Sometimes, the best strategy is to lay low, even though you are already as low as you can get. There was a little bit of snapping at the aggressor, but the fellow on the ground opted to stay down. He usually flees or hits the ground when the dominant guy approaches to get a rise out of him. The aggressor soon tired of this and moved away — which is what the underdog wanted!
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!
- Home
- Bio
- Coyote Voicings: Howls, Yips, Barks, & More
- My YouTube VIDEOS
- SF Families to 7/22
- Take A Short Coyote Survey
- Territories & Population in SF
- UrbanCoyoteSquared: GALLERY
- *FIRST: A Guidelines and Safety Box
- Introducing My Coyote Yipps Blog
- San Francisco as Habitat and Place
- Contents By Topic
- Resources
About My Site and Me: This website reflects my 15 years of intense, careful, and dedicated field-work — empirical observations — all photo-documented without interfering or changing coyotes’ behaviors. Be welcome here, enjoy, and learn!
Coyotes reappeared in San Francisco in 2002 after many years of absence, and people are still in the dark about them. This site is to help bring light to their behavior and offer simple guidelines for easy coexistence.
My information comes from my own first-hand observations of our very own coyotes here in San Francisco. They have not been studied or observed so thoroughly by anyone else. Mine is not generic information, nor second-hand.
Note that none of the coyotes I document and photograph is “anonymous” to me: I know (or knew) each one of them, and can tell you about their personalities, histories, and their family situations. There have been over 100 of them, distributed among over twenty families, all in San Francisco. Images and true stories have the power to raise awareness and change perspective.
Contact: Janet@coyoteyipps.com
© All information and photos in my postings come from my own original and first-hand documentation work which I am happy to share, with permission and with properly displayed credit: ©janetkessler/coyoteyipps.com.
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Coyote Behavior Photo Display at Randall Museum ran from February 2019 to Fall of 2021
Zoom Talk: Coyotes in San Francisco: Population, Family Life, Stewardship
(A crash course in SF coyotes!)
October 18th Presentation at PHS/SPCA: Inside the Lives of Urban Coyotes
(Another crash course in coyotes generally!)
Instagram: Coyoteyipps
Peeking at me through and then over the fence, probably wondering what on earth I'm doing just standing there with a small box in front of my face, rather than fleeing or approaching.
I usually see lowered or flopped-over ears, like in this photo, in certain older coyotes, but here they belong to a seven-month-old pup. He doesn't sport them like this all the time, but it's often enough to be one of his defining characteristics, and it’s usually one ear — sometimes right and sometimes left — that’s floppier than the other. Neither of his two littermates, nor the yearlings or adults in his family, hold their ears this way. It's usually a sign of non-threatening docility in coyotes who -- usually those who have been interacted with by humans, either by feeding or some other repeated friendly exchange. Most coyotes keep their ears up and alert, as you'll see in almost all of the photos in this account. I happen to know that this youngster is neither fed nor interacts with humans, so I wonder if the behavior comes from an innate individual personality quirk? He's the bravest of his littermates: out in the open the most often, and he has no qualms about grunting his displeasure out loud when he doesn't like seeing dogs in the distance. If you can copy and paste this link, here is a video of him grunting at a dog: https://youtu.be/p3fPIC5IP6M
Hunting. This 7-month-old pup has just seen movement in the grasses ahead of him. He hurried over with his back low and then approached ever so cautiously, placing one paw at a time as quietly and carefully as he could. His efforts did not pay off. The critter -- probably either a pocket gopher or a vole, though it might have been a cricket -- must have sensed the approach because it was out of there fast and the coyote soon lost his focus: the hunt was unsuccessful.
On the fence? Actually, this seven-month-old knows exactly what he's doing. I thought he was going to jump over the fence, but instead, he stood on it and remained there. The fence afforded him some height so he could look around in all directions before hopping down and choosing his safest path out of the park and away from people and dogs who were beginning to trickle into the area -- it was a little after dawn. As you can see, coyotes have incredible balance!
She’s probably wondering WHAT on earth I find so interesting about her! She paid attention to me only for a moment, then she looked away, but in that brief moment she found out EVERYTHING about me that would be useful to her!
This youngster was fairly swift for having only three functional legs. He held up the injured back left leg and hopped along on the right one while the front legs functioned normally. Leg injuries are the most common injury I see in coyotes here in San Francisco. I’ve seen strains, sprains, lacerations, what looked like thorn injuries, and actual broken bones. The vast majority seem to be caused by dogs chasing them through the urban landscape. Every such injury I have seen has healed on its own. Nature can be as good to coyotes as bad to them. The limping coyote youngster in the photo is a mere seven months old.
