Two low-ranking yearlings remain a short distance from the elk, waiting for their opportunity to feed. The alpha male, having already eaten, trots up a small rise and assumes sentry duties, scanning the horizon. Crabtree points out a loner coyote, a quarter-mile away, that is hiding in the sagebrush and waiting for the pack to finish their meal. Skirmishes between coyotes are common, but unlike wolves, coyotes never kill one another. When choosing a mate, coyotes tend to be finicky.
Courtship involves much licking and vocalizing, and occasionally, generous food offerings.
Once coyotes form a pair, they sometimes bond for life. In a pack, the alpha female usually bears the young, but other adults help with the pup-rearing. Lower-ranking coyotes play with newborns, aid with food gathering, and frequently guard the den. If the parents are killed, these surrogate parents will raise the pups to adulthood. Coyotes can live as long as 10 years, but they often don't survive past their third year, due to predation.