The family life of coyotes

Using the Visualization Tool, study the travel patterns of the adult coyotes during different weeks or seasons. Research the life history of coyotes to learn when coyotes mate and have pups. 

Can you infer or determine:

  • When the coyotes represented in the Visualization Tool mate or have pups?
  • When the pups leave their den?  
  • How long pups stay with the adults in the same territory?

When coyote pups mature and disperse out of their original home territory, where do you think they go? Why do you think they don't stay in their original home territory? Some young adult coyotes, however, do stay for several years within their parents' territory. What role do you think they play in the family group? Do coyotes hunt or travel in packs or are they solitary? 

Resource(s)
Standard(s)

HS-LS2-8 (High School)

Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species' chances to survive and reproduce. 

MS-LS1-4 (Middle School)

Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively. 

MS-LS2-1 (Middle School)

Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

MS-LS2-2 (Middle School)

Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.