This 19-month-old yearling has just succeeded in ousting the last of his three littermate brothers from the family through intimidation, bullying, and forcing them down. That's how dispersal works, which isn't quite as bad as black eagle "siblicide", but the young coyote's behavior made me think of this. For now, he is the only offspring born in 2021 who remains with the family. He’ll either disperse on his own or be driven out by his parents at some point. He gets along and plays superbly with his younger pup siblings born this year (2022) who are 7-months-old at this stage.
Among their vast array of foods, coyotes eat peanuts, which apparently are dropped or even buried by peanut-fed wild Scrub Jays here in San Francisco. In case you didn't know it, peanuts are a native American (South American) food, and as such are appropriate for the upcoming Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to everybody! PS: I only got this one blurry shot of him.
"Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain." This photo made me think of that. This alpha male is watching a group of dogs in the distance roughhousing in a fenced-in dog play area. He picked up a large stick as he watched them. It's the coyote's territory -- he is sovereign here -- but only among other coyotes. He could do nothing about the situation, so he put down the stick and walked on. You can see why there are problems between dogs and coyotes.
Dogs and coyotes have all been digging, sniffing, and marking this "hole", if you want to call it that, including this alpha male coyote who also kept his eyes on me on the other side of a fence. They've all been displaying exceptional curiosity/animosity about the unfixed male dog who has been marking and digging in the area, including this hole. There's a lot of information in unfixed male urine, and it's "challenging" to all who can smell it. I.e., they don't like it.
Feeling watched during my dog walk at dawn! It's not a good time to walk your dog in San Francisco, especially if you have a small dog (which I don't).
Here is some interesting information about coyote teeth (per AZAnimals): As you can see from this photo, coyote jaws have a very wide expansive range! In their long, pointed and narrow snouts, they have 42 teeth, the same as dogs, whereas we humans have only 32.
Be A Coyote Ambassador!
INTRODUCTION PAGES
- Introducing My Coyote Yipps Blog
- Contents By Topic
- Resources
- Take A Short Coyote Survey
- San Francisco as Habitat and Place
- UrbanCoyoteSquared: GALLERY
- Coyote Voicings: Howls, Yips, Barks, & More
- Bio
- *FIRST: A Guidelines and Safety Box
- My YouTube VIDEOS
- Territories & Population in SF
- SF Families to 7/22
Top Posts & Pages
Coyotes: What to Know and Do
Download & Print Flyers
- Como espantar a un coyote para que se vaya
- Conflictos con coyotes
- Coyote Advisory from our video
- Coyote Coexistence & Dogs
- Coyote Facts & Fiction
- Coyotes Playing With Dogs
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- Farms and Ranches: the Futility of Killing Coyotes as a Management Tool
- Guía Para Coexistir Con Coyotes Urbanos
- Guidelines For Coexistence
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Killed By Rat Poison – Flyer
- Sign in CHINESE: 土狼警讯
- Sign in SPANISH: ALERTA COYOTE
- Sign: Coyote Advisory
- Simple Rules for Coexistence
- Trilingual Video Poster
- Truth About Coyote Conflicts
- 共存简要守则 – Guidelines in Chinese
Published Articles & Recap
- A View Transformed: from fear to understanding
- Bay Nature Connections Interview
- Bay Nature: Raising Kids In The City
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Coyote Behavior & Peaceful Coexistence
- Coyote Town: Leave SF's Coyotes Alone, by Julia Wong
- Coyote Whisperer Warns of Coyote Encounters During Pupping Season
- Coyotes: Beyond The Howl
- EXHIBIT: Coyotes, Beyond the Howl
- Family First: Wily Coyote's Here to Stay, by Linnea Due
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- How to get Along With Coyotes As Pups Venture Out, Bay Nature
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Inside A Coyote Family
- Janet Kessler: The Urban Coyote Watcher, by Leath Tonino
- Keep Our Coyotes Safe & Wild
- Making Peace With Coyotes by Tripp Robbins
- On First-Name Basis With San Francisco Coyotes
- Pacifica: Neighbors in the Night
- Photographer's Raccoon Adventure in GGPark
- Recap: My Position Regarding Coyotes
- Reservoir Coyotes, by Tom Molanphy
- San Francisco Residents Coexisting With Coyotes, by Robin Hindery
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SF's "Coyote Lady", SacBee
- Sharing Bernal Hill With Our Coyote: A User's Guide
- The Bernal Hill Coyote is a Female and Human "Kindness" Could Kill Her
- The Coyote Whisperer, by Shelby Carpenter
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Need for Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives (PDF version)
- Wildlife In Focus: Coyotes
- YIPS & HOWLS EXAMPLES
TRANSLATION
Web Advocacy and More
