Results
Here are some of the results of this study (2020-2024)
Seattle Coyote Diet: This graph represents the number of times an item came up in our samples (~1,000 scat samples)
​
​
Seattle coyotes are eating a lot of fruit, rabbits, and rodents! Many of these are invasive species, so coyotes may be helping out your neighborhood by removing these pesky critters! While domestic cats (Felidae) do appear high up on this chart, this is likely not representing a lot of individual cats. Rather, cats are usually shared among family members and likely pooped out multiple times by an individual, which inflates the number of times it occurs within our sample pool.
​
Coyotes also appear to be eating a lot of human foods (represented in blue and gold). This could pose a problem for coyotes as eating human food may increase the likelihood of conflict with people. When coyotes associate people with food rewards, they can become emboldened and even nip at people to try to get food. Unfortunately, while wildlife feeding often has good intentions, it often ends with the death of wildlife. We say 'a fed coyote is a dead coyote.'
Do human demographics and social variables explain coyote diet?
​
In theory, if coyotes are eating human foods, these foods should reflect the diets of the people in that coyote's territory. We tested if coyote diet reflected food deserts within Seattle and what the drivers of different food items were. Here's what we found:
​
- In neighborhoods with more illegal dumping occurring and denser human populations, coyotes were more likely to be eating more rats and mice.
​
- In neighborhoods with denser human populations, coyotes were more likely to be eating fruits from trees like pears, apples, and cherries.
​
- In areas with lots of grocery stores and restaurants, coyotes were more likely to be eating a lot of human associated grains and legumes like soy, wheat, and corn. However, this results was not statistically significant.
​
- In areas with denser human populations and more impervious surfaces (asphalt/concrete), as well as lower income areas, coyotes were more likely to be eating more human grains/legumes and proteins (beef, pork, chicken)
​​
- Rabbits were consumed significantly across the study area, but were more common in areas with more illegal dumping occurring.
​
- Cats were consumed equally across the study area.
​
- Coyotes were more likely to be eating other vertebrate prey (aside from rabbits, cats, and rats/mice) in areas with less dense human populations and more green space
Seattle Coyote Genetics
​
At the time of sample collection of this study (2020-2022) there were very few coyotes in West Seattle and we did not genetically identify a single coyote from this area at the time. Without West Seattle, the city is divided into four rough quadrants pictured in the map to the right. These quadrants are divided by Interstate-5 and the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Our genetic analyses indicated that both of these areas are acting as barriers to coyotes and that coyotes are not interbreeding across these lines very frequently. ​
​
This is surprising given that coyotes are very mobile animals and easily navigate the urban landscapes, demonstrating that we have a lot to learn about genetics in urban areas!
​
​
Results can now be read in BioScience: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.17427
