Adoration On A Foggy Day
09 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in affection, bonds, communication, coyote behavior, family interactions, feelings & emotions, greetings
There is no other term — just look at the photos: adoration. I’ve known these particular coyotes for a while now. They have a very close relationship: a mother and her two-and-a-half year old son. The jumping for joy, touching, wiggling and squiggling, hugs and kisses were absolutely overwhelming displays of affection — it lasted about 25 seconds. This greeting was an intensely demonstrative one, though there were no accompanying squeals and whining which often go along with greetings.
Almost all of the affectionate display came from the younger male. Mom seemed just as happy to see the son — after all, she is the one that came up to him; he had been standing there and eating — but hers was less demonstrative and much more of a solid and dependable Rock-of-Gibraltar affection. This is how I saw it, based on many hours of previous observations of their behaviors.
After this intense “greeting”, they both ran off together, and out of sight. It appeared to me that Mom had come to “fetch” the younger one — and he seemed ready to go with her, though, until she appeared, he seemed in no hurry to go anywhere. He had spent the previous hour hunting and eating a number of gophers. They both then headed for a denser growth area in order to “turn in” for the day. I did not see them again.
Starry Eyed Couple
17 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions, feelings & emotions
You’ll have to judge for yourself, but what I am seeing was brought home by the two ravens dancing and cawing in a pine tree above where I was watching a couple of coyotes. The ravens cawed, moved away and then towards each other, made cooing sounds (yes), and danced their heads and upper bodies back and forth in what probably was courting behavior. Ahhh, yes, this is what is going on.
The two coyotes were not as explicit as the ravens, but the same thing was going on. It is that time of year when hormones and pheromones guide behaviors that will affect the future. The two coyotes stuck closely together. The female was a little bit reactive a couple of times, but the male was very solicitous — he read her well. They traveled and hunted side by side. They rubbed against each other, they made intense eye contact, and they did so touching noses a number of times — not fleetingly, but emphatically. He sniffed her often, and whenever she “marked” the ground, he lingered to sniff it and then marked the same spot — the middle two rows of photos show two instances of this. All behavior was extremely gentle and calm — especially when compared to the sibling rivalry I had been observing for the last few months. Do these two now reign over the territory that used to belong to three?
Family Greeting Sequence: Smothering Mom Who Then Needs To Get Away
26 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in affection, coyote behavior, family interactions, feelings & emotions, greetings
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[24 slides]
Here is a display of strong family affection — affection for Mom from two of her full-grown pups aged 18 months at the time. Joy from the juveniles can be seen in their body movements and facial expressions as they approach her. They approach her with lowered heads in deference to her Alpha status — so the greeting is both one of love and a confirmation of their respect for her. Mom is the coyote on the far right in these photos. Mom appears to “allow” them to display this affection — but I have seldom seen her return it.
In this sequence, Mom soon tires of it all. After the first initial greeting with just one of the pups she moves off and lies down. At this point the other youth appears and both this time approached her with kisses and hugs (close body contact). She then gets annoyed at the pile up, reacting with a gaping snarl (#13) and then moves off. The younger ones follow and Mom snarls again (#17) but they offer apologetic kisses and then they all settle down now with plenty of space between each other. This entire sequence lasted over three minutes. These photos were actually taken at the beginning of October when these displays were still going strong: the displays are not nearly as lengthy or nor as intense recently.
Happiness Descending A Hill
12 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in coyote behavior, feelings & emotions
Coyotes very often are extremely joyful: you can see this in their faces and in their body movements. This coyote seemed to be infused with happiness as he descended the hill.
More Ears And Facial Expressions
11 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in communication, coyote behavior, family interactions, feelings & emotions
I posted several of these photos a couple of months ago when I took them. The little guy was sitting in the same spot for just a few short moments, during which time he displayed a wide range of ear movements and facial expressions. He was “dealing” with a sibling to our left who was pressuring him to “come along”. This coyote reacted to the sibling’s pressure by sitting firmly in one spot, and for the most part, looking away. However, the ear movements and facial expressions show that along with the defiance there is a bit of inner conflict going on, too! Notice that the ears move from up and forward, up and to the side, down and to the side, down and back, head cocked to the side, eyes narrowed. Twice he glances over his shoulder at the sibling. I wrote about this incident from the perspective of the other sibling on July 4 when I took these shots: Aren’tcha Coming???
Life Is A Dance
24 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in coyote behavior, feelings & emotions, hunting
In a carnivorous world, one life must end so that another may live. There can’t be judgement about this: nature is set up this way. This coyote is joyfully celebrating its “catch”. The choreography was precise and smooth, with one slight movement seamlessly blending into the next. The whole was a graceful dance, enriched by the coyote’s sheer jubilance. I’ve seen many happy coyotes in our urban settings.
Submissive Behavior
22 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in coyote behavior, dominant vs. submissive, family interactions, feelings & emotions, hierarchy
Here is a sequence of photos showing a greeting between a mother coyote and her yearling offspring, a male. The full-grown pup is 17 months old. Not only is there plenty of affection, but the yearling shows very strong submissive behavior: coming in from below, constantly seeking mouth contact. Interestingly, each coyote appears to close its mouth over the other’s — but one does it from a crouched position. The mother is on the right-hand side in all of these photos.
Three Happy Coyotes!
18 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions, feelings & emotions
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FIVE SLIDES
Two Happy Coyotes!
18 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions, feelings & emotions
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THIRTY-ONE SLIDES
