Coyotes in the Food Chain

The energy from the sun is used by the plants, then the plants feed small animals. The coyote eats these small animals. After the coyote dies its remains go back into the soil, and then the cycle starts all over again.

That is where the coyote sits in the food chain.

Having the ability to eat anything it can chew, the coyote is a cunning hunter and an opportunistic scavenger. The coyote can run up to 40 mph, and combine its abilities with one or two others when they are running down their prey. Coyotes can eat insects, arachnids, rabbits, deer, big horn sheep, chickens, and sheep. They also may eat household pets such as cats and dogs.

Old predators of the coyote were the grizzly and black bears; mountain lions; and wolves, but because their populations have gone down, they aren't as big a threat anymore.

Depredation, killing coyotes because they are harmful, has become common in ranching areas. Ranchers fear for their wildlife.Also, since the coyote's fur has become so valuable, man became their main predator. They are scared of us, because we are the dominant species. Also, another reason is that we can eat almost anything we want, including them.