Coyotes (Canis latrans) are highly adaptable canids that have successfully expanded their range across North America, thriving in environments from wilderness areas to urban centers. Their widespread distribution is due to their opportunistic nature and high reproductive success, which adjusts rapidly based on external conditions. The reproductive cycle is a tightly regulated, once-yearly event that allows the population to quickly respond to changes in their environment.
The Typical Litter Size
Coyote reproduction is characterized by a large litter size compared to many other mammals, typically falling between four and seven pups per litter. This range is the most common result of a successful breeding season across the continent. Coyotes can produce litters that are significantly smaller or larger, depending on various factors.
Litters outside the average range are less common but are documented in scientific literature and field observations. The maximum recorded litter size can reach as high as 13 pups, which is a rare occurrence. Generally, larger litters tend to occur in areas where the coyote population density is low or in newly established territories where competition for resources is minimal.
The Coyote Reproductive Cycle
The coyote reproductive timeline is highly seasonal, ensuring that pups are born when environmental conditions are most favorable for their survival. Mating activity takes place during late winter, between January and March, depending on the geographic location. A coyote female is a monoestrous species, meaning she enters a heat cycle only once a year.
Following a successful mating, the female undergoes a gestation period that lasts approximately 63 days. This fixed timeline means that pups are usually born in the spring, during April or May, within a secure den. Coyotes may either dig a new den or enlarge an existing burrow made by other animals, such as woodchucks or badgers, for the birthing process.
Environmental Influences on Pup Numbers
The number of pups a female carries to term is highly variable, influenced by the resources available to the mother. Food availability and litter size are correlated; high prey density supports better maternal health and results in larger litters. When food is abundant, the female is better nourished, which directly influences the number of eggs she produces and successfully implants.
Population density influences litter size; in areas with a high density of coyotes and increased competition, litters tend to be smaller. Conversely, when a coyote population is heavily reduced or controlled, such as through trapping or culling programs, the remaining females often exhibit a phenomenon called compensatory breeding. This response is a biological mechanism that allows the population to quickly recover.
Compensatory breeding explains why attempts to reduce coyote numbers can be ineffective. When adults are removed, the food ratio per remaining coyote increases, and females respond by producing significantly larger litters to rapidly fill the void. Studies show that following exploitation, the mean litter size can nearly double, with a greater proportion of young coyotes surviving due to reduced competition for food.
Raising the Pups
Once the pups are born in the den, they are blind and deaf, relying on their parents for warmth and nourishment. Both the male and female coyote, along with older siblings, share the duties of provisioning and protecting the young. The male coyote often brings food to the den for the female during the initial weeks while she stays with the newborns.
The pups open their eyes and begin to react to their surroundings around 11 to 12 days after birth. They remain solely dependent on their mother’s milk for the first few weeks, with weaning beginning around five to seven weeks of age. During this transition, parents introduce the pups to solid food, often through regurgitation of prey they have consumed.
Pups begin venturing out of the den and traveling short distances with the adults around six weeks old. They continue to learn hunting and survival skills from their parents and other pack members throughout the summer. The young coyotes reach an age of independence and begin to disperse from their natal territory in the fall or early winter, usually between six and nine months of age.