Coyotes — Reading Comprehension Lesson

Reading Passage

Coyotes — Reading Comprehension Lesson

The coyote is one of North America’s most adaptable wild animals. Originally native to the open prairies and deserts of the American West, coyotes have expanded their range to cover nearly all of North America, including cities, suburbs, and forests far outside their original habitat. Their ability to thrive in almost any environment makes them one of the most successful wild mammals on the continent.

Coyotes are omnivores with a highly varied diet. They eat rodents, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit, berries, and carrion, and have learned to take advantage of human garbage and pet food in suburban areas. They hunt alone for small prey and sometimes cooperate in small groups to bring down larger animals like deer. A coyote can run up to 40 miles per hour and has keen hearing and an excellent sense of smell.

Coyotes are well known for their vocalizations. Their iconic howls, yips, and barks are used to communicate with family members, establish territory, and locate one another across long distances. A chorus of coyote calls on a quiet night can sound like a large pack, even when only a few animals are calling. Each coyote has a distinct voice that other coyotes recognize.

Coyotes typically mate for life and raise pups together in dens dug into hillsides or riverbanks. A litter of 3 to 9 pups is born in spring, and both parents bring food to the young. Pups learn to hunt by watching their parents and through play. Despite heavy hunting and trapping pressure for more than a century, coyote populations have only grown — efforts to exterminate them have repeatedly failed because coyotes respond by producing larger litters.

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