Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
Using art materials or computer generated graphics, design a scale representation of what you think an ideal habitat and territory would be for a coyote. Incorporate the elements a coyote needs to survive. Using the data obtained from the Visualization Tool, what would be the size of your created territory?
How has the estimated population of coyotes in Illinois (or your state) changed over time? How do wildlife biologists estimate wildlife populations? What factors influence the population numbers? Does regulated hunting or trapping affect the overall population of coyotes in Illinois? Why or why not?
What do you think a coyote is doing at different locations or at different times of the day? Select a coyote and a day within the tracking period. Write a narrative that describes that day in the life of the coyote.
What do coyotes eat? What types of food are the coyotes likely to find in each of their territories? What food sources might be present that habituate coyotes to humans? How do wildlife biologists verify what coyotes are eating in a given territory? Create a food web or chart for a coyote. Or, create a Coyote Cafe Menu!
Look at a satellite imagery map of your county. Based on what you learned from studying the coyotes' habits in the Visualization Tool, predict where coyotes might live in your area or neighborhood. What travel corridors might they use? Where might they locate a den? Where would they find food? Water? Shelter? Has anyone ever seen coyotes in your county?
Create a visualization map that tracks your activities at regular times throughout the day or week. When designing a wildlife tracking program, researchers need to determine several things. For example, the tracking collars on the coyotes in the Visualization Tool send signals at the same specific times each day to mark the animals' location. Why do you think those times were selected? How many times and at what specific time(s) of day will you document your location? Why?
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:
Examine the territories of the coyotes in the Visualization Tool. Do you think there are physical boundaries that define their territory? Do you think there are social boundaries (interactions with other coyotes or humans) that define the territories? Why might a coyote use a smaller or larger territory than a coyote in a different area? How do coyotes identify their territories or recognize territories of other coyotes? Do coyotes defend their territory?
What can you learn from each of the charts on the Visualization Tool? Write a summary based on the data represented in the charts. Create your own chart of something you observe about coyotes on the Visualization Tool or gather from the available data download. How are charts helpful to scientists and non-scientists?
How have coyotes been viewed through history? How have attitudes towards them changed, or stayed the same?
What characteristics and behaviors of coyotes that you observe on the Visualization Tool, or discover in other research, might influence these attitudes?
How have coyotes adapted to co-exist despite human presence and human pressures?
Interview family members or friends to obtain their opinions about coyotes. What influenced their opinions? Have they ever seen or heard a coyote?