Coyotes' ears are wide, pointed and erect. They have tapered muzzles and black noses. Their yellow, slightly slanted eyes have round, black pupils and give the animal a characteristically cunning expression. Coyotes are extremely agile and can change course in mid-step. When threatened, a coyote's tail becomes bushy and is held horizontally.
Coyotes use their acute hearing and sense of smell to detect prey and avoid danger.
Like many domestic dogs, coyotes are intelligent and playful. The coyote eats fruits, grasses, vegetables, insects, rodents, deer and small mammals. Coyotes can be found throughout North America, from eastern Alaska to New England and south through Mexico to Panama. Coyotes inhabit all areas of the desert southwest of the United States, from low valley floors to high mountains, but they are especially populous on open plains, grasslands and high mesas.