KEEPING TRACK

Rain and mud might be making things messy in Southern California but it can improve your chances of finding what types of wildlife are in your area. Today we have a quick guide to animal tracks.

URBAN COYOTE COUNT

Looking for tracks now could be beneficial if there are coyotes in your area. The number of coyote sightings, and attacks in urban areas of California has increased in recent years. Coyote mating season is in late January through February and pups are born in March and April. Coyotes can be aggressive and protective during mating or when protecting litters of pups.

It is unknown if the drought contributed to the rise in coyote attacks in rural areas but even when their food supply is abundant their territorial range can be one to three square miles.

Coyote bites reported to California Department of Fish and Wildlife in Los Angeles and Orange counties:

2012: 3

2013: 1

2014: 4

2015: 11

2016: 10

COYOTE CACHER

The University of California cooperative Extension has created an interactive map (click here) where people can enter where and when they have encountered coyotes. The map below shows encounters of different types in the last 30 days around Southern California. You can list your sightings at ucanr.edu/sites/CoyoteCacher.

Coyote control: Call your county animal control office or the United States Department of Agriculture, California Wildlife Services state office at 916-979-2675 .

AGGRESSIVE SEASON Breeding occurs once annually, typically in late January and in February, with pups born in March and April. Parents and offspring continue to remain in a family group for about six months. Before giving birth, the adults excavate one or more dens in the soil, occasionally expanding the burrows of other animals, but sometimes using hollow logs, rock piles, or culverts. Typically, even when denning in suburban areas, they choose sites where human activity is minimal. If disturbed, the parents may move the litter to an alternate den site.

The size of a litter of pups is normally 4 to 7 and may depend on the female’s nutritional status, which is a function of food availability and coyote population density. Pups will remain in a family group for about six months.

FINE PRINTS Coyote prints are often difficult to distinguish from dogs. Coyote prints often only show the claws on the middle two toes and they are usually much narrower than a dog print.

Sources: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Forest Service, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Photo: Wikimedia Commons