i John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images
Around the world, desert biomes and other brutally hot climates seem unbearable to humans accustomed to air conditioning, cars and other conveniences of modern life. Evolution is smart, though, and animals indigenous to desert and tropical climes feature all sorts of adaptations that help them pull through in the heat and with scarce water. Most critters have a variety of tricks to survive this sort of hostile environment.
Many animals survive the heat primarily by avoiding it. Being crepuscular or nocturnal is a basic way of doing so. Crepuscular animals, like bobcats for example, are active during cooler twilight hours; nocturnal animals, like coyotes, are active during the nighttime. These animals don't have to deal with being active when heat peaks during the day.
Another good way of avoiding the heat is burrowing underground. For example, kangaroo rats and other desert rodents dig themselves underground homes. This keeps them out of the sun, and temperatures below the surface are considerably lower than above it.
Many animals indigenous to hot climates have simply adapted to tolerate higher body temperatures than others found in cooler biomes. For example, the antelope squirrel can tolerate a body temperature of more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit; that's bordering on a dangerous fever for a human.
Many animals that face dangerously high temperatures have adapted to better conduct heat off their bodies. Some birds, for example, can decrease the insulation provided by their feathers. Other animals feature a high ratio of bodily surface area to volume for maximum heat release. Long appendages, like the almost comically elongated ears on jackrabbits, provide such benefits, for example.
Water is scarce in desert environments, so animals that live there have adapted to run on very little. Some, like gila monsters, store water in fatty deposits for slow, long-term use. Camel humps aren't for storing water, though; these fat deposits help them go without food for extended periods. However, camels and other animals in hot climates minimize water loss by sweating, urinating and defecating very little.
Estivation is a form of torpor like hibernation, its equivalent adaptation for cold weather. Many animals in hot climates lower their body temperature and with it their metabolic rate, entering an almost dormant state. They become inactive, reducing their response to the heat and their water loss through perspiration, breathing and relieving themselves.
The coyote is a member of the canine family. Coyotes have a grey or reddish-grey coat with a buff belly, long buff-colored legs, and a bushy tail. They have bright yellow eyes and prominent ears.
Coyotes stand about 20” (50.8 cm) high at the shoulders and range between 3.5 and 5 feet (1.1-1.5 m) in length from nose to tail. The average weight of a coyote is 20 to 40 pounds (9.1-18.1 kg).
- The thick fur of the coyote helps to keep it warm throughout the winter. Its color blends in with the environment, providing the coyote with excellent camouflage.
- Coyotes are cunning hunters that can run up to 40 miles per hour to catch their prey, often combining their efforts by hunting in groups of two or three.
- Coyotes have keen senses of smell and hearing, which also contribute to their success as predators.
Coyotes eat rabbits, ground squirrels, mice, birds, carrion (dead animals) and a variety of other small animals. Their diet may also include fruit and other plant materials. At Cosley Zoo, the coyote is fed a commercial canine diet.
Coyotes typically mate for life. Their typical den is a wide mouthed tunnel, terminating in an enlarged nesting area. Mating occurs in January or February and after a 60-to-63-day gestation period, the pups are born. Litter sizes range from one to 19 pups, with an average of six pups per litter. Both parents participate in feeding the pups regurgitated food. When the pups are about 35 days old, they can begin finding food for themselves. Pups typically leave the den when they are six to nine months old; however, some females do occasionally remain with the pack.
Coyotes can survive in a variety of climates and habitats. Although the coyote was originally native only to prairies and the arid west, it can now be found throughout the United States. By altering the landscape, humans have greatly decreased the populations of bears and wolves that were natural predators of the coyote. Because of this, the coyote has made its way into a greater range of urban areas than ever before.
Coyotes have a high juvenile mortality rate and many die before becoming adults. However, coyotes that survive their first year can live eight to ten years in the wild.
The coyote has historically been reputed to kill and eat livestock, particularly sheep. Although certain individual coyotes have preyed on livestock, the bulk of the coyote’s diet consists of rodents and this problem is not as widespread as many believe it to be. In fact, coyotes are beneficial to agriculture as important predators of small animals such as mice that are considered agricultural pests.
Coyotes have proven to be adaptable when humans encroach on their territories, and as a result have learned to coexist with humans in urban or suburban areas. They rarely pose a threat to humans. People can help prevent coyotes from coming too close to their homes by securing garbage, refraining from feeding pets outdoors, keeping birdseed off the ground, and eliminating coyote-accessible water sources.
- The coyote is the most vocal member of the dog family. It makes several different types of vocalizations, including yelps, barks, and howls, which can be heard for miles.
- Coyotes have adapted very well to the presence of humans. While the populations of many animals are shrinking due to habitat loss, the coyote population is increasing in many parts of the country.
- The coyote is one of the few predators that will eat a porcupine. A coyote can kill a porcupine by flipping it over and grabbing it by the throat.
- The human is the coyote’s biggest predator. People cause the great majority of adult coyote deaths.