Coyote(Canis latrans)

• Largest of “small canids” (9–20 kg)

• tail posture dog vs. coyote

• highly variable behavior & diets

• most vocal canid

Coyote

• solitary or cooperative hunters

• mates may stay together for multiple years

• 1-19 pups (avg.=6) in dens

• female pups may stay with parents

• create “scent posts”

• Native to Americas

• Change distribution over past 200 years

• Historic wolf control # of coyotes

• Potential effects on #s of snowshoe hares & bobcats

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

• Largest fox (3-10 kg)

• Solitary, partly territorial

• HR size varies with habitat

• Nocturnal or crepuscular

• Very adaptable – “urban foxes”

• Possibly not native to NA ??

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

• Monogamous

• Family dens + burrows

• 1-13 pups (avg. = 5)

• Sexually mature ~ 10 months

Color Variations

“Silver fox” – prized by furriers

“Cross fox”

Arctic Fox(Alopex lagopus)

• Smaller than red fox (3-8 kg)

• Adapted to arctic

•Varied diet (small mammals, eggs, carrion from polar bears)

• Only in far north of NA

• Tundra in summer & ocean ice in winter

• Shorter dark pelage in summer

• Blue & white color phases

Arctic Fox(Alopex lagopus)

Circumpolar distribution

Arctic Fox

• monogamous

• 2 litters of 5-8 pups

• large, complex dens

• flexible social system – family territories

• may form communal bands that scavenge together

Grey Fox(Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

• smaller than red fox (3-7 kg)

• more omnivorous

• tree climbers

• woodlands & rocky areas (less agriculture than red fox)

Grey Fox

• Southern & Midwestern states

• timing of breeding varies w/latitude

• monogamous family units

• 1-7 pups (avg.=4)

Swift Fox(Vulpes velox)

• Smallest fox in NA (1-3kg)

• Occurs in south-central US

• Prairie grasslands & deserts

• speeds of 50 mph

Swift Fox(Vulpes velox)

• 2-6 pups per litter

• nocturnal

• Endangered

• #s declined in past 50 years

• Threats: predator & rodent control, habitat change

Kit Fox(Vulpes macrotis)

• Size of Swift fox (1-3 kg)

• Nocturnal – days in burrows

• Use multiple dens – switch frequently

• Diet: small mammals, birds, insects, some fruit

Gray Wolf(Canis lupus)

• largest canid (23-80 kg)

• color variation (white – black)

• diet varies geographically

• habitats: tundra, forest, prairie, desert, etc.

Gray Wolf

• territorial – aggressive defense by pack

• females sexually mature ~ 2 yr, males ~ 3 yr

• gestation ~ 2 mo.

• altricial pups born in den – 8 to10 wks

•1973 -- lower 48 listed “Endangered” (except MN = “Threatened”)

•2003 -- 3 DPSs

Eastern - Threatened

Western - Threatened

Southwestern - Endangered

Red Wolf (Canis rufus)

Size: between coyote & gray wolf

(20-40 kg)

Color: brown, tan & black

• Red or tawny on muzzle, back of ears & legs

• Longer, pointed ears & longer legs; slender build; shorter fur (vs. gray wolf)

Red Wolf

Habitat: southeastern deciduous & coniferous forests

Diet: small mammals (raccoons, rodents, rabbits, muskrats, etc.) & white-tailed deer

Social structure: packs = extended families & defended territories

Red Wolf

• 1967 listed as Endangered under ESA

• 1970: < 100 survive in TX & LO

• Captive breeding & reintroduction

Mexican Gray Wolf(Canis lupus baileyi)

• genetically distinct subspecies

Size: < northern gray wolf (~ red wolf, 20-36 kg)

Habitat: SW deserts; arid grasslands & shrublands

Diet: elk, deer, small mammals

• extinct in native habitat by 1950s

• 1998: 11 wolves reintroduced to AZ & NM