Coyotes reproduce once a year in January to February. Before her babies are born, a coyote mother looks for a den that has been left by other animals and moves in to it for protection. After a gestation period of 60 to 65 days, between 5 and 8 pups are born, depending on how old the mother is and how much food is available. The pups begin hunting after 8 to 10 weeks and they stay with their family for up to two years before wandering off by themselves. Each pair marks the boundaries of their territory with urine and droppings and won't allow other pairs to enter.
Single coyotes can pass through.
Family members howl and yelp to communicate with each other, and to let any neighbours know they are there. All coyotes are most active at dawn, dusk and during the night. Because they are good hunters and can adapt to different habitats and seasons they can usually find food easily. They are also cunning enough to survive being hunted by humans who set traps and put out poison for them. The coyote is an important spiritual symbol for many indigenous tribes.