Fauna Series No. 4

Fauna of the National Parks — No. 4 Ecology of the Coyote in the Yellowstone

CHAPTER IX:
OTHER LARGE MAMMALS IN RELATION TO COYOTES

CARCASS FRAGMENTS IN COYOTE DIET

Bone.—Fragments of large bones were found in 47 droppings. These bones may be consumed together with the meat of a carcass, or chewed from a skeleton long after the meat has been removed. Immediately after an elk skeleton has been cleaned of flesh most of the ribs have only the tips chewed. The coyotes continue to visit the bones until often only a short stub of each rib, 2 or 3 inches long, remains. Processes of the vertebrae are also chewed off. Sometimes the ribs are chewed short in 2 or 3 days after feeding on the carcass has begun. Often weathered skeletons several years old are visited by coyotes, who stop to eat a little of the bone in passing. Old weathered bone is often eaten when food is plentiful so is not necessarily resorted to because of hunger.

On November 21, 1937, I followed a coyote's trail near Junction Butte and came to a spot where the coyote had chewed off vertebral processes of an old bull elk that had died during the previous winter. On January 13, 1938, a coyote was seen chewing on some gray and weathered vertebrae of a fawn. On January 25, 1938, near Deckers Flat, part of an old elk skeleton had been eaten. On October 1, 1938, near Tower Falls two coyotes were frightened from some bones of an elk that had died the previous winter. The tips of several ribs had been freshly chewed.

Antlers.—On several occasions shed antlers of deer and elk were found which had been chewed by coyotes. Some of these antlers were freshly shed while others had been shed at least a year previously. Deer antlers that had been recently chewed by coyotes were found on January 26 and 30, and February 12, 13, and 16. One antler chewed on February 12 was seen again February 13, and it was noted that during the night coyotes had almost removed one of the tines. On February 16 an old elk antler was found which had been much reduced by coyotes. Deeply grooved tooth marks, probably made by the canines, were left on some of these antlers.

Hoofs.—Bits of hoofs of deer and elk were frequently found in the scats. Several instances were noted in the field in which the coyotes had gnawed on a hoof. On November 22, 1937, while examining a bull elk skeleton from which the flesh had been eaten a day or two previously I noted that one-half of a hoof had been consumed. On January 15 a coyote was seen to stop at some elk remains and chew away part of a hoof, and on January 26 a deer hoof was eaten. On February 10, 1938, part of a hoof of an old ram was eaten although half of the meat of the carcass remained. On February 15 the hoof of a deer fawn was chewed.

Last Modified: Thurs, Dec 20 2001 10:00:00 pm PDT
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