The Happy, Scrappy Super Genius Who Survives Better Despite You This Animal Life

Today let's consider one thrifty, scheming, and supernaturally resilient animal--kind of like the character of Wile E. Coyote himself.
Sit down and face coyote's music with today's guest, Sam Wilber, Naturalist. “So much of ecology and biology is such a bummer in this day and age," says Wilber. "There are so many things that are on the endangered list . . . it’s important to remember the species who are doing awesome. . . . Coyotes are winning against us, and I love that.” Stop fearing and start marveling about the brilliant resilience of this little (and we do mean LITTLE) meso- (not "apex-") predator who is, for all intents and purposes, just another super-smart pup. 
Sam Wilber is a naturalist, zoologist, photographer, and artist based in Tucson, Arizona. She works for Reid Park Zoo and volunteers for the Arizona Master Naturalists and Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection. She also runs her own art business at Sam Wilder Art LLC. Sam has experiences ranging from zoo-keeping to wildlife fieldwork to environmental education and endless stories about her favorite wild animals and wild places.
Want to follow up on our sources or watch any of the videos we mention? Go to ThisAnimalLife.com and click on Show Notes or see below.
 
SHOW NOTES
Sam’s Resources
Population/General Info:
Nat Geo
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/coyotes-expansion-north-america-wildlife-nation
HSUS
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/why-killing-coyotes-doesnt-work
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/coyote.php
LiveScience
https://www.livescience.com/27976-coyotes.html
Farm and Dairy:
https://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/coyotes-are-here-to-stay-and-thats-ok/615795.html
Feral/Outdoor Cats:
HSUS - problematic stance on protecting cats from coyotes
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/coyotes-pets-and-community-cats
Ecological impacts of cats
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pan3.10073
Wildlife Society Fact Sheet on outdoor cats
https://wildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Feral-Cats.pdf
Science News: Feral cats avoid coyotes and are therefore less ecologically harmful
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131113143600.htm
Tohono O'odham:
Creation story:
https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/10/04/67/100467102868469620681332441170203032624/ood_LegendsLore.pdf
Coyote tales
https://www.indigenouspeople.net/coyotal.htm
Map of ancestral homelands to reference indigenous peoples of your area
https://native-land.ca/
Coyotes and Badgers:
My favorite video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bICTWNRrGE
New video just shared recently:
https://news.yahoo.com/badger-coyote-seen-strolling-together-151138501.html
Article on the mutualism:
https://mymodernmet.com/badger-coyote-mutualism/
Rabies:
https://atlantacoyoteproject.org/2016/07/coyotes-and-rabies/
 
Lisa’s Resources
Attacks by Coyotes on Humans, Wikipedia. Only two attacks are known to have been fatal ever, whereas domestic dogs kill 30 - 50 people per year in the US alone. 
“Caught on Camera: Cat Fights Off 3 Coyotes,” CBS Los Angeles, January 11, 2020.
Colangelo, Lisa L., “Coyotes deserve a warmer welcome from New Yorkers, says wildlife biologist,” New York Daily News, April 2015.
“Coyotes Are the New Top Dogs,” Scientific American
Coyote Attacks Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote_attack 
Flores, Dan, Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History, Basic Books, June 2016.
Gehrt, Stanley D. “Urban Coyote Research Project,” 
Gehrt, Stanley, D. et al. “Is the Coyote a Misanthropic Synanthrope?” Cities and the Environment, Vol. 4 Issue 1, July 2011.
“How to Haze a Coyote,” YouTube
Humane Society, “Coyotes and people: what to know if you encounter a coyote,” HumaneSociety.org 2021.
iNaturalist interactive website https://www.inaturalist.org/ 
Interactive Map of Coyote Sightings in Florida
Lovejoy’s Islands, Wikipedia redirects to Bio