description  •  Habitat  •  Ecology  •  Distribution  •  Taxonomy

Conservation Status
Coyote
Photo by Christa Rittberg
IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

  
NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

  
Minnesota

not listed

  
     
     

Description

Total length: 46″ to 52″

Tail: 12″ to 14″

Size

 

Sign

 

Similar Species

 

Habitat

Open brushy areas.

Ecology

Behavior

 

Lifespan

10 to 14½ years

Life Cycle

 

Food

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

  

Sources

6, 7, 24, 29, 30.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 12/11/2025).

Timm, R. M. 1975. Distribution, natural history, and parasites of mammals of Cook County, Minnesota. Occasional Papers, Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota 14:1–56.

Hazard, Evan B. 1982. The Mammals of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 280 pp.

The counties in light green lack modern records but have historic county or township specimens or records.
12/11/2025  
   
   
   
   
     

Occurrence

Common

Taxonomy

Class

Mammalia (Mammals)

Subclass

Theria

Infraclass

Placentalia (Placental Mammals)

Magnorder

Boreoeutheria

Superorder

Laurasiatheria (Ungulates, Carnivorans, and Allies)

Order

Carnivora (Carnivorans)

Suborder

Caniformia (Dog-like Carnivores)

Infraorder

Cynoidea

Family

Canidae (Canids)

Subfamily

Caninae

Tribe

Canini

Genus

Canis (Wolves and Dogs)

Subordinate Taxa

Belize Coyote (Canis latrans goldmani)

California Valley Coyote (Canis latrans ochropus)

Colima Coyote (Canis latrans vigilis)

Desert Coyote (Canis latrans estor)

Dickey’s Coyote (Canis latrans dickeyi)

Durango Coyote (Canis latrans impavidus)

Lower Rio Grande Coyote (Canis latrans microdon)

Mearns Coyote (Canis latrans mearnsi)

Mexican Coyote (Canis latrans cagottis)

Mountain Coyote (Canis latrans lestes)

Great Lakes Coyote (Canis latrans thamnos)

Northern Coyote (Canis latrans incolatus)

Northwest Coast Coyote (Canis latrans umpquensis)

Pallid Coyote (Canis latrans pallidus)

Peninsula Coyote (Canis latrans peninsulae)

Plains Coyote (Canis latrans latrans)

Plains Coyote (Canis latrans nebracensis)

San Pedro Martir Coyote (Canis latrans clepticus)

Southeastern Coyote (Canis latrans frustror)

Southeastern Coyote (Canis latrans hondurensis)

Texas Plains Coyote (Canis latrans texensis)

Tiburon Island Coyote (Canis latrans jamesi)

Synonyms

Canis andersoni

Canis caneloensis

Canis clepticus

Canis estor

Canis frustror

Canis goldmani

Canis hondurensis

Canis impavidus

Canis irvingtonensis

Canis jamesi

Canis lestes

Canis mearnsi

Canis microdon

Canis nebrascensis

Canis orcutti

Canis pallidus

Canis peninsulae

Canis riviveronis

Canis vigilis

Lyciscus cagottis

Common Names

Brush Wolf

Coyote

Prairie Wolf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor Photos

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Mike Poeppe
Coyote or Gray Wolf

Coyote/wolf

I found this pair about 6 miles south of Houston on Thursday morning. I am not sure if they are wolves or coyote? They were out about 1/2 mile and sure looked big for out that far.

Dan W. Andree

Coyote on the run...

I seen it 10-6-22 but it was on the move I wanted to know just what it was so I zoomed as far as I could with my camera and found it to be a coyote. It was fairly good sized too.

I figured it was a good sized coyote or a small wolf but ended up being the coyote due to narrower nose and bigger ears. Also the area of Norman Co. more typical a coyote than wolf. Location was running across a field just outside the north boundary of a National Wildlife Refuge (Pavia Unit) rural Norman Co. Mn.
Coyote   Coyote

James Folden

Odd coyote? Or odd fox

I finally was able to get a pic of this critter that has been hanging around the north side of Lake Washington for a month now.

No bushy tail, but pretty light for a coyote. Any ideas?
Coyote   Coyote

Ramona Abrego
Coyote   Coyote
     
Coyote    

Christa Rittberg
Coyote   Coyote

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

     
   

 

 

Camera

 

Slideshows

Coyote
DianesDigitals

About

Copyright DianesDigitals

Coyotes
Ron Perrillo

Coyote
Craig A. Mullenbach

About

Here is a collection of Coyote photos from the Arden Hills Army Training Site.

