Coyotes belong to the Canidae family.  The scientific name for the coyote is Canis latrans.

    Coyotes are mid-size mammals covered in coarse black, brown, and white fur.  They typically weigh ten to fifteen kilograms, and measure about a meter in length.  They have a long bushy tail, and can be found in plains, deserts, mountains, forests, and the tundra of the Americas.

    Most coyotes will spend their lives in pairs.  However, some will form groups of three to six in an effort to survive longer.  This survival trait allows them to share what they have hunted, and live in a common den where they can protect their young and share heat in colder environments.  The coyote's main diet is composed of rats, squirrels, beavers, and other small- to mid-sized mammals.  Occasionally, they will feed on a sheep or even a deer.