< >
Northwest Wildlife Online
Order Carnivora
Family Canidae: Coyotes, Foxes, and Wolves
eBooks.com This is the widest collection of Nature and Wildlife ebooks that I have found on the net. If you like science you'll LOVE this site. Tremendous selection of other titles as well.
Birds Mammals Reptiles Amphibians Fish Invertebrates Library NWWOL Online Store Home
Mission Editor Bio Site Map Contact Wildlife Park Links Further Study Wild Employment Northwest Trek
The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus). Also known as Timber Wolves these canines can get to be over 100 pounds. Size, however, does not guarantee Alpha wolf status. Disposition and intelligence are key factors.
Four species of Canidae represent wildlife in the Northwest:
Canis latrans - Coyote
Vulpes vulpes - Red (Reynard) fox
Vulpes macrotis - Kit (Swift) fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus - Gray (Tree) Fox
Canis lupus - Gray Wolf
The coyote (Canis latrans) on the right is intelligent, elusive and exceptionally adaptive. Often mistaken for wolves coyotes are considerably smaller, yet still a beautiful canine. The Red or Reynard Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a not less beautiful animal. Spotting one in the wild is rare even though these guys are quite common.
Among large carnivores there is one single family that stands out as the absolute champion of adaptability and hunting success - the canines. Fourteen genera and 35 species make up the family worldwide. The master hunter of Africa is not the lion, leopard, or cheetah. It is the African Hunting (Wild) dog. The highest success ratio of kills in North America belongs to the wolf and the coyote. Bears and big cats can't even come close. Acute hearing, eyesight, sense of smell, high intelligence, and complex social skills combine to make the canines master hunters. And if we consider the popularity and numbers of domestic dogs no other large predator is even in the same class of adaptability.
It was the very success of the wolf as a hunter that led to their near demise in America. Hard to love an animal so easily capable of snatching away a family's livelihood. Now a protected species wolf populations have risen - and so has the man versus wolf controversy. And not without reason. In 1997 alone a Montana rancher in Eureka lost 28 sheep. Although compensated by Defenders of Wildlife for the loss it's easy to see the reason for controversy.
Even If you are sheep rancher, though, it's easy to admire the qualities of wolves. Generally mating at 2-3 years of age they are devoted mates, forming a bond that normally lasts a lifetime. Marital loyalty is matched by familial devotion. Like the domestic dog the pups are born 63 days later. Unlike the domestic dog, however, father wolf is an attentive and loyal parent and has a great role in raising the pups.
The Gray or Timber Wolf is our Northwest resident. Males can weigh in at over 100 pounds; not a small animal by any means. Its primary prey are deer and big horn sheep, but the Grey wolf is not above rabbits, a variety of rodents, or carrion, which wolves find irresistible. Their known range is far north of Washington and Idaho and some reports of sightings in Oregon.
Sometimes mistaken for the Gray Wolf, the Coyote is an extraordinarily successful and widespread example of canine wildlife. Much smaller than the Gray wolf, coyotes stand about a foot and a half at the shoulder. Fully grown males weigh in at approximately 40 pounds. With the exception of tropical regions and the far north coyotes remain well established throughout North America. A truly beautiful animal coyotes are often seen close to human dwellings. As an old soldier I can tell you they are noticeable residents of every stateside post I've ever been on. Apparently they love Army food. Left to their own, however, coyote diet consists of squirrels, mice, rabbits, birds, and just about any small animal they can catch. Unlike the strictly carnivorous wolf, coyotes regularly feast on a variety of vegetation and fruit.
At the bottom of the size scale is the fox. There is usually no mistaking a fox when one is sighted. The small, long, lithe body and finely pointed face are unmistakable. Three types of foxes characterize the wildlife of the Northwest. Our most common, and the one most normally seen is the Red Fox. I say most normally seen, but that does not mean you are likely to see him. Red Foxes, despite a healthy population across most of North America, are secretive, quick, and elusive. Even though active during daylight hours and living closely to man this 15 pound canine has exceptionally keen senses and is a very alert animal.
The Common Gray Fox, slightly smaller than Red foxes, are also widespread in the Northwest. But you even less likely to see a Gray. The only member of the canine family that regularly inhabit trees, Gray foxes are excellent climbers and have even been know to nest in trees. Gray foxes are also more nocturnal than Reds adding to the scarcity of human encounters. Their diet includes the usual mix of small rodents, vegetation, and fruit, but the Gray fox also shows a preference for insects as well.
The little Kit Fox is our most elusive. At just 6 pounds and 30 inches from nose to tail tip, and nearly half of that is tail, he is a yellow gray color. The tail often sports a black tip. Kit foxes are solitary animals and prefer arid regions where they consume enormous numbers of small rodents.
Birds
Mammals
Reptiles
Amphibians
Fish
Invertebrates
Library
NWWOL Online Store
Home
Mission Editor Bio Site Map Contact Wildlife Park Links Further Study Wild Employment Northwest Trek