Alone in the Cold

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

A coyote ponders its next move as it gazes across a vast blanket of snow in Lamar Valley. Intelligent, adaptable to its surroundings, and with a cunning ability to survive, the coyote is a common predator in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. When winter arrives their ability to adapt is seen in how they change their dietary habits along with their hunting tactics. They become scavengers utilizing their keen sense of hearing as they travel to listen for movement of a rodent under the blanket of snow. While normally travelling and hunting alone, coyotes have also been known to cooperatively hunt with other species such as badgers, ravens, and eagles.