Coyotes (Canis latrans) have both benefited and been disadvantaged by the return of the gray wolf to Yellowstone. Wolves do not like coyotes; seeing them as competition for the same food source and a pack of wolves will kill a coyote given a chance (generally never eating them). Wolves will also dig up a coyote den and kill all the pups, one by one as the adult coyote pair stand helpless nearby. Coyote numbers in Yellowstone decreased by 50% in the early years of reintroduction. Coyotes have...
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Coyotes (Canis latrans) have both benefited and been disadvantaged by the return of the gray wolf to Yellowstone. Wolves do not like coyotes; seeing them as competition for the same food source and a pack of wolves will kill a coyote given a chance (generally never eating them). Wolves will also dig up a coyote den and kill all the pups, one by one as the adult coyote pair stand helpless nearby. Coyote numbers in Yellowstone decreased by 50% in the early years of reintroduction. Coyotes have learned by in large how to live with wolves however and benefit frequently from the remains of a wolf kill. Lamar Valley, Yellowstone.
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