- Anticoagulant Intoxication Fact Sheet
- Aversion Conditioning by Lesley Sampson
- Caught On Camera: Presidio Coyotes
- Citizen Coyote: Let's Get To Know Them: An Introduction
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project
- Coyote Lives In Maine
- Coyote Photos by Charles Wood
- Coyote Settles the South by John Lane
- Coyote Tracker
- Coyote Watch Canada
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE FACEBOOK
- CoyoteCoexistence Facebook (alternative link)
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE.COM
- Coyotes As Neighbors: Video
- Coyotes, wolves, cougars. . forever
- Coyoteyipps INSTAGRAM
- Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- History of San Francisco's Native Plant Program, NAP
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- International Consensus Principles for Ethical Wildlife Control
- Mapping Expansion of Coyotes Across the American Continent
- Melanie Furr: America vs. the Coyote
- Micromanagement of Nature Benefits Few Animals
- NapRap
- Rat Poisons Are Harmful
- Save Mount Sutro Forest
- Saving Trees In The Bay Area
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SFForest.Net
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives
- URBANWILDNESS.COM
- Wild Dog Foundation
- WildCare: Live Well With Wildlife
- Wildlife Services: License to Kill
Published Articles & Recap
- A View Transformed: from fear to understanding
- Bay Nature Connections Interview
- Bay Nature: Raising Kids In The City
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Coyote Behavior & Peaceful Coexistence
- Coyote Town: Leave SF's Coyotes Alone, by Julia Wong
- Coyote Whisperer Warns of Coyote Encounters During Pupping Season
- Coyotes: Beyond The Howl
- EXHIBIT: Coyotes, Beyond the Howl
- Family First: Wily Coyote's Here to Stay, by Linnea Due
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- How to get Along With Coyotes As Pups Venture Out, Bay Nature
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Inside A Coyote Family
- Janet Kessler: The Urban Coyote Watcher, by Leath Tonino
- Keep Our Coyotes Safe & Wild
- Making Peace With Coyotes by Tripp Robbins
- On First-Name Basis With San Francisco Coyotes
- Pacifica: Neighbors in the Night
- Photographer's Raccoon Adventure in GGPark
- Recap: My Position Regarding Coyotes
- Reservoir Coyotes, by Tom Molanphy
- San Francisco Residents Coexisting With Coyotes, by Robin Hindery
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SF's "Coyote Lady", SacBee
- Sharing Bernal Hill With Our Coyote: A User's Guide
- The Bernal Hill Coyote is a Female and Human "Kindness" Could Kill Her
- The Coyote Whisperer, by Shelby Carpenter
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Need for Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives (PDF version)
- Wildlife In Focus: Coyotes
- YIPS & HOWLS EXAMPLES
Download & Print Flyers
- Como espantar a un coyote para que se vaya
- Conflictos con coyotes
- Coyote Advisory from our video
- Coyote Coexistence & Dogs
- Coyote Facts & Fiction
- Coyotes Playing With Dogs
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- Farms and Ranches: the Futility of Killing Coyotes as a Management Tool
- Guía Para Coexistir Con Coyotes Urbanos
- Guidelines For Coexistence
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Killed By Rat Poison – Flyer
- Sign in CHINESE: 土狼警讯
- Sign in SPANISH: ALERTA COYOTE
- Sign: Coyote Advisory
- Simple Rules for Coexistence
- Trilingual Video Poster
- Truth About Coyote Conflicts
- 共存简要守则 – Guidelines in Chinese
Web Advocacy and More
- Anticoagulant Intoxication Fact Sheet
- Aversion Conditioning by Lesley Sampson
- Caught On Camera: Presidio Coyotes
- Citizen Coyote: Let's Get To Know Them: An Introduction
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project
- Coyote Lives In Maine
- Coyote Photos by Charles Wood
- Coyote Settles the South by John Lane
- Coyote Tracker
- Coyote Watch Canada
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE FACEBOOK
- CoyoteCoexistence Facebook (alternative link)
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE.COM
- Coyotes As Neighbors: Video
- Coyotes, wolves, cougars. . forever
- Coyoteyipps INSTAGRAM
- Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- History of San Francisco's Native Plant Program, NAP
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- International Consensus Principles for Ethical Wildlife Control
- Mapping Expansion of Coyotes Across the American Continent
- Melanie Furr: America vs. the Coyote
- Micromanagement of Nature Benefits Few Animals
- NapRap
- Rat Poisons Are Harmful
- Save Mount Sutro Forest
- Saving Trees In The Bay Area
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SFForest.Net
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives
- URBANWILDNESS.COM
- Wild Dog Foundation
- WildCare: Live Well With Wildlife
- Wildlife Services: License to Kill
TRANSLATION
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Coyote Yipps 
