Now, however, coyotes have expanded their territory to include all states except Hawaii. Their habitats range from low-lying desert regions in Central America and Mexico to the mountainous regions of Alaska. In the Columbia Basin, coyotes generally are a grayish, tawny brown with a light-colored belly and bushy tail that's black at the tip. If you happen to see a coyote, say somewhere in Franklin County, it likely will be about the same size as a small German shepherd and weigh 20 to 35 pounds. In mountainous regions, coyotes are predominantly gray with a nearly white belly and may have a white-tipped tail.
All coyotes have prominent ears and distinguishing yellow eyes.
In winter, when coyotes' fur grows thicker and silkier, they are hunted more often. Coyote tracks closely resemble those of a dog or fox, although coyotes tend to follow a straight path across open areas while other similar mammals wander according to the landscape. You'll recognize a coyote running with its tail held down between its hind legs, though sometimes you will have to look quickly because coyotes can run up to 40 miles per hour. In the shrub-steppe, coyotes usually dig their own dens, but occasionally they enlarge an old badger hole or use a natural hole in a rocky ledge. Coyotes bear one litter of from three to nine pups per year, and the female raises the pups primarily alone.