"It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself." - Leon C. Megginson

These words befit the coyotes, who were previously thought to be less likely to take risks in spite of their famed cleverness.

Photo: YouTube/Texas Parks and Wildlife

Now, it appears that the beliefs of the Native Americans about coyotes -- also known as prairie wolves and brush wolves -- are true. These animals are savvy, able to assess dangers at kill sites and make the choice between dying from hunger and dying by the teeth of their enemies.

A Coyote's Diet is 30% Stolen Food from Their "Enemies with Benefits"

Coyotes are omnivores. They eat rodents, rabbits, frogs, fish, and even deer. Insects, snakes, fruit, grass, and carrion are also part of their diet.

Nevertheless, even if they are such skilled hunters, with keen vision and an amazing speed of 65 kilometers per hour, 30% of a coyote's diet is composed of food stolen from apex predators.

Photo: YouTube/Texas Parks and Wildlife

They love fresh kills; that is why coyotes think of mountain lions, cougars, and other large predators as "enemies with benefits."

Previously, coyotes were thought to shy away from kill sites out of fear of larger predators. Mountain lions are capable of killing a third of a coyote's population in an area, so it makes sense for the weaker coyotes to be cautious.

But a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows that mesopredators like coyotes frequently steal prey from apex predators despite the risks.

Photo: YouTube/Texas Parks and Wildlife

“It’s certainly possible that even though it’s risky, coyotes just can’t help themselves to freshly-killed deer and the like," said Laura Prugh, a professor at the University of Washington and author of a 2020 paper in Ecology Letters that tackles these relationships in the hierarchy of predators. “It’s also possible, though, that they’re able to assess risk, say, based on how fresh the sign is of the large carnivores or by being more vigilant.”

Coyotes Use Cleverness and Guts in Playing the Cougars' Game

The coyotes' relationship with cougars is quite different from mountain lions, according to the PNAS study.

Cougars are the number one killer of coyotes, and yet a coyote's diet may consist of more than 50% of a cougar's kill. Cougars may at times give coyotes a free meal at their kill sites, but they also kill coyotes in large numbers when they feel like it. It is a very complex behavioral game of risk and reward between the two species.

However, coyotes are aware that by working as a group, their success rate in stealing prey is higher.

Photo: YouTube/Texas Parks and Wildlife

“Coyotes are very vigilant at kill sites," explained Taal Levi, a professor at Oregon State University and co-author of the PNAS study. “They’re usually not alone. There can be alarm calls, multiple eyes and ears looking out, and when you have a group of coyotes, you’ve got some benefit in defense against first identification of a cougar.”

Today, the coyote population continues to rise, and they have become a major problem in both rural and urban areas, where their problems with apex predators are absent.

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