A coyote weighing 35 pounds will appear much heavier to the inexperienced eye. Adults weigh 20 to 40 pounds, with males weighing more than females. Coyotes look somewhat like a slender German shepherd. Key features include a pointed snout and erect, pointed ears along with a bushy tail. They are normally tawny gray with black-tipped fur on the head, back and tail.
Some coyotes appear lighter, with a few individuals being yellow and gray.
Two other common features are a shoulder saddle of longer black-tipped hairs and a black spot part way down the top of the tail. Most breeding occurs in February, with pups being born in April. Litter size is normally four to seven pups which are born in a secluded spot such as a hollowed out woodchuck burrow. The male and the female care for the pups, and often a juvenile from the previous year's litter will remain with the family to help raise the new pups. The other pups, however, leave the family in October and November to find a niche of their own.