What a Waste: My Time Scouting for Coyotes (Canis latrans)

    Sometimes, dreams are not meant to come true. You may want (so badly!) to see some coyotes on the hunt or playing pups, and yet after many hours of searching, never see one. At least, that’s my current dream. I attend Harvey Mudd College, and the dorm I live in is right across from a protected natural habitat called the Bernard Field Station (BFS for short). A group of coyotes spends much of their time in the BFS, and a few nights a month I can hear them barking at each other (honestly more like screaming and yapping). This is what first got me interested in seeing the coyotes.

    As a lover of all animals, especially dogs, I find coyotes to be quite cute. They can be a little scraggly, but with their little fluffy faces and tails, and wobbly pups, they make it work. They’re especially adorable because they live highly social lives with their family groups. When they’re not off hunting (usually a solitary or paired activity), family groups, and especially mates, will come together to hang out, play, and even cuddle.

[1] Coyote, Canis latrans, in the East Field of the Bernard Field Station. Jonathan Wright, 2010-01-01

    Much to my disappointment, I only have these facts from online, and not from personal experience. I’ve spent hours at the BFS and have yet to spot a coyote. I won’t let my dream completely die, so I’ve changed it from observing coyotes directly, to indirectly understanding their behaviors through, well, their poop. You may be surprised to hear this, but observing coyote pooping behavior is not a common hobby. I mean, why poop? Why not other signs? I’ll tell you! It’s super easy to find, because coyotes like to use the loo right out in the open, and they keep going in the same spots – or at least I think they do, but (as far as I can tell) no one seems to be looking into this very important question. In general, scientists looking for scat and tracks are often doing it within a known population range to collect DNA samples for demographic surveys. I, however, am interested in where the coyotes are pooping in the BFS. Specifically, I want to know, will they poop there again?

    To answer this, I now spend many hours of my life, walking around, taking crappy photos and writing down lovely things like “coiled, dark, contains fur and bones, approx. 10 cm.” Additionally, I’ve enjoyed taking photos of cute paw tracks (toe beans included). Unfortunately though, I very rarely find tracks, so my camera roll is pretty much filled with poop.

[2] A rare photo of tracks (left) next to an example of my phone’s current camera roll of poop(right). Marissa Douglas, 2024

    I have had several near-sightings with coyotes, re-sparking my dream of seeing one in person. The coyotes are smart, but only to an extent. They adorably, do not seem to understand vehicle sirens at all. Each time an ambulance passes by, the pack within the BFS pops off. They yap and howl in response to the siren, really showing it who’s boss. This has occurred a couple times while I was in the BFS, both times the coyote(s) sounding as close as a dozen meters away! Please note I did not actually measure this because I couldn’t see them. Quite frankly, it’s a bit eerie to hear them closely in a fenced in field station, and my stomach drops in reflex, but I also get so excited. Each time, I’ve been convinced that if I follow the barks, I may see a coyote, but so far, no luck.

[3]Fresh claw marks and scat, with lighting edited for clarity. These were two photos of the same location that have been knitted together. Marissa Douglas, 2024

    I have a theory that not only do the coyotes know I am there, investigating their hard-won waste, but I speculate they know that I want to see them – and they are toying with me. Several times now, I have walked a trail to survey and found nothing, then upon return, there is a nice steaming pile of $#!+, or even claw marks gouged into the ground. This means that as soon as I walked out of eyesight, a kind little coyote took the time to use the toilet, deface the path, and scampered off before I had the chance to see the coyote… despicable.

    In all reality, what’s likely happening is that they don’t want me there. I’m invading their territory, which they’ve very intentionally marked with their scat, and I may appear to be a confusing threat. They may be going around and pooping to warn me to get out. Unfortunately, the coyotes and I must negotiate a compromise, and I believe my noninvasive surveying is the best I can do to learn about their territorial behaviors. I am no longer actively hunting them out, nor do I disturb the scat or tracks in any way beyond leaving an innocuous marker.

    I am releasing my dream of seeing a coyote in person, as I believe this is the most respectful thing I can do. If the coyotes wanted me to see them, I likely would have by now. Perhaps it is the northwest hippy in me, or the innate animal lover, but I can’t help but view animals with anything except dignity. As such, I try to listen to them in the few ways a human can, and leave them alone when they ask me. If I never get to see more than their waste, it will still be worth my time to better understand coyote marking behavior.

[4] A young Coyote, Canis latrans, in the fire road next to the California Botanic Garden at the Bernard Field Station. Nancy Hamlett, 2012-09-07

Further reading:
https://coyoteyipps.com/category/coyote-behavior/cuddling/#:~:text=Of%20course%20pups%20cuddle%2C%20tease,which%20is%20a%20different%20story).

https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/coyote-info/general-information-about-coyotes

Cute coyotes playing:
https://youtube.com/shorts/geI5r-9RI3w?si=JnaUVicxqJlWNhS5

Don’t be this guy! Stressing out coyotes that are clearly asking for space is inconsiderate and dangerous!
https://youtube.com/shorts/lE-RGpcrn_w?si=1pesb-4sWLKTnNpN


Media credits:
[1]: Photo by Jonathan Wright. http://bfs.claremont.edu/photos/viewer.php?u_id=1223

[4]: Photo by Nancy Hamlett. http://bfs.claremont.edu/photos/viewer.php?u_id=2591