Coyotes spotted in Forest Hill - Blue Jay area
By Patrick Meikle
(Canaan Road - Feb.05, 2010) There have been several sightings of coyotes in the area. These include one coyote off Canaan Road near the Forest Hill area, one coyote seen walking through a yard in Blue Jay Ridge, and up to eight or nine claims one resident on the vacant lot just south of the corner of Canaan Road and Baseline. They could all be from the same pack... one Web site suggests that "coyotes live in small family groups".
(Check out our related stories below.)
The person who made the second sighting thought the animal was a wolf, but there is a noticable difference between the two, and given the large number of coyotes seen in the Ottawa area of late, it would suggest that these sightings were that of a coyote.
People living in this area have said that they have heard "wolves howling at night" for several years now, so who knows the difference? If you spot any of these animals you may want to report them to the authorities.
If you live on the Ottawa side, call the City of Ottawa at 311. If you live outside the boundaries of Ottawa, call the Ministry of Natural Resources at: 613-258-8382 or 1-800-667-1940.
Here is a diagram on identifying a coyote:
Here is a graphic showing a comparison between a wolf and a coyote
Click here for the above reference.
For more reading on these animals you can check out these Wikipedia references:
1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote
2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf
Here is another interesting and somewhat related site on "The Communication and Body Language of Canids". Click here.
This is a coyote.
This is a wolf.
Here is some information taken from the Internet:
The coyote is a fast-running carnivore (meat-eater). The coyote is closely related to the wolf. Coyotes probably
mate for life; they have 3 to 12 pups each spring. Both parents care for the pups, regurgitating food to help feed
them. Coyotes live in small family groups and guard their home territory fiercely.
Habitat and Range: Coyotes live in forests, prairies, mountains, chaparrals, and deserts in much of North America.
Anatomy: Thse mammals have a brown, gray, cream and/or black coat that camouflages them while hunting. Adults weigh
from 20 to 50 pounds (9 to 23 kg). They have very good eyesight, acute hearing, and a keen sense of smell.
Hunting and Diet: Coyotes eat rodents, carrion (dead animals that they find), fish, snakes, lizards, grains, and
fruit. They swallow food in large chunks, barely chewing it.
Related news stories:
Several Ottawa Sun stories
Kanata coyote deer kill prompts warning
If you visit the Ottawa Citizen site and do a search on "coyote" you will come up with several stories.
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