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A coyote looks much a like wolf, but smaller. When Lewis saw his first coyote, he called it a "prairie wolf," and some people still call them prairie wolves. Lewis and Clark saw many coyotes on their journey. When crossing the Rocky Mountains into Idaho, the party killed and ate a coyote, because they had run out of food and were near starvation. |
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 "Coyote" can be pronounced either "KY oht" or "ky OH tee." It belongs to the same family as the dog and the wolf. During Lewis and Clark's time, coyotes lived mainly in the western part of North America. Since then, they have spread across much of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Adult males stand about 24 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh 25 to 30 pounds. Coyotes eat mainly rabbits, snakes, insects, and rodents such as mice, gophers, and prairie dogs. They will also kill and eat sheep, goats, antelopes, and smaller animals. When no other food is available, they will eat the remains of larger dead animals such as cattle, elk, and deer. Coyotes living close to farms and towns have been known to kill household pets. The coyote appears in Indian legends. In these stories, Coyote is clever and crafty, often called the trickster. A Nez Perce legend tells how Coyote kills a monster by allowing himself to be swallowed, then cutting his way out of the monster's stomach with a hidden knife. Many tribes have Coyote legends. |
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