Continue reading by pressing this link: http://baynature.org/articles/photo-gallery-coyotes-raising-kids-san-francisco/
Fatherhood
03 Oct 2013 2 Comments
in care for the young, coyote behavior, coyote parenting, diet, father coyote behavior, feeding, group activity, parenting, Photos, pupping, video
Two youngsters dart in for food from Dad — the two very active coyotes in the video are pups who are approaching, but not quite yet, 6 months of age. Dad regurgitates the food — it looks like whole voles — and the two pups feed in a frenzy. They continue to insert their snouts in his mouth in an attempt to get more food — it’s like an assault! He gently and repeatedly clasps their snouts in his mouth: Is he indicating that there’s no more food to be had, and/or is he confirming his dominance? Note at 42 seconds that a pup crosses Dad’s path by going under him!
It appears that Dad is the one to approach for food like this these days. I have not seen this set of pups approach their mother recently in this fashion. Rather, she sits in the distance and watches all the activity — safe from the onslaught!
Meets Marshmallow
28 Sep 2013 3 Comments
in coyote behavior, feeding, scavenging
finds
too sticky!
rejects
Coyotes are known to be opportunistic eaters: they can eat almost any food that is available. Well, today I watched a coyote find a marshmallow leftover from a family cookout. It had been roasted and had a thin singed crust on one side, but otherwise the plump marshmallow looked okay. The coyote found it, sniffed it, and picked it up, seeming enthusiastic about trying it: “Hmmm, something new!”
I took a picture of the marshmallow after the coyote left
But quickly the coyote discovered something he didn’t like about this food — its stickiness. As I watched, the coyote tried to unstick it from his mouth, but it took some effort — the melted sugar was like glue that wouldn’t let go. Finally he got it off his mouth and let it fall to the ground, and then he walked quickly on. “YUCK!” Roasted marshmallow was not going to be one of his diet items!
Please see another, fascinating, and very different story about marshmallows, written by, and posted on, Out Walking The Dog.
Eats Two Apples
18 Sep 2013 1 Comment
One of the places where I observe coyotes has apple trees. I had been waiting to catch a coyote eat one of the many fallen apples, but for years I never saw it happen. Coyotes are “opportunistic” eaters, which means they’ll eat pretty much anything, so I knew apples were on their list of possibilities as a food source. But all I ever saw was the apples in the trees, and later on, apples on the ground. And coyotes passed them by without a second glance.
My dog used to love apples, while other dogs wouldn’t touch them, so I thought that maybe it had to do with personal taste?
Then, yesterday, at a time of the year when few apples still remain on the ground, I saw a coyote eat two in a row for the first ime. The first apple was munched, bite by bite, casually, as you or I would eat it, crunching each juicy bite, and enjoying the taste. As the coyote ate, and as I watched, someone appeared coming down the path close to where the coyote was. The coyote took off in a hurry. But it turned it’s head, and I could see that it had an entire other apple in its mouth. The first one must have been really good!
A Father Coyote Feeds His Pups
23 Aug 2013 2 Comments
in coyote behavior, family interactions, father coyote behavior, feeding, Uncategorized
-
- pups rush towards Dad who has food
-
- anxious for the food, a pup attempts sticking its snout in the corner of Dad’s mouth
-
- Dad regurgitates food for pups where they both can get at it
-
- pups eat, Dad walks off
-
- “can I have MORE?”
-
- trying to get more food from Dad
-
- there is no more to be had, so pup returns to where its sibling is eating
-
- pups clean up the food as Dad watches
-
- when finished, each pup gets a “snout squeeze” from Dad
Here’s a series of photos I caught of a father coyote bringing food to youngsters.
*They see him coming and run towards him, knowing he has food for them.
*One sticks its snout into Dad’s mouth in an attempt to hurry up the process.
*Dad holds them off until he finds a spot accessible to both pups, where he regurgitates the food and then walks away.
*The pups anxiously eat up what has been brought to them.
*One pup then wants more and appeals to Dad by thrusting its snout into Dad’s, but Dad has no more to offer, so the pup returns to the “pile” of regurgitated food.
*When both pups are finished, Dad gives them each a snout squeeze with his own muzzle: this seems to be a mutually initiated behavior with pups thrusting their snouts into Dad’s mouth as he extends his snout to gently grab hold of theirs. Is this a “thank you” from the pups, or “mind your manners” from Dad?
In addition to the coyotes naturally blending into the landscape with their camouflage coloring, the observation occurred at twilight when it was hard to see, so I feel lucky to even have been aware of the event. Interestingly, Mom did not participate, being too far away to do so, but she was within observing distance, and she was keenly interested in the goings on, as revealed by her focused attention during this feeding event. These pups here are approaching 5 months of age.
