Coyote Yipps
Information and stories about San Francisco coyotes: behavior & personality, coexistence & outreach, by Janet Kessler: Unveiling first-hand just how savvy, social, sentient and singular coyotes really are!
Information and stories about San Francisco coyotes: behavior & personality, coexistence & outreach, by Janet Kessler: Unveiling first-hand just how savvy, social, sentient and singular coyotes really are!
Jul 15, 2011 @ 13:17:15
Could you tell me what it means, or what you think it means when the coyotes ears are low/down. thank you.
I am doing a project on the trickster and in the mask I made the ears are in that position.
Thank you. I love the photos. I live in kelowna, B.C. and have had lovely,sacred encounters with coyotes.
Jul 15, 2011 @ 17:03:05
Hi Kirsten — From my observations, I would say that ears down means submissiveness or even resignation. I watched two young coyote brothers work out their dominance/submissive roles — the submissive one kept his ears down in the presence of the other, I think so as not to incite the other. I’ve also seen an injured coyote who kept its ears down — I thought it had to do with a feeling of defeat, and maybe pain? My own dogs once kept their ears way down to the sides after we came home to find a hassock which had its stuffing gutted and strewn all over the living room — the ears were down indicating they were accepting a reprimand from us, that they were complying — that they were “laying low”. I’m sure the ears down in conjunction with other behaviors may have more nuanced meanings beyond what I have described, but these, I think, are the basics. If you have heard of what else the lowered ears might mean, please let me know! Janet