 

slideshow

 

Visitor Videos

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Other Videos

Coyote Hunting for Food, Banff National Park (Canis latrans)
Wandering Sole TV

About

Published on Mar 16, 2013

A Coyote in search of food in Banff National Park. I watched her leap into the snow four times. Despite her best efforts, I never saw her come up with a meal for herself. She must do alright though - she looked quite well fed.

I like the leap she does at 1:15, as she has better success breaking through the snow with that jump.

Coyotes hunting - Canis latrans - American jackal - prairie wolf
screenshot

About

Uploaded on Feb 16, 2012

Looking for broadcast footage? Don't shoot! Contact http://www.stockshot.nl/ © -

Spring in Banff National Park. Meltwater in every nook and cranny swells the rivers and mountain lakes, so contributing to the circle of life.

Down in the dales and valleys, the coyotes appear, hunting for ground squirrels. The Coyote is often mistaken for the wolf, another inhabitant of these parts.

But the Coyote is at least a third smaller. Its behaviour is best characterised as a dog hunting like a cat. A solitary hunter, its prey consists primarily of small animals. They primarily hunt in pairs.

Coyotes, also referred to as barking dogs (Canis latrans, means "barking dog" in Latin) are primarily found near prairies. As man slowly wiped out the wolf, the Coyote took its place. Coyotes are pure carnivores.

Nowadays the Coyote can be found throughout North and Central America., from Alaska to Costa Rica and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Howling Coyote
Bowtech2179

About

Uploaded on Nov 4, 2008

Check out this coyote. He was filmed @ 30 yds away, in wide open country. He was definetly not afraid of me!

Coyote...Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 5/4/2013, watch in HD
pefawa

About

Published on May 4, 2013

This Coyote was looking for rodents around a fallen tree when it noticed a group of people walking down one of the refuge trails. It jumped up upon the tree and its hunger turned to curiosity as it stopped to watch the group pass by. While it wasn't close to the trail it probably could have been seen had the walkers only turned and looked for it between the trees...

Coyote on a Greater Prairie-Chicken Lek in Minnesota
Alex Galt

About

Uploaded on Jan 18, 2012

I took this footage with a 3x point-and-shoot camera while on a field trip for an Animal Behavior course I took as an undergraduate at North Dakota State University. We were in an observation blind on a greater prairie-chicken lek at the Buffalo River State Park and witnessed lek polygyny first hand. This coyote's failed attempts at getting close to any birds suggest that safety in numbers seems to be one of the benefits of this mating system. The behaviors of the male prairie-chickens are clearly driven by hormones as they continue to display with a large predator on the lek and then fly at the last second. The males instantly came back to the "hotspot" on the lek after the Coyote got our scent and ran off!

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings

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Mike Poeppe
12/22/2023

Coyote or Gray Wolf

Location: 6 miles south of Houston, MN

I found this pair about 6 miles south of Houston on Thursday morning. I am not sure if they are wolves or coyote? They were out about 1/2 mile and sure looked big for out that far.

Dan W. Andree
10/6/2022

Coyote

Location: rural Norman Co. Mn.

I seen it 10-6-22 but it was on the move I wanted to know just what it was so I zoomed as far as I could with my camera and found it to be a coyote. It was fairly good sized too. I figured it was a good sized coyote or a small wolf but ended up being the coyote due to narrower nose and bigger ears. Also the area of Norman Co. more typical a coyote than wolf. Location was running across a field just outside the north boundary of a National Wildlife Refuge (Pavia Unit) rural Norman Co. Mn.

James Folden
8/27/2022

Coyote

Location: LeSueur County

I finally was able to get a pic of this critter that has been hanging around the north side of Lake Washington for a month now. No bushy tail, but pretty light for a coyote. Any ideas?

John Valo
8/30/2022

A Red Fox would have black legs. A Gray Fox would be mostly grizzled gray with a few buff areas. This is a young (juvenile) coyote.

Minnesota Seasons Sightings

Afton State Park

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Chimney Rock SNA

Falls Creek SNA

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Grey Cloud Dunes SNA

Minnesota Valley NWR, Rapids Lake Unit

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve

Savage Fen SNA

Seminary Fen SNA

Tamarack Nature Center

Western Prairie SNA

 

 

Binoculars