The coyote has been given a bad rap for years, thanks to stories handed down of them mauling humans. And let’s not forget Wile E. Coyote of Looney Tunes fame!  The truth of the matter is that humans should foot most of the blame for the coyote’s bad rap. The coyote facts are this: Humans have been encroaching on the territory of the coyote for years. And when we humans destroy the very land in which they live and hunt, we are taking away their livelihoods.

Coyote facts show that they are part of the same family as dogs. They can be found in places like Alaska all the way down into Mexico and Central America.  Because of the human element, they have had to constantly adapt to changing conditions in their land.  It is important to note in your coyote facts that you should never feed or leave food for coyotes.  This behavior will bring them closer than ever to our territory and increases the potential for injuries when coyotes encounter humans.

Because coyotes are secretive and are predatory, they can co-exist close to us humans without us ever knowing they are around.  It is this secretiveness that brings about other coyote facts in relation to Native American culture.

The coyote is present in a lot of Native American folklore and is often cast in a variety of roles.  Deceiver, realist, goofball and survivor … these are but a few of the roles that these doggie relatives played. Coyote facts state that these animals represented the original Indians in Native American folklore. 

With traits characteristic of humans, the coyote stars in a number of these Indian stories and teachings, much like the white man’s fables and stories with a moral to them.  These coyote tales are passed down generation to generation and used to illustrate the foibles of the human race.

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