Pups stay with Mom and Dad for several weeks, learning to hunt successfully before trotting off to fend for themselves. Infant mortality is high. Distemper takes its toll, as does human predation. Heavy roundworm infestations can also kill pups. Some youngsters may be killed by older pairs or by resident packs if they trespass on occupied territory.
Coyotes are very vocal.
Their yips, barks, and howls pierce backcountry skies and are more and more often heard in suburbia as their range extends even to residential backyards and New York City's Central Park. A strain of rabies specific to canids has devastated coyotes in Texas and led to quarantine on transporting unvaccinated dogs and cats, wolf and coyote hybrids, and several species of wild animals within and out of the state. The state health department also planned to drop vaccine-laced bait to stop the spread of the disease. Although there is no evidence of rabies in Ohio's coyote population, dog owners should reduce the risk pets by having their pets vaccinated. The outbreak in Texas resulted in at least one death in 